Picking crops , collecting garbage , working at fast food restaurants ? all of those seemingly menial jobs ? serve a purpose in our nation ? s huge economic wheel . Knowing that , and knowing how immigration and other policies affect the cogs in that wheel , is power .
Teach our children well
K nowledge is power , so the saying goes . That ? s why institutions of higher learning often seek out different perspectives with regard to their fields of study .
Considering the different facets of any issue is key to solving problems , whether the issue is finding a cure to an illness , building a robot to accomplish a mission , or combating an invasive species . We learn more by collaborating with others .
This collaboration is precisely the reason America ? s higher education institutions are concerned about President Trump ? s recent executive order on immigration ( which has thankfully been suspended by a federal court ). We need smart people . It ? s not that we don ? t have enough brainiacs in the United States ? of course , we do . But one of the cornerstones of our modern higher education system ? and of our democracy and our place as the greatest nation on the planet ? is its diversity . We welcome the exchange of ideas with people around the globe , knowing that these exchanges and the universal understanding that they foster make the United States stronger , not weaker .
The American Council on Education weighed in on the Trump order with a letter to John Kelly , secretary of Homeland Security , highlighting the important role that international exchange plays in strengthening American higher education . ? America is the greatest magnet for talented people from around the world and it must remain so ,? the letter states . It goes on to say that the 600 institutions that signed the letter want to partner with Homeland Security to advance policies that protect our nation while still welcoming ? those who seek to study , conduct research and scholarship , and contribute their knowledge and talents to our country .?
Picking crops , collecting garbage , working at fast food restaurants ? all of those seemingly menial jobs ? serve a purpose in our nation ? s huge economic wheel . Knowing that , and knowing how immigration and other policies affect the cogs in that wheel , is power .
Those talents , believe it or not , include picking crops .
In 2011 , Georgia and several other states enacted an immigration law designed to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the Mexican border into their states . The result ? Crops rotted in the fields . Turns out that American workers ( aka ? white ? people ) of course do not want such back-breaking jobs . A 2012 Forbes . com article by Benjamin Powell pointed out that , ? Although many Americans believe immigrants ? steal ? our jobs and push down our wages , economists find little evidence of that .?
I ? m not advocating that we let illegal immigrants pour into our borders . But as a democratic nation , our economy is complicated . Most people , legal and illegal immigrants included , contribute to it in one way or another . Picking crops , collecting garbage , working at fast food restaurants ? all of those seemingly menial jobs ? serve a purpose in our nation ? s huge economic wheel . Knowing that , and knowing how immigration and other policies affect the cogs in that wheel , is power .
Which is why , if you are an educator , you can combat the ignorance that supports Trump ? s policies by doing your job . Educate your students . Be that teacher that inspires at least one , if not more , of your pupils to question , to seek out valid sources of information , and to , above all , understand that inclusiveness , and not exclusiveness , is the order of the day in our island , our nation , and our world . If you awaken even a few of your students , you can break the chain of ignorance and strengthen our democratic wheel . People of limited scope obviously saw Trump ? s immigration ban as a good thing .
As an educator , you can change that . So go into the classroom tomorrow and do your job .
Jayne Flores is a long-time journalist . She currently works at Guam Community College . She can be reached at jayne . flores @ guamcc . edu
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