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Ivan Valladarez

Professor Batty

English 101

9 October 2019

Latinx Students and Their Struggle with Education

Although people would say that Latinx students have enough of a chance to receive an

education just like everyone else, it could be argued that latinx students struggle with many

things that can prevent them from receiving such an education. Certain things in a Latinx

students life can prevent them from their education, things like immigration and situations that

surround that topic, could put a barrier on students getting an education. Furthermore there are

such barriers as financial struggles can severely affect their education. Another barrier that can

seriously hurt their chances at an education is cultural barriers. With cultural barriers that pertain

to latinx students it’s not a surprise that these students have a difficult time getting a proper

education. When there are many barriers that latinx students have to overcome, it is harder for

them to receive a proper education

Latinx students struggle with immigration either as themselves being immigrant or their

parents being immigrants. Latinx students that struggle with immigration have a number of

problems that they face everyday that prevents them from their education, like a language

barrier. Language is something that most latinx students struggle with. With a language barrier,

students are hesitant to participate in class which affects their academic performance. Latinx

students that don’t really understand what the teacher is saying would have to work twice as hard

just to fully grasp which ever topic or material the professor is going over. Furthermore, in the
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case of exams, essays, etc these students will struggle with fully explaining what they’re trying

to say in during these tasks. They would repeat the words that they do know and try to integrate

the words that they do know a number of times. It’s not only the English subject, this could fall

on all categories. Learning math in a different language could make it even more difficult than it

already is and to the professor perspective they might take its as being unintelligent. A language

barrier as well as affect their ability to communicate with their classmates. If they are unable to

communicate with their classmates they can’t have conversations with their classmates to talk

about what they missed or to discuss the lecture. Another disadvantage that immigration has on

latinx students is financial aid, Fafsa requires a social security of the student and their parents

and since immigrant students or immigrant parents don’t have a social security they can’t get the

financial help they need. Although there are new laws saying that immigrant students don’t need

to fill out the social security part for financial aid or to receive aid that information isn’t well

known throughout immigrant latinx students and that’s why most students just stop pursuing

their educational career after high school. In high school a friend of mine her name is Martha

who is an immigrant was talking to me about life after high school and she was really saddened

because she thought she couldn’t go to college and receive fafsa so i had to inform her of the

new laws that can help her receive financial aid. That’s when I knew that this important

information wasn’t being taught to some students. What I believe would be helpful in resolving

these issues that prevent latinx students from receiving a proper education is making the laws

that support immigrant students more well know that they be taught in classes so that they can

have at most the option to go to college or not. Now in the case of the language barrier i suggest

the teachers or professors to go over the material in english then repeat it in spanish so that the

not so english fluent students can still keep up in class

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Latinx students that struggle with financial instabilities suffer through a number of ways.

One way they struggle is the area they live in since most immigrant parents don’t have stable

jobs they’re forced to live in areas that some might consider not the best. Due to living in some

“ghetto” areas latinx students are forced to go to and from school passing an unsafe area. Since

these areas are very underrepresented the schools surrounding these areas don’t receive much

funding not only affecting students but even faculty to not being fully invested in teaching and

the students aren’t invested to learn preventing them from receiving a proper education. Along

with financial issues most Latinx students feel like they have family obligations and most

students get jobs to help out their family. In the case of latinx students with jobs when they apply

for fafsa they’ll get even less money because the financial aid will take their parents taxes and

the working students taxes and subtract it from the amount the schooling will cost given only the

bare minimum the student will need, even though it might not be enough.

Connected to Latinx students and their barriers from receiving a proper education is

cultural barriers. Cultural barriers in the latinx community affects the latinx students in different

ways, but they are ways that can affect their education, a cultural barrier that they face is not

speaking about their problems this mostly is a stereotype that mostly affects males but it does

affect the females as well. Latinx students are raised on a certain way of life that are not good

habits like not talking about their problems and this affects them with their education because

they were raised to see asking for help as a bad thing. So when they don’t fully understand

something they won’t ask for help. Similarly another cultural barrier that seems to be a lack of

communication about sexual health. Latinx family have a stigma about talking about things that

might make them feel uncomfortable, like talking about sexual health, latinx familys have

difficulty talking to their child about sex and how to take percautions to prevent pregnacy so
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most familys don’t and thats why some Latinx women were getting pregnate before they could

graduate high school. After they had the baby some Latinx students didn’t pursue their education

and instead started working to provide for their child. Although an argument could be said that

its the students responsibility to ask for help when they need or that there are programs that

advertise safe sex and if the students don’t utilise those programs its their own falt. And i would

agree yes there are a number of thing that can