Page 69 - EdViewptsSpring2019-web

Are You Ready to Embrace

Love Without Borders? Are You

Ready to Say “Basta”?

By Pedro Trivella, ESL/Bilingual Elementary School Educator, Asbury Park

BASTA! I was not ready to say When I first arrived at work, I could Immigrant families were at a cross-
BASTA (BASTA means enough in hear several children crying. Students roads. Even though they wished to
Spanish). I was not ready to say as young as 5 years old were trying exercise their voices through the “Day
ENOUGH. However my BASTA to hold in their tears so as not to call without Immigrants” movement, they
moment abruptly found me on attention to themselves. Their pain were shamefully afraid to bring at-
the “Day without Immigrants” on was too much to bear, but their fear of tention to themselves. Some parents
February 16, 2017. being noticed was even greater. reluctantly sent their children to school
without knowing if they would ever see
That day, only a small portion of ESL They were afraid of being separated them at again.
children came to school. After all, the from their families, and afraid of being
purpose of this social media-organized deported! It turns out that the children By the time I arrived to my classroom,
“Day without Immigrants” movement who came to school were advised by I felt overwhelmed and distraught, but
was to make people reflect on what their families to avoid getting emo- most of all ashamed. Shame on me
our community would look like without tional, as this would shed light on their that I had not foreseen the detrimental
our extraordinary immigrants. immigration status. consequences that this event would
Educational Viewpoints -67- Spring 2019