Monthly Archives: March 2018

Contemporary Immigration Stories: A Visit with Hedy and Piers

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March 15,  2018

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for sharing your immigration story with the grade! I loved the slideshows and it showed how much work you put into presentations even though it was only for your child’s grade. It means a lot to me.  In your share I learned so much more about what life is like for an immigrant because there was some facts that even I didn’t know.

My favorite part was when Mom gave out the yummy food and Dad told everyone about his green card. I liked when Dad shared his green card because I didn’t know that there are so many rules for green card holders. I thought that they just had the same rights as citizens but they just can’t vote. As for the food there is no need for an explanation.

It was interesting how Memeh and Babajoon came to get educated. I thought that there was another reason. It is kind of scary that if Babajoon hadn’t made that choice I wouldn’t be here. I would never have been born! Dad it was cool how you went from a dog walker to a boss of a company. That shows that if you really want to do something you can try your hardest and you might accomplish that goal.

Two quick questions, one, what was your family’s reaction when you moved away (Dad), and two, why didn’t Maman Bozorg come with you (Mom)? Please respond soon.

Your ingenious child,

Cyrus William Fawkes

Response from Hedy:

Hi Cy! Thanks for your letter. Very sweet. To answer your question: Maman Bozorg didn’t come with Memeh because she had 4 other kids (and her husband). Her youngest, Dayee Khosrow, was only 11 when she came! Sad to think that Memeh couldn’t see her little brother for over 9 years.. imagine that! Love you. xx

March  15, 2018

Dear Hedy and Piers,

Thank you for coming today. It was great that you guys shared your stories.

What I found most interesting was that Piers had a green card and Hedy did not. I found that interesting because you guys were both immigrants, but one chose to be a citizen. I know someone that’s in Iran, its Giselle, she’s there for spring break. Again thank you for coming.

It was really cool to learn about both of your lives. First from London and Iran, then to America and how you started a new life. I have one question, that is, do you ever see your family? if so, how often? I thought that it was very hard for women because they have to be treated like that by the government and wear all of that clothing. I’m sorry that it’s hard to see family.

From Cy’s friend,

Theo

March  15, 2018                                                                              

Dear Hedy and Piers,    

Thank you for coming to our classroom and sharing about your immigration stories. I learned so much about contemporary immigration.

Piers, some of my favorite parts were when you shared about why you immigrated to America. I thought it was crazy that if you didn’t have a green card you couldn’t get, healthcare, a job, bank account, a license and a phone. I thought it was interesting that you have to visit America one time every six months to keep your green card.

Was it hard for you to find a job? In another immigrant story that we heard it was hard for the immigrants to leave their old life behind. Was it hard for you?

Hedy, I thought it was cool that you went from being poor in Iran to  creating a life and family in America. One of my favorite parts was when you shared the dates and cotton candy. Was it hard for you to learn English? I thought the tradition when it woulds turn into a party in the kitchen was cool. Was it hard for you to settle in a new place?

Sincerely,

Celia

March 15,2018

Dear Hedy and Piers,                                            

Thank you for coming for a visit today to our class.

I loved your share today. My favorite part was when you described how you came to the United States. I learned a lot about the challenges like once you came here, it was hard to get a job. I thought it was interesting to hear about your (Hedy) life in Iran and how your Dad was a police officer. I also thought it was interesting to hear about how hard it is to get a Green Card even after you’ve to the United States. I don’t think it’s fair that some people who live here can’t vote.

I enjoyed hearing about how good the food tasted in Iran. I liked the white cotton candy that you brought to our class for an amazing and delicious snack. It felt so fluffy and was so sweet and so good.

I hope I can visit Iran someday and see some of the things you described.

From,

Henry Edward Hutchins 

 

We Join the National School Walkout #Enough

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Cars honk in agreement.

We can stand up for what we think.

We have a voice.

We can affect people.

We can make a difference.

#ChangeStartsHere

From Sarah, a poem:

The Walkout

With silence

Strong silence

Using our silence

As our weapon

Peaceful weapon

Unlike the weapons we protest against

Guns

All guns

Used to kill

Out here on a cold March day

Think about ones lost

Selfless in the cold

Huddle together for warmth like lost penguins

With signs hanging limply from our frozen fingers

Connect

Cold on the outside

On the inside warmth spreads

Pride

We are together

One community

17 dead

17

Countless injuries

Many witnesses

Signs hoist slogans like

“The world is made of life, not guns. #LREI”

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin

“We can get gun control!”

“Make art, not guns. Make poems, not guns. Make music, not guns. You get the idea.”

“Love = love. Guns = hate. *Why add more hate to this world?!?”

“We certainly don’t understand why it is harder to make plans with friends on weekends than it is to buy a semi – automatic weapon” – Emma Gonzalez

“We’re children. You guys are the adults. Get something done.” – Parkland Shooting Survivor

Cars honk in agreement

We can stand up for what we think

We have a voice

We can affect people

We can make a difference

“#ChangeStartsHere”

From Harley, a report:

Almost all of the Fourth Grade and Middle schoolers at LREI were at the walk-out, exactly a month after the Stoneman Douglas School shooting. They were holding up signs that said things like “Make art, not guns, make poems, not guns, make music, not guns, you get the idea.”, “Love=Love Guns=Hate. *Why add more hate to the world?” and, “The world is made of life, not guns. #Lrei”. We stood at Little Red Square in silence. But, other people participating chanted things like “Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids have you killed today?” We went outside at 10:00 AM and went back inside at 10:17 AM (some students stayed out for an extra minute to show support for the people that witnessed it and for the people who were injured).

The reason we went out was to show that children can make a difference, and to show support for anyone who has been through a shooting. Some people driving past Sixth Avenue honked the horns of their cars and trucks to show support. It felt really good to know that other people agreed with us and that people cared about what we had to say.

I really like that the teachers gave us the opportunity to participate. In some schools, children would be suspended if they chose to walk out. But some of those students walked out any way. I hope that the government will change gun laws so that a school shooting like this never happens again.

From fourth graders during a discussion after the walkout: 

“Every time I felt cold I thought to myself I am freezing then I remembered the families who lost someone in the shooting.”

“I was happy that we actually got a chance to protest.”

“We were showing the world that even kids in the fourth grade can say what they think.”

“I felt happy it affected people walking by.”

From Sebastian, a news report:

On Wednesday, March 14, fourth graders walked out of their classrooms and onto the the sidewalk of Sixth Avenue. They were the youngest kids protesting too. Fourth graders fought for safer gun laws. They were representing the younger kids at LREI. A fourth grade student named Sebastian declared, “We shouldn’t have to go out of the school day to protest for safer gun laws.” That was very powerful and meaningful and most 4th graders agree.

Students saw random strangers taking photos of the peaceful protest. “It was amazing!” said Theo, another fourth grader. The signs were well-made and made sense. There were a lot of cars and trucks honking as they drove past the young protesters.

The walk-out was very emotional. Some grown-ups, like Sebastian’s mom and Deborah, the head teacher of DS4, were crying at the sight of all of the students protesting.           

One fourth grader, Bo, came up with the idea to stay out for two more minutes to honor the people who were injured in the Florida shooting. His classmates agreed, so they stayed outside for two extra minutes.

Not only the fourth graders protested, LREI middle school and high school students participated too. Also, students all over the United States of America protested for better gun laws.

The next day, fourth grade teacher, Deborah read a news article about a girl in Wisconsin who was the only student in her school to walk out. She sat outside under a flagpole for 17 minutes by herself. Deborah said, “It reminded me how fortunate we are to be in a community that is actively engaged in social justice issues.”

Contemporary Immigrant Visitor: Avery Barnes

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…you were so brave to go across the border with only a little sister, making you the adult.

March 1, 2018

Dear Avery,

Thank you so much for coming in our classroom and sharing with us your story. I thought your story was very interesting and I really liked the part when your teacher told your parents you should go to a better school.

Did you ever get tired of walking to a whole other state just to go to school? What did you always do when you were a kid, like what sports did you like?

We talked about the Mexican border why didn’t we talk about Trump’s idea to build a wall?

Sincerely,

Alejandro Ulrich

Dear Avery,

Thank you for coming in and taking time out of your day to speak to us about your childhood experiences in México.  

Some of my many favorite parts of your share was when you were talking about the way how your mom made  your name to be as white as possible so you can have a better education. It just proves how our world is very unfair and how you have to do whatever is possible to have a good life in this world. Another thing I liked about your share was how you talked about not knowing how to say your name properly until 4th grade because nobody in your family knew how to pronounce it. They were not used to saying those sounds, so instead they would say your name like Abery instead of Avery. Something else I liked about your share was when you talked about being the only Méxican kid in your grade and how kids were saying that you were failing because of being stupid but it was just because you didn’t know the language. I kind of know what you meant when you said you were the only Méxican kid in the grade and I sorta know how you felt even though mine isn’t as extreme as yours – I still understood what you meant and connected with it.

I do have a few questions about your share, like when you started going to school in the U.S and then your teacher told your mom that she thinks that you didn’t understand English so you should  go to a different school. How many years or months did it take for you to start speaking English fluently and how old were you when you were able to? Another question I have for you is, do people still call you a white person or do more people call you a Méxican person? On another note when you talked about the border were you exaggerating the waiting time or were you serious?

Also I think part of the problem is the U.S, because ever since our president became president he’s had a problem with Méxicans. Also Canada has more white people than México has and personally I feel he is racist to anybody who isn’t white. So I think he made it harder to enter the U.S from México because he’s racist toward  different races besides white people. I travel to Canada a lot and when we cross into the U.S there is basically nobody there. The longest time I’ve had to wait to cross before is about 15  minutes vs 5 HOURS to cross from México so I definitely think there is something not right but it could also be because  Canada is closer to the U.S in a way.

When you explained to us how Playas de Tijuana was much more like New York than Ensenada – like how in New York there are many small neighborhoods but in Ensenada it has no neighborhoods it is like one big neighborhood. Also, when  I was writing this letter I did some research and I found some pictures of fish that they have in Ensenada.  I found it interesting that you said the two places that are roughly an hour and half apart can be so different even thought they are so close together. So when you said they are completely different they are definitely completely different.

Thank you for coming in,

Sincerely,

Bayo

March 1st, 2018

Dear Avery,

Thank you for coming to our classroom today and telling the story of you growing up on the U.S.Mexican border.

I really loved the beautiful pictures in the wonderful slideshow that you prepared for us. One thing that I found very interesting was the story about having to cross the border everyday, sometimes even by yourself!  

I thought it was terrible that you and your family were discriminated against just because you are Mexican. I thought it was really inspiring how you and your family just tuned them out and went on with your lives. Look how much you’ve accomplished so far! You are a teacher who lives in New York! The people in your old school who called you stupid or dumb, are completely wrong.

Sincerely,                                                              

Libi

P.S. Did you ever read the book Esperanza Rising?

March 1st, 2018

Dear Avery,

Thank you for coming in and sharing your story of growing up on the border with us. It was really interesting. It really made me realize how many privileges we overlook and take for granted.

I really thought it was funny how your first taste of English came from SpongeBob. I thought that it was interesting that up until 4th Grade you had heard your name pronounced Abery instead of Avery. I also think that the fact that you always referred to the border as “Vamos el otro lado” was interesting too.

My questions for next time are: Did the kids stop making fun of you? If so, when? Was learning English hard? How did you learn it fluently? Are there things you miss from living from Mexico?

Sincerely,

Sarah

 

March 1, 2018

Dear Avery Barnes,

Thank you so much for coming and sharing your personal experiences so we could learn. I really enjoyed your share because it put me to a lot of thought about contemporary immigration and was so detailed that I have basically no questions except for the ones we didn’t get to within our time limit.

I thought that these parts of your share were the most interesting and important. I thought it was really interesting how there was such a long line to get into the U.S., but only five cars (in the photo) entering Mexico.

This got me thinking; Why? Another interesting part of your story was the fact that you were so brave to go across the border with only a little sister, making you the adult. The really insane part of this was that you were only nine years of age. Even if I had to, I think I would be way too scared to go across the border to another country at such a young age. Something that really amazed me was that a school in a place that your mother thought would be better for your education, would have a horrible budget, allowing you to learn in an environment worse than what you thought would be better.

I have two questions that I hope have the amount of meaning I thought they did. My first is;  Are there specific spots in your childhood that you strongly didn’t like? And second, What were the parts of this adventure that you were good/confident at and not so good/confident.  

Anyway, thank you so much for coming and I can’t wait until your next visit.

Sincerely,

Sonia Stomberg-Firestein