Children,citizenship

Keith Benson Civics, Citizenship and Social Education 10.12.2006 Dr. Beth Rubin How do young people experience being American? How do we “become” citizens? How do kids enact, engage with, and resist the concepts of civics, citizenship, and social values? What do schools have to do with this? From this week’s readings, it seems young people experience being American though mostly through observation and their own or others’ experiences. These American observations are made through a variety of entities; TV, radio, magazines and newspapers. But as the readings suggest, schools are places where young people experience the larger America. Though young people may not articulate what they are observing, either consciously or sub-consciously, the criticisms or compliments students have toward their school could feasibly be “congruent” to their complaints about “their lived America”. Whether referring to a student at Burnside High School who is economically “well off and very comfortable”, or an immigrant youth at a school in Dodge City, Kansas, the realities young people experience within their schools mirror their larger American experience. Also, I noticed through the readings that experiencing America can be something that “happens” to a young person. Dr. Rubin comments that students “in a racially and socioeconomic-ally integrated setting which emphasized analyses of social inequality had a strikingly different approach, expressing the desire to become actively involved in social change.” The students of educational setting Dr. Rubin describes experienced the broader America; that is the American life other

Americans citizens live. Students in the school district were racial and economic diversity was noticeable, probably directed students become more active in American society. Unfortunately, not every “American” experience in school is a positive one. Immigrant youth who enter the American “Petri dish of democracy” that is public school, often experience an environment that re-affirms their un-American-ness. Stepick and Stepick in “Becoming American” write, “Teachers and administrators forced immigrant youth to speak only English while at school. They demeaned, or at best ignored, what they consider to be inferior cultural traditions of the immigrants” (Stepick, 60). As humiliating as this, and instances like it, can be to an immigrant student, by experiencing events, immigrant youth can receive remarkable insight into what they can expect in their American experience. America, as different as its citizens are and have historically been, has never been a country that embraces diversity with open arms. Immigrant youth, who primarily spend much of their time within their own household and within their like communities, by attending a public school, they learn the views of the larger society. My definition of an American citizen, and the way to become a citizen, is very simplistic and un-original. In my view, if someone was either born in America or has gone through the proper channels to become lawful citizen of this country, they have succeeded in earning citizenship. I do not believe assimilation into American society is necessary to become a citizen. But I do, however, believe assimilation is vital toward achieving upward mobility and being considered more “American”. Lizzie, the 11th grader at Burnside explained to interviewers how proud her father was to come to America as an immigrant with no money and through time and effort, was able to purchase his own home. Through the willingness to accept American ideals and value as

his own, Lizzie’s father, even as an immigrant, was able to procure the American dream of home ownership. And, while Lizzie herself, didn’t own her house, a message was clear; by assimilating and accepting the American way of life, people can achieve success here. I don’t believe Lizzie and her family is anymore American citizens than the immigrant youths Stepick and Stepick describe, or Haitian émigré Natalie Neptune. But Lizzie’s family’s willingness to assimilate and accept American ideals set them Lizzie’s family apart. Young people respond to their American experience in a variety of ways. The stressing of “their America” is due to the fact that not all young people experience the same thing in America. A person’s observations and exposures largely drive their perceptions. And resulting from varying experiences, varying responses also follow. Natalie Neptune, in “What Happened to My American Dream”, explains a feeling of detachment and cynicism toward becoming an American citizen. Stepick and Stepick describe how many immigrant youth, after being funneled toward Americanization through assimilation in their schools and larger society, respond by grasping tighter to their own culture and their original national identity. The response also varied among native born American young people. In Dr. Rubin’s essay, it is conveyed that the beliefs and values of more affluent whites and some immigrants, are in more “congruity” with the larger accepted ideals of mass American society. On the other hand, young people in middle to lower economic tiers and minorities, respond to their American experience in ways that communicate higher levels of skepticism and apprehension. Schools play an important role in how a young person views America. As microcosms of a student’s community, the expectations and opinions a student forms

within a school, are probably similar to that which they have about their own community, and “their own America”. But then the question becomes what is the role and goal of public school? Nasir and Kirshner writes about the Bililian Islamic School saying the school believes, “Children are viewed as spirits to be nurtured, as well as minds to be taught, and teachers view their jobs as very much about teaching core principles of love, compassion, and good conduct” (Nasir,71). In a setting such as this, where teaching equality and appreciation is fundamental, young people could help form a more positive and more profound interpretation of “being American”, spur increased civic participation, and hopefully, mold a more united America.