Reintegration of ex-migrant students into the Mexican school system Csar Maldonado-Garca & Teresa Muoz Parra Universidad

Pedaggica Nacional Campus Ajusco mclcm@hotmail.es tmunoz@g.upn.mx Defining terms Before get into such significant issue concerning basic education in Mexico, and in order to have a better perspective of this topic, it is appropriate to identify some of the most relevant terms used in it. Transnationalization - Occurs when an individual leaves his/her country to live in a different one, eventually returning to his/her original country. For this presentation's purpose, it refers specifically to children who are born in Mexico, where they usually begin their studies. They then go to the US to live, continue their education there, but who eventually return to Mexico to be reinserted into the Mexican public educational system. Return migration- Refers to people who emigrate from their country but do not stay in the receiving country. For some reason or another, they end up returning to their country of origin. Identity - The way that each individual perceives him or herself. Also, it is the way that other people perceive a person. In both cases, these perceptions are shaped by each individual's environment and social context. Imagined communities- According to Anderson (1991), this concept states that nations are socially constructed communities. That is to say that the perceptions of belonging that people have over themselves is imagined in order to feel part of a certain group. Inclusion- Reducing barriers to learning and participation for all students regardless of their cultural and linguistic background. Exclusion- For the purpose of this presentation, it refers to singling somebody out because of their cultural and linguistic background. Therefore, it's important to point out that within academia those students who experiment exclusion are likely to have social and educational problems. Interculturalism- Multiculturalism is simply a fact of life when there are many cultures living in close proximity to each other. Interculturalism, on the other hand, is an ideology that refers to promoting exchanges between cultural groups within a society. Nationalism- This term describes the attitude and caring that members of a national identity feel regarding their own identity as members of a whole, which may be an origin, an ethnicity or any cultural ties.i

Justification Transnational students are often invisible according to Delauney (1997), meaning that they can easily mesh with other students who are monolingual and/or mono-cultural mainly because of their physical features (though there are students who belong to indigenous groups who are bilingual and bi-cultural). Because of this, it is of utmost importance for individuals in general, but for teachers and school administrators especially, who might take decisions regarding this population without knowing their real condition. It is also vital to emphasize the importance of these returning children who are inserted in an educational context which is not yet ready to receive them. Hence, the importance of knowing how to properly assist them, taking always into consideration not only these childrens needs but also the teachers since they might face a situation that is also new for them. In essence, it is vital to be aware of the existence of this particular group of students. Facts and figures about Mexican immigration in the USA Migration is not a new phenomenon as it has been present in many different societies' histories not only internally within a country or region, but also across international boundaries. It is also not a recent fact that people who migrate can stay in their host communities or they may go back to their native places. According to the Oxford online dictionary, migration can be defined as a movement of people to a new area or country in order to find work or better living conditions ii The latter is no exception when referring to Mexicans migrating to the USA. Mexican individuals and whole Mexican families migrate into the United States yearly. Needless to say, children find themselves in the middle of their parents decisions and adjust to their host communities with difficulties, as is to be expected. This in itself is not a recent event either. What is more of a novelty is that children study in their host countries and then move back to their native countries to continue studying in a new and unknown school system (Ziga, V., Hamman, E. T., and Snchez Garca, J., 2008). These children may even have been born from Mexican parents in the United States, who then end up in their parents' country. According to an analysis made by the Pew Hispanic Center based on Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Estadstica y Geografa (INEGI) figures, there has been a decline in Mexican migrants to the USA of more than one million in 2006 as compared to 404, 000 in 2010. This represents a 60% decline in Mexican migrants. On one hand, this might be due to declining job opportunities on the American side, as well as tighter border regulations. On the other hand, economic conditions have been improving recently on the Mexican side, taking away the attractiveness that the US once represented for potential migrants (Pew Hispanic Center, 2011). This probably means that Mexicans that were already in American soil are returning to Mexico because of the aforementioned conditions in both countries. In fact, the most Mexican census found 4 more million Mexicans in the country than had been projected, which officials in the country attribute to the decline in emigration (Cave, 2011).

Return Migration Figures for migrants to our neighbor to the north abound and it is more difficult to obtain specific numbers for children, who are the focus of this research. Nonetheless, there is some data concerning children who return to Mexico's educational system. The INEGI reports that there were about 260, 000 returning migrants in the year 2000, including children (Ziga et al., 2008). Unfortunately, there are no precise figures for returning children who end up in the Mexican educational system. However, a case study made by Ziga (2010) referred to the number of transnational students in Mexico, and through estimations from a cluster analysis, it is possible to notice that over 300,000 ex-migrant students were inserted in the Mexican educational system in its basic levels, that is, elementary and middle school. Hence the importance of identifying this particular population labeled as return migration. (See Annex 1) Four different patterns of transnational students can be identified: The first type is of students born in Mexico who begin their studies in that same country before going to the USA to continue further studies in basic education. Then, these students go back to Mexico and are inserted into the basic educational system again. The second type is that of students who are born in the USA from Mexican parents and start their basic education there before coming to Mexico, finding themselves in the Mexican educational system. Then they go back to the US, and then again come back to Mexico. The third type happens when the students of Mexican parents are born in the USA but do not begin their education there. Rather, they come to Mexico and begin their basic studies here. Then, they go back to the US to continue there, before finally coming back to Mexico to insert themselves back into the Mexican educational system. Finally, there may be students who are born in either Mexico or the US and begin their studies in one place or the other, and who go back and forth several times from system to system in one single school year (Ziga et al., 2008). In any type of migration, an unequal exchange of cultural symbols between the place of origin and the destination is implied (Zniga, 1988). It is also important to consider that transnational students often have complete or partial knowledge of at least two languages, usually English and Spanish. And being that identity is created through discourse (Holiday et al, 2004), these students have to deal with at least two identities at some point in their lives. Therefore, whatever description a transnational student fits, the fact is that these children often find themselves in a continuous and internal conflict regarding their identities. This being the case, it is important to reflect upon the following: What happens when students socialize in two or more school systems that rival each other, both with prestige, both legitimate, both with effective instillation instruments? Based on their transnational condition, what society do students assume when they are in touch with two symbolic and diverse worlds, which are contradictory to a certain extent? Are these students trapped between two worlds or do they belong to two worlds? (Petron, 2004)

Comparison between the American and Mexican Educational Systems In order to give an idea about what return migrants live in the American educational system, here is a list of the features of a typical American middle school: Infrastructure The most noticeable aspect of middle school infrastructure are the installations. Practically every middle school in the USA has a cafeteria, a gym, equipped classrooms with computers, internet access, TV, recorders, overhead projectors, and most teachers have a room of their own. This last fact means that teachers can decorate and equip their classroom as they see fit in order to maximize the efficiency of their lessons. The cafeteria is equipped with personnel who follow a schedule of food choices. The food is supposed to be healthy and it can be obtained for free, for a reduced price, or for a full price, according to the students' socioeconomic levels. Also, most middle schools have rooms devoted to computer classes. Other features in American middle schools are electives like woodworking, usually Spanish and French, speech, cooking, and other electives of their choosing. Extracurricular activities are usually offered as the school day generally begins at 7:30 am and finishes at around 2 or 3 pm. Some extracurricular activities include soccer, baseball, football, clubs of different kinds, band, choir, etc. It should be mentioned that elementary schools are also equipped with about the same features and resources as middle schools. Personal interactions Regarding interaction among students and teachers, there is almost always a clear line between teacher and student and students address their teachers as Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. so and so. Students may often not know each other at any given grade level because they do not stay with the same classmates throughout the year like they usually do in Mexico. Depending on whether it is a rural or an urban setting, classrooms will usually be diverse in nationalities. Although many schools have ESL programs, these may not exist in very small places. Logistics: structure of courses and scheduling Schools usually follow one of two kinds of schedules. One is the year-round schedule, which is like the Mexican schedule. The other one is the semester based schedule, called block schedule, which allows students to take four classes per semester, and since there are two semesters in a year, they end up taking eight courses per year. With year-round scheduling, students take about six classes per year. Usually, there is a short time allotted to something called home room at the beginning of the year or semester. This short time is devoted to giving out administrative information regarding students' courses and official announcements. The logic behind this procedure is that students have a permanent place where they can see the same people and homeroom leader year round only in occasions when they need to be given important information, since they go to different classes and electives throughout the year. There are controversies regarding the effectiveness of block scheduling,

which are beyond the scope of this description. Evaluations Evaluations are carried out in much the same way as in Mexico. That is to say, they are usually progressive in that students are evaluated throughout the year or semester, but they have a final exam. Contrary to what happens in Mexico, students get only one chance to pass their final exams. However, students can get another chance to pass the class if they retake it during a summer course in which they go over the same material at a faster pace. They still need to pass the final exam after the course, if not, they have to take the course again. Culture shock Students who come back to Mexico after living in the USA often go through culture shock. These ex-migrant students go through culture shock not once but actually a second time. The first one is when they arrived to the USA, and the second one when returning to Mexico. During both migrations (or more), these students have conflicts with their identities as mentioned previously. Final comments It is hoped that through this short comparison of educational systems, and a description of who ex-migrant students are, the reader will understand their situation. With the understanding they obtain, they will be better able to tend to this ever increasing student population in hopes of helping them adapt and feel welcome despite their temporary adaptation difficulties.

References Anderson, B. (1991). Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. (Revised and extended. ed.) London: Verso. Cave, D., (2011). Better Lives for Mexicans Cut Allure of Going North. Available on line at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/06/world/americas/immigration.html Oxford Dictionaries. (2011). Oxford http://oxforddictionaries.com University Press. Available on line at

Petron, M. (2003). I'm bien pocha: Transnational teachers of English in Mexico. Tesis de doctorado, University of Texas. Austin, TX. Pew Hispanic Center. (2011). The Mexican-American boom: Births overtake immigration. Available on line at http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/144.pdf Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available on line at http://plato.stanford.edu Ziga, V., (2010). Alumnos transnacionales en las escuelas mexicanas. Universidad de Monterrey. Seminario Permanente de Migracin Internacional. El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. Tijuana, B. C. Available on line at http://www.colef.mx/documentosscap/OtrosDocumentos/2010Feb05Zuniga.pdf Zniga, V., (1988). xodo rural, estrategias familiares de subsistencia y formas culturales en la frontera norte: los casos de Vallecillo y Galeana, dos pueblos de Nuevo Len en Bricolage, revista de sociologa y ciencias sociales, nm. 2, Universidad Autnoma de Nuevo Len. Ziga, V., Hamann, E. T., y Snchez Garca, J. (2008). Alumnos transnacionales, escuelas mexicanas frente a la globalizacin. Mxico: Secretara de Educacin Pblica.

Annex Annex 1. Volume of transnational students in Mexico

State Aguascalientes Baja California Baja California Sur Campeche Coahuila Colima Chiapas Chihuahua Distrito Federal Durango Guanajuato Guerrero Hidalgo Jalisco Mxico Michoacn Morelos Nayarit Nuevo Len Oaxaca Puebla Quertaro Quintana Roo San Luis Potos Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tlaxcala Veracruz Yucatn Zacatecas Total enrollment primarias and secundarias 2005/2006 220,917 534,147 95,808 147,000 478,725 102,285 1,016,198 609,505 1,462,913 314,158 1,019,477 734,902 511,728 1,269,125 2,718,349 844,675 312,448 184,913 728,734 836,366 732,262 213,719 139,850 336,056 329,030 298,675 280,915 359,053 147,183 936,622 225,185 183,695 Total Estimated number of transnational children 5,203 8,546 1,533 2,352 7,660 2,409 17,221 9,752 20,694 7,399 29,565 12,454 8,499 29,892 40,706 24,496 7,359 4,355 11,660 14,174 12,161 3,420 2,238 5,581 5,464 4,779 4,665 5,745 2,444 15,555 3,740 5,327 337,048

Adapted from Ziga, 2010.

i http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nationalism/ Retrieved on August 25th, 2011 ii http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/migration?region=us Retrieved on August 29th, 2011