GROWING CONCERN OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION:
How to Become an American Citizen
- Sherri Davis and Caroline Wilkinson
In recent months illegal immigration has become a major concern among American citizens. According to one recent opinion poll, 85% of the people surveyed believe that illegal immigration has become a more serious problem than it has been in the past. Eighty-five percent of those surveyed also favor a federal law to reduce the number of immigrants who enter the U.S. illegally. So why don't all immigrants become legal citizens? What must they do to become legal citizens in the United States?
The first step in applying for citizenship is obtaining a Green Card. According to a source at the Department of State, there are three ways to obtain a Green Card: (1) an immediate family member, who is already a citizen, sponsors him or her, (2) the person's employer proves the person is irreplaceable or (3) s/he could not apply for citizenship because the Green Card ran out after five years.
If individuals decide they want to be United States citizens, they must fill out an "Application for Status as Permanent Resident," have a personal interview with an immigration officer, and pass a test proving they are literate in English and is knowledgeable about the American History. A class before the exam is not required but offered and probably beneficial. When asked how long this whole process would take, the state employer responded, "6-8 months."
There is one other way to obtain a visa for the United States. There is a yearly Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery (DV-97) is a way to help immigrants from countries where immigration into the United States is low. People from countries such as Mexico, China and India are excluded from the "Green Card" lottery because they are considered high admission regions. There is no application fee for this, but to be eligible to apply for DV-97, an individual must be a native of a low admission foreign region. The individual must also have at least a high school education or its equivalent or, within the years preceding five years, two years of work experience. Each individual is limited to one application in the lottery. If more than one application is received the individual will be totally disqualified.
The National Visa Center in New Hampshire receives all applications and will randomly select applicants from different regions. When a case is registered, the applicant will immediately be sent a notification letter which will give visa application instructions.
The process of becoming a citizen and the "Green Card" lottery may be too hard, too difficult, or too complicated for some immigrants. In many cases the individuals don't fit the criteria for the lottery. These two reasons could be contributing factors to the increasing concern over illegal immigration into our country. Legal or illegal, many immigrants feel proud when they come to our country and view the United States as "the land of opportunity" and a place where their dreams can come true.
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: An Important Educational Tool
-Jen Cackowski and Kim Wall
In today's society there is a wide range of options in children's literature. Children of all ages can pick from science fiction, animal and modern fantasies, realistic fiction, poetry, and contemporary realism. Many parents and teachers are looking for children's books that are both enjoyable and valuable (in that they teach good morals and daily life lessons). These children's books have many valuable qualities to them; they address an array of values/themes, censorship issues, multi cultural issues, and/or have bibliotherapy uses to them.
Values and themes are very important in children's books. They encourage certain good behavior or ideas; they act as a good model for children to follow. Censorship issues are also important; these issues encourage children to form their own opinions. Multi cultural issues inform children of the variety of people that live in our world and show them how each individual is important. The bibliotherapy benefits in some children's books are great. They tell children that they are not alone; there are other children that may feel the same way as they do. They may tach children how to deal with a new baby sister or brother in the family, or they may show children how to deal with death, divorce, and other misfortunes. All of these components to children's books contribute greatly to children's education.
Although there are many recent children's books that contain these advantages, they are not confined to modern literature; there are a lot of great books that are often overlooked. Many parents and teachers do not realize the value of these "long lost" books. Below is a short list of some of the many books that are worth finding and sharing with children.
| TITLE | AUTHOR | PUBLICATION | GRADE |
| Oliver Button is a Sissy | De Pada, Tomie | 1979 | 2-3 |
| No Good in Art | Cohen, Miriam | 1980 | 2 |
| Dogs Have Paws | Ross, Jan | 1982 | 1 |
| The Beast in Ms. Rooney's Room | Reilly Giff, Patricia | 1984 | 3-4 |
| Who Said That? | Granasky, Tweedt, Tweedt | 1985 | 1-2 |
| Aekyung's Dream | Paek, Min | 1990 | 4 |
| High-Wire Henry | Calhoun, Mary | 1991 | 3 |
These books represent just a small portion of the library of children's literature. There are many other pieces of literature, modern and old, for children to enjoy. There are many ways to keep updated on children's literature; the INTERNET is just one great way to find a variety of children's literature. Here are some interesting sites to check out: http://www.parentsplace.com/readroom/children/index.html, http://www.interlog.com/~ohi/inkspot/lit.html, and http:www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/general.html.
WINTER SESSION IN PANAMA
- Anne Boltz and Melissa Kaban
Our interview with Dr. Navarro about the winter session in Panama was very interesting and informative. We learned about the courses offered, the weekend excursions, the inexpensive cost of the trip, and about the group that went last year. Hearing about this trip may even tempt the reader into finding more information or even signing up to attend the winter session in Panama. Through our discussion, we found the class curriculum to be centered on education majors. Spanish majors would benefit from the course offerings as well. The courses offered are outstanding for anyone in the education major with a discipline area in ESL, or bilingual education. For example, EDST 258, EDST 201, EDST 390, EDST 376, and EDST 366 are all education courses offered in Panama. LING 498, and FLLT 100 are courses in the language discipline area, and survival Spanish is offered for those who have not taken Spanish. Classes are held during the week and weekends are spent exploring the beautiful country and culture of Panama. Trips for this winter session include visiting the Canal Zone, the multi-ethnic free zone of Colon, the mountainous region near Cost Rica, plantations at Bocas del Toro, and the Caribbean homeland of the Kuna Indians. Three out of the four weekends, the students stay in areas with beautiful beaches, which are luxuriantly relaxing. Another encouraging fact about this study abroad session is the cost. It is the least expensive session abroad that the University of Delaware offers. The students stay with Panamanian families, but there are no prerequisites or language requirements. Last year five students attended this session, but this year the program is required to take twelve students. Those who will be taking the practicum education classes begin by reading the material to be studied; then they are placed in a classroom to observe. They encourage slow participation in the class room, and finally end the winter session by teaching a class. There is no better way to get experience. This seems to be a wonderful trip and opportunity to take classes while experiencing the beauty of another culture. If we have tempted you, I encourage you to read the papers written by some of the students that went last winter session, or to contact Dr. Navarro in Willard Hall room 107. His telephone number is (302) 831-8820, and his e-mail is: hnavarro@udel.edu.
The Signs of Child Abuse
- Andrea Doney and Melissa Betts
Child abuse is a growing problem in the United States. Each year over one million children are reported abused. This number does not include the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and the neglect cases that go unreported. Perhaps these cases go unreported because people that come in contact with the children fail to take notice of the signs of abuse. Other than the parents, teachers should be aware of the signs of abuse.
There are four kinds of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. Physical abuse is the easiest to identify because the effects are external. Unusually placed bruises, burns or unexpected broken bones are physical markers of abuse. Baggy clothing often disguises these injuries.
Emotional abuse is another common form of abuse. Some of the effects indicated by the child's behavior include trouble forming peer relationships, high expectations of themselves and depression. Emotionally abused children tend to isolate themselves from others.
Sexual abuse is the most difficult form of abuse to detect. Trouble walking or sitting, early development of sexual awareness, and uneasiness with adult physical contact are signs related to sexual abuse.
Neglect is the most common form of abuse. The signs, such as, untreated health problems, constant hunger and/or uncleanliness, as well as developmental delays go unnoticed unless they occur consistently.
One sign that occurs in all types of child abuse is low or poor self-esteem. If you suspect that someone is being abused, please take time to evaluate the signs. Educators need to help children that they suspect of being abused.
To return to front page, click here...or to contine reading, go to next page.