A University Course That Shapes Future Teachers' Views on Immigration

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a first-year education course is sparking conversations about its approach to immigration topics. The course, "Identity and Difference in Education, " includes lessons that focus on the language used to discuss immigration and the experiences of immigrant students. One of the lessons, titled "Living in Uncertainty: Understanding Immigrant, Migrant, & Refugee Student Populations, " features slides that emphasize the use of "humanizing language" when talking about immigrants. The slides suggest avoiding terms like "illegal immigrants" or "illegal aliens, " as they are described as dehumanizing and degrading. The course also delves into the differences between immigrants and refugees, explaining that immigrants often move to pursue better opportunities, while refugees flee to escape persecution, conflict, or violence. The presentation cites a PBS News report, claiming that there are only 13. 7 million illegal aliens in the United States. However, a 2018 Yale study suggests a much higher number, between 16 million and 29 million, with a mean of 22. 1 million. The course also includes a slide titled "Shifting Support for Immigrant/Refugee Student Populations in Schools, " which compiles headlines about the negative academic impacts of stricter immigration policies. The slide reinforces that an anti-immigrant/refugee climate can increase discriminatory practices, make students feel unsafe, and increase absenteeism. The course also features a study co-authored by the professor, Gabriel Rodriguez, which examines the reactions of 11 "Latinx youth" in predominantly white suburbs. The study references "White supremacy and xenophobia brought on by. . . Trump. " One of the study's subjects, Jose, an illegal alien, expresses his fear of deportation and the importance of his grades in building a case for his stay in the United States.Further slides instruct students on how to deal with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a school setting. A student in the class, who spoke with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity, said that these lessons aren't just suggestions for how to teach future students, but rather, they are presented as things that future educators need to know and do. The course also covers the implicit meanings of silence in the classroom, suggesting that sometimes silence is the result of racial or sex-based discrimination. One example is "Internalized Oppression, " defined as "assumed racial inferiority on the part of people of color. " The presentation suggests that students, particularly those with minoritized identities, may use silence as a survival and resistance method. The course also features anecdotes from people described as high school students. One anecdote tells the story of Joaquín, a senior in high school, who reported that people ignored him when he gave his opinion, and suggested that his race played a factor in the ignorance. Another anecdote tells the story of Lissette, a student who was cut off by her white peers during a group discussion. The course also covers "microagressions, " defined as "everyday, verbal, nonverbal slights, snubs, or insults regardless of intent that sends a hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their minoritized group membership, " and "stereotype threat, " defined as "socially premised psychological threat that arises when one is in a situation or doing something for which a negative stereotype about one’s group applies. " A student in the course expressed their concern that the course is not teaching them about how to set up a classroom, what methods work best with kids for learning, or basic curriculum that kids are going to be taught, like math and science. Instead, the course is focusing on social issues and how to address them in the classroom.