Comments on: Disturbing Statistics about Latino Educational Attainment

By: irma

irma — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:47:58 +0000

I have not seen Soledad O Brien’s “Latino in America”, but what I have read about it, she should produce a second segment …..
Educational attainment in the Latino community? Bottom line, at least in the Mexican American community (my background) there has rarely been an emphasis on education except in isolated pockets. I am
52 years old, and can remember being mocked
by my Mexican American peers for “talking white and not speaking Spanish.” My Mexican parents had a response for that ” They think they are speaking Spanish, in Mexico they call
that pocho. There is no such thing as speaking
“white.”. Armed with this support, I went on
to get two degrees (BA and a PhD) and along the way I learned to read, write and speak
Spanish at the university level. My parents
were especially pleased with my decision to learn proper Spanish.

My point is that many Latino youth are getting the wrong message at home about education and about learning to speak English. Education
“belongs” to no one specific group. Education is something to be treasured, not something to
endure like a spoonful of cod liver oil. Education is the key to power and success- something my father stressed on many an occasion.

I would like to see more Latinos in science
(my career choice). I encourage young Latinos
every chance I get – to consider being a
Biochemistry , Physics, or Chemistry major.
But, if they choose to go to college at all- I am happy with that…………

By: BettyM

BettyM — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:22:03 +0000

John, congratulations. I’m sure everyone agrees that there is no single cause for the poor performance of latino youth nor is there one solution to the problem. I do agree that the first step in ensuring that our youth receive a sound education is encouragement from their parents.

By: John

John — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:05:04 +0000

As a Latino father who just had two daughters graduate from Yale, it is the parents that need to be educated. It was sad to see in a class of about 1500, only about 30 students of Mexican descent were there. When will the parents realize that their kids can do and achieve what ever they want.

By: Michaelr

Michaelr — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:35:48 +0000

We all have our horror stories, especially those of us who endured public education in minority dominated schools. But the reality is based on our ambitions, and those accomplishments we achieved on our own. Everything else is just excuses.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:53:47 +0000

Re: “Not only from my parents but from my teachers and advisors.”

Yeah, college advisors aren’t very good. I have read that minority peer advisors are better in terms of retention.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:51:52 +0000

Re: “We will take this crap from CNN as long as we blindly watch their network and then get excited that they throw us a bone like Latino in America.”

If 1 million Latinos canceled their cable service over CNNs racist hiring practices and Lou Dobbs, that would wake them up. When Lou Dobbs costs them money, they’ll get rid of him. Wring letters and changing the channel isn’t enough.

By: stephen

stephen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:55:44 +0000

I have a 5 year old and she reads and writes and adds multiple-digit numbers (kid books, not Nietzche of course). Her school is almost 90% white and they all are at the same level in her kindergarten class.
She’s sitting on the table now writing a “book” and adding random numbers at 9:50 pm. I can say I never did this in kindergarten and nobody cared to make sure I knew how to. I caught up pretty fast, and I’m a professor now, but expectations were always low. Not only from my parents but from my teachers and advisors.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:39:15 +0000

Anna,

I will write a longer post about the CNN series. I haven’t watched it, but I have mixed feelings about CNN showing this documentary series, while continuing to allow Lou Dobbs to have a platform on their network on a daily basis. I know some people who went to the LA screening of LIA, and some liked it and even liked Soledad’s work.

We will take this crap from CNN as long as we blindly watch their network and then get excited that they throw us a bone like Latino in America.

But to get back to the education topic, I can agree that Latino parents need to let their children learn and experience life beyond serving their parents’ needs. If more parents valued education, they would not let the children work or serve them to the detriment of their studies.

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:24:45 +0000

What do people think about the upcoming CNN series Latino in America? I happened to watch the above mentioned segment as I was changing the channel, but I have no intention of watching the series.

When do we get to tell our own stories in the media like other Americans? Soledad O’Brien does not speak for me at all. I want to see stories about successful Mexican-Americans like astronauts and Nobel Prize winners.

How long are we going to take this crap from CNN?!

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:13:27 +0000

I saw a segment on CNN that was a preview of their Latino in America series, and Soleded O’Brien addressed the issue of education. She interviewed a girl from South Los Angeles who is constantly pressured by her mother to help out at home, which interferes with her ability to attend school. The girl helps her mother at their business, translates for her, takes her to doctors appointments, and babysits her small niece, even if it means missing class.

Some Latino parents will not let their children individuate. People need to break away and put their own needs above the needs of the group. Girls in particular are used as household help and free babysitting service, and discouraged from developing their own goals.

The girl in the CNN segment needs to tell her mother to learn how to speak basic English and to find a friend, neighbor, or home health aid to accompany her to appointments. And she has to tell her aunt to find somebody else to babysit. People do not have the right to suck the life out of their children.