FARMWORKER CHILDREN

Are the children of agriculture workers being unfairly treated in the United States?
Since agriculture workers are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, migrant farmworkers are unprotected by the US legal system. An estimated 500,000 of those workers are children under the age of 18 who are required to work up to 70 hours a week. This violates the international laws regarding the treatment of children and prevents the majority of the children of migrant families from completing high school education.  Many children cannot attend school when crops are ready to harvest.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001has tried to intercept this situation by identifying the migrant children and providing supplemental educational services for them through the Migrant Education Program which is a federally funded program through the Department of Education. The program was designed to ensure that migrant children receive the opportunity to meet academic content and academic standards as all other children.  It was commissioned to design programs to help migrant children overcome educational disruptions, cultural and language barriers. 

Citizens are encouraged to help stregthen these corrective measures by supporting the Student Farmworker Alliance, which works to improve conditions for farmworkers; as well as the Consumers movement, which is a united effort to bring about change in working conditions. As Americans, we should not allow children to suffer such unfair conditions.

Multi-Cultural America

     America has long been the welcoming haven to all who wish to immigrate in search of the "good life".  We have allowed immigration to get out of control over the years and are suffering the consequences of over population and overcrowding in our schools. However, offering the golden opportunity to all nationalities has produced a salad bowl effect of races in America.  We are exposed to a smorgasboard of cultures and customs.
     Some representatives of these nationalities, including the African Americans who were a part of our history, have determined that they desire to change the accounts of American History to include their viewpoint.  My response to this idea is that American History wrote itself, the story unfolded as events occurred and there is no way to go back in time and change it. 
     The only place where these "other" cultures may appear in American History is in the chapters of Modern America - after Immigration.   An account is given of the African American people in the development of our history as slavery played a large part all the way through its prohibition.  However it is impossibile to find members of the "other" races anywhere in the founding and establishment of this country.  None were present to fight the wars for freedom and none donned the uniforms in the battles which established this great nation.
    Therefore, if they wish to live in this great land, they should honor the chronicles of our forefathers who made it possible for them to reap the benefits of life in the "home of the free".  If their history is so endeared to them, they should return to their home country where they can readily study their country's history while practicing their cultures accordingly.

Religion In Schools

   Our founding fathers came to this country because of religious oppression which they had experienced in the old country.  Their purpose in founding this country was to allow people the freedom to worship however, whenever and wherever they chose.  Their purpose for including the separation of church and state in the constitution was to prevent the government from regulating or prohibiting freedom of worship.
   Over the years the lawmakers and civil liberties groups have used this clause for the exact opposite to the purpose for which it was written. They are interpreting it to allow freedom of worship to be prohibited in our schools.  Then they wonder why many of our children are turning out like they do.
   If the founding fathers could possibly have had the foresight to know that such heathernish views would come to pass, I believe they would have been more specific in their wording of the constitution so as not to allow for misinterpretation.  I do not think that they ever imagined that a time would come, in this country, when people would be prohibited from participating in religious acts in schools.
   This is the reason that I put both of my children through private Christian schools because it is important to me that their religious freedoms not be compromised.

Education Innovators and Makers

      The innovators of education devoted their efforts to building a public education system where all children would ultimately have the same opportunities for learning.  Their intent was for schools to help children develop into good citizens with particular talents that had been developed which would be used to determine their futures.
      The "makers" of education were  the founders of the big businesses who needed standardized customers and employees.  These big businesses and the government needed for schools to redesign humans to meet their specifications.  As a result schools turned out factory workers during the early 1900's.
      I have studied the life of Catherine Beecher and her contribution to education specifically due to her dedication to the education of women.  She encouraged women to pursue higher education and to become teachers.  She also founded three institutes of higher education for women.  Without her influence and that of other female innovators, females might still be the inferior gender fulfilling only roles of mothers and housewives.
     Henry Ford was one of the primary "makers" of education as he is responsible for the assembly line and auto industry as we know it today.  Millions of people have devoted their lives to building automobiles over the last several decades.  Cities have even been built around these manufacturing plants.  One such was developed in the county where I live.  Major growth has taken place in the once small community of Spring Hill due to the population associated with the Saturn plant which came here several years ago.  Many people have aspired to learn only what they needed to work these assembly lines.

deswells

Introduction

My name is Elaine Wells aka deswells.  I am in the second semester of my graduates studies working on my masters degree in Educational Leadership.  I am employed by the Maury County Government.  I also work to organize, direct and facilitate childrens ministries for the Maury Baptist Association for underprivileged children in the low income districts of our county.

welcome

Welcome to Auzesworld.  Hope to see you here throughout the semester.  It looks like fun!