Assignment #4

Assignment #4

Open doors are like opportunities. The difference is that an opportunity is “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something” so often times an opportunity can be controlled, while the doors open to immigrants are out of their hands and they can only take what is given to them. Though a question on the prompt mentions that their also might be doors that are open but not recognized or acknowledged by those who don’t know how to access them, I would take that as though the doors do not exist in their life. Not taking away from what they have or will ever have, but some people are too pitiful to become motivated to actually find those doors. It takes knowing or getting to know the right people in order to get to where you need to go. It was said in a lecture that many immigrants go to their new country with other people and often times have some kind of network set up; for those who start completely from scratch will struggle a lot more than others because they won’t have a network.

Education, while to some is considered to be a privilege, I would say that it is a right. No one should ever be in a position where they are prohibited to learn either by their own means or within a facility. Schooling in America has not always been what I would call fair but after Brown versus The Board of Education, both Blacks and Whites are now able to learn equally. Before, not only were they separated, but also even the quality of their books and teachers differed. Now in America, it is required that children go to school. If they do not, parents are held accountable and possibly convicted for their absence. Though everyone has the option to go to school, there are special circumstances in some people’s lives that cause them to struggle more than others. Too often, socioeconomic status keeps those at the bottom of the totem pole discouraged and unable to really apply themselves because of the lack of knowledge and resources. These ‘doors” that exist to better and higher education are often invisible or simply down a hallway that does not exist in one’s present life.  Opportunity is a set of possibilities formed by a circumstance, but when they are unfamiliar or even depicted in a way that is unappealing, it can be difficult for one to take advantage of them. I’ve heard many people say that going onto higher education is pointless because no one is guaranteed a job in their expected field. Well if there was someone for everyone who needed encouragement about going to school or even simply applying themselves to something greater, no one would be left behind. As great as education in America is depicted to be, there are so many children, so many adults who have been left by the waste side. These “doors” that allow people to be smart, and innovative are placed in certain areas of every city and it’s almost like you’re checked for a name tag or badge when trying to even approach a hallway. In other words, it’s set up to where people usually finsish they way that they started. The school system has been set up to where certain people are at the bottom because of what they learned previously, making it harder for them to get anywhere further than where they came from. Don’t get me wrong, people make it out sometimes, but it’s true when they say that it’s not always what you know, but whom you know. But then the question is how do you get to know someone who has the knowledge to get you somewhere you’ve never been or where no one in your family has been. In my case, I am a first generation student, which means that I am the first in my family to go to college. If I did not have the determination I did to branch out, take risks, build a network and make something more of myself, then I would have been perpetuating a cycle of uncomfortable contentment. Although that can be seen as an oxymoron because they contradict each other, it’s true. Though my family has gotten by and is content with where we are, what we have and where we have come from, financially and mentally it is uncomfortable to know that we could be and do better. Unfortunately, everyone does not have that drive, everyone does not have those resources, and if they are put in a position where they do not have them, where do they find them? In actuality, they probably don’t find them. I’ve watched teachers and mentors literally pick kids that need the help, just based off of what is seen and if they did not take the initiative, not much would have come of their future. America has so much to offer with its education but it is so limited and it is not teaching on one accord. Coasts have different curriculums and children are learning faster in certain areas and if they happen to go to college or even transfer before then, there is a chance that they will either be behind or too advanced. Either way this creates a divide in education and may even be helping some opportunities impossible for some people.

            In Italy, the school system seems to be a bit more effective, for their country. I know that some people come from other countries and are unable to be recognized for their degrees but Italy has a smooth transition of schooling within the country. Kids are in primary school for five years, middle school for three and high school for five. After high school they then take a test based off of their interest and then go to a college that is based off what they took the test on. Since they are subject driven and go where they know they are best, this makes school more effective in general. With the cost of education being expensive, there are many dropouts, not many people can afford to put themselves or children through college. Then there are immigrants who don’t put their children in school because they don’t find it beneficial or they have some other adversities that don’t allow them to do so. The average time to move out of their parent’s house is 35. When it comes to immigrants, they are at a complete disadvantage. They are integrated into schools that are taught in Italian and when they go home they speak their native language. Eventually some learn to speak Italian and they may do well later, but they could be missing something, simply through a barrier of language. In 1994 the Con Viserra   was a law passed that all children, no matter the ethnicity or language or documentation, held the right to be in school. And in 1998 the immigration law was that their language and culture be protected. As great as that is, why not go the extra mile and make sure that the children are able to learn. I intern at Iqbal Masih, and while there are children who are observant and can watch body language and pick up on different things, there are also the ones who can’t. A little girl who is of the Roma community is in one of my classes and she stares in silence for most of the day and is often yelled at because she doesn’t understand. I know that, that isn’t anyone’s fault and no one knows what language she speaks at home, but there has to be a way around that. Immigrants in Italy have these “doors” to education but who leads them to those doors? They say they are available but what happens to the Roma community who is being placed outside of all the neighborhoods with the schools in them? As it is in America, it’s about whom you know and what they know, not always about what you know yourself. But even then, a lot of immigrants don’t always have a network to go to and build resources to get where they want.  Not to mention the discrimination in general, for even coming from another country. Italy seems quite biased against people from other countries, or even those who are not “Italian.” Then we go into “What is Italian?” “What does it look like?” And often times those questions are answered with questions, what does it mean to be an Italian? When talking about his friend, Amedeo, Amara Lakhous said, “He’s like a poem by Omar Khayyam: you need a lifetime to understand its meaning, and only then will your heart open to the world and tears warm your cheeks,” and the same thing can be said about the school system and identity of Italians. It may take lifetime to understand or to establish what it means to be Italian, and it won’t be until then that a surface is scratched.

As far apart as Italy is from America, they both have pros and cons to their education systems and these “doors” of opportunities only get slimmer by the lack of advocacy. No one seems to listen or realize the real problem, which is that the people, who are progressing, leave those who aren’t. And the progression will end all together if people don’t take the time to give back.