Making Americans

Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education

De: Jessica Lander

Narrado por: Samara Naeymi

Duración: 14 h

Resumen del Editor

A landmark work that weaves captivating stories about the past, present, and personal into an inspiring vision for how America can educate immigrant students

Setting out from her classroom, Jessica Lander takes the listener on a powerful and urgent journey to understand what it takes for immigrant students to become Americans. A compelling listen for everyone who cares about America’s future, Making Americans brims with innovative ideas for educators and policy makers across the country.

Lander brings to life the history of America’s efforts to educate immigrants through rich stories, including these:

-The Nebraska teacher arrested for teaching an eleven-year-old boy in German who took his case to the Supreme Court

-The California families who overturned school segregation for Mexican American children

-The Texas families who risked deportation to establish the right for undocumented children to attend public schools

She visits innovative classrooms across the country that work with immigrant-origin students, such as these:

-A school in Georgia for refugee girls who have been kept from school by violence, poverty, and natural disaster

-Five schools in Aurora, Colorado, that came together to collaborate with community groups, businesses, a hospital, and families to support newcomer children.

-A North Carolina school district of more than 100 schools who rethought how they teach their immigrant-origin students

She shares inspiring stories of how seven of her own immigrant students created new homes in America, including the following:

-The boy who escaped Baghdad and found a home in his school’s ROTC program

-The daughter of Cambodian genocide survivors who dreamed of becoming a computer scientist

-The orphaned boy who escaped violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and created a new community here

Making Americans is an exploration of immigrant education across the country told through key historical moments, current experiments to improve immigrant education, and profiles of immigrant students. Making Americans is a remarkable book that will reshape how we all think about nurturing one of America’s greatest assets: the newcomers who enrich this country with their energy, talents, and drive.

©2022 Jessica Lander (P)2022 Beacon Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

"In this empathetic call for change, high school teacher Lander (Driving Backwards) offers concrete plans for reforming immigrant education in the U.S... Throughout, Lander buttresses her case with stirring profiles of her former students. The result is an inspirational must-read for educators, policymakers, and parents."—Publishers Weekly

"The author offers a nice mixture of conversational tone and intriguing research, uncovering important, untold stories in educational history."—Kirkus Reviews

"Lander is an excellent storyteller, and this book is an involving read. VERDICT A thoughtful, engaging book for any reader interested in immigrant education."—A. Gray, Library Journal

Creative teacher tells a lively story

Lander draws together an engaging mix of history and her current classroom to illustrate the sometimes-rocky, always-amazing stories of how kids born somewhere else become Americans. She mixes in enough policy to point toward making the process work better, but she never strays far from the true heart of the book--the kids' experiences. The stories in this book gripped at my heart and stay with me every day.

This is a book worth reading.

Fantastic read!

Could not recommend more highly. Poignant and educational. Love the mix of history, current and person. Made me laugh and cry in addition to learning lots.