 |
| A few members of the 8th grade meet with three new citizens |
The
House of Representatives has how many voting members? Which is NOT a
Cabinet-level position? Who did the United States fight in World War II?
The
above questions are examples of what is asked on a test to become a U.S.
citizen. Have you taken the test that immigrants need to take to become a U.S.
citizen? Mrs. Hodge’s eighth grade social studies class at Windham Middle
School did and they did not pass. If these students wanted to become citizens
of the United States, they would not have been able to join the land of the
free and home of the brave. They would have had to wait and re-take the test
again.
Whatever
you do, don’t judge Mrs. Hodge’s eighth grade class before you have taken the
test yourself – as a naturally born citizen of the U.S. whose first language is
English. “What if you took this test and English was not the first language you
spoke,” Mrs. Hodge asked the class when I visited them recently.
As
a part of the required curriculum, Mrs. Hodge’s eighth grade class not only
studied the process of becoming a U.S. citizen but attended the most recent
Naturalization Ceremony that occurred at Windham High School on Friday morning,
October 19.
There
are at least four students in this class who have grandparents or parents who
immigrated to the U.S., so they have some historical and close-up knowledge of
what it takes to become an American. “My parents are from Poland,” explained student
Alex Momet. “They met in an exchange program. The both worked at Point
Sebago and liked it so much they decided to become citizens.”
When
asked what the most challenging issue they faced, Momet stated it was
learning to speak the language fluently.
There
were also students whose grandparents immigrated from France and Italy as well
as one student whose great grandmother escaped from a Jewish concentration camp
during WWII and made America her home.
After
learning about each other’s ancestry, studying the process of immigration and taking
the required test to become an American citizen, the students had the
opportunity to witness the Naturalization Ceremony. The middle school chorus
sang the National Anthem and the middle school civil rights
team helped to hand out the certificates to the new citizens.
Just
as important, if not more so, members of the eighth-grade class had the
opportunity to ask a few questions of the new citizens after the ceremony.
Sadie Vanselette was one of those students.
“We
learned some interesting stories,” Vanselette said. “There was one story from a
person from Thailand who has been living here for 25 years on a green card.
When he first arrived here, there were different laws about how long one could
be here on a green card, but those laws have changed.
A couple of years ago, he
went home to Thailand to visit his family and when he returned [to the U.S.],
they almost didn’t let him come back in. Although he was legal, the laws had
changed regarding those with green cards. But after doing some research, they [customs]
realized he was legally able to return. He said it was this experience that
made him decide to become a citizen.”
It
should be noted that all permanent green card holder residents are tax
residents but since they are not U.S. citizens, they do not have the right to
vote. (For details regarding green card holders paying taxes on income earned,
one should seek out an Immigration Law Attorney.)
The
following are additional learning outcomes the students stated they had learned:
“I
learned what people are willing to go through to become a citizen of this
country. We have a lot to offer, such as freedom that most Countries do not
have.” Liam Yates
“People
are easily stereotyped. I saw people from different countries and religions
congratulate each other. They didn’t let their differences stand in the way of
becoming an American.” Devin O’Brien.
“I
thought the new citizens were going to be young people. Although there were
young people at the ceremony, I was surprised to see old people becoming
citizens who want to end their life in peace.” Liam Yates
“I
realized some became citizens to be with their families who were already here –
while others were trying to get away from war torn countries and the U.S. was
the best option for them.” Reagan McDougall
Ironically,
after being told by those who had witnessed naturalization ceremonies that they
might see tears of joy, the students were surprised that the ceremony they
attended included nothing but celebration. “I saw much more happiness than I
saw tears,” stated Vanselette.
“It’s
true,” Mrs. Hodge agreed. “There were a lot of happy new citizens who joined us
two weeks ago. It was something we could easily understand. Afterall, we smile
in the same language.”
For
those who might wonder about the answers to the questions above, they are as
follows: 1) There are 435 voting members in the House of Representatives. 2) While
countries from Brazil to Bhutan do, the U.S. does not have a Secretary of
Communications. 3) Japan, Germany and Italy were known as the Axis powers. At their
peak during World War II, they ruled much of Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
These
are only three answers to the questions on the official test that must be taken
and passed by those who wish to become U.S. citizens. To see if you could pass
the test as a naturally born U.S. citizen, take the test yourself by visiting
the website at: www.my.uscis.gov/en/prep/test/civics/view.
No comments:
Post a Comment