La Raza Studies Can Change Lives Essay Example

many students such as Parcels and Gilbert, school was not very Interesting and they had personal and family problems to worry about other than school. For students like Crystal, she did not know of her opportunities and had a hard time transitioning into high school.

When the students began to learn about their culture, they found a passion for learning and doing work because the material mattered to them and focused on topics which they could relate to. If a program lights up a passion for learning In the lives of many students, then that aerogram Is a step In working towards the solution for academic success and a higher graduation rate.

The testimonies throughout the films allowed for students to say their person experiences within the courses and how they affected their education. Crystal along with her mother were interviewed and her mother expressed a gratitude in the courses since her daughter seemed more engaged in her academics than ever before. Crystal is very family oriented and cares for her siblings due to her parents working. She spoke about the impact the course had on her life and that she anted her younger siblings to take the courses when they were In high school as well.

The courses changed her life since they opened doors for her and allowed for her mind to become engaged in school. When the courses were threatened to be banned from the school due to false claims against them, Crystal took every chance she could to save the courses since they dramatically changed her life. If a program creates a strong fire in a student, then it must be

very important to others as well. Gilbert was raised In a world full of neighborhood gangs, drugs, and violence.

Ever id not seem bright. He expresses living in a crammed living situation with his grandmother and many cousins and family members.

All his acquaintances and friends he grew up next to were in Jail or dead due to their poor life decisions. Being surrounded by this type of environment his whole life, Gilbert believed that he would not be able to attend college. He felt victimized by the public school districts in Tucson, Arizona and believed the idea that they were against him and wanted him to be out of their schools. For a student to receive this type of impression from their school, it is very difficult for them to be on the right track towards graduation.

He Just didn't believe that his education held anything for him. When La Razz studies opened up and he began to take the classes, Gilbert found a passion for the classes since they spoke about his culture and the material was interesting to him. The professors were also very engaging and made the classes fun and interactive instead of long boring lectures. Soon, graduation and college became a goal in the making. La Razz studies allowed for Gilbert to discover the Joy of learning and break out of the tropically shell others had built for him. A broken family is a life impacting situation.

Families are torn apart because of different reasons but immigrated families are in bigger risk due to deporting agencies and the government not wanting undocumented citizens in the United States. Unfortunately, this impacted

Priscilla life. Her father was held by a deportation facility and threatened to be taken back to Mexico. Her father had always been a big motivator in her life including her education. Growing up, she had a difficult time in school fitting in and finding a group f friends. Priscilla is an introvert and it made it harder for her to become engaged in her classes.

After her father was held, all motivation for school was lost. Whenever she visited her father he would tell her that she had to attend school and aim to go to college. However, Priscilla felt like her life was going downwards and if she didn't want to go to school, then she simply wouldn't. After being enrolled in La Razz studies, Priscilla began to attend classes often due to how interesting the material and teachers were. They were not afraid to be themselves and connect to the students ND that was very important to her. She began to participate more in class and her grades began significantly better.

By the end of the film, Priscilla graduates from Tucson High School and was accepted and enrolled in Arizona State University. It was because of La Razz studies that Priscilla became motivated for school and was able to open doors for herself. The general problem within the school was the uninterested in academics and it was exceptionally present in the Hispanic student population. Since the students were not engaged in their academics, they were falling behind in their lasses and unmotivated to attend school. This resulted in the declining graduation rate from Tucson High School.

In search of a solution, the

school decided to target the main group of students falling behind: the Mexican-American students.

La Razz studies program offered courses that were open to the school wide population and focused on Hispanic history. Although the courses offered were open to any student, many Hispanics decided to take the courses since they were in areas that interested them. The opportunity to learn about their own heritage and origins of their cultures parked interest in their academics. Since they became motivated for one course, this made their other high school courses follow the same path.

Math is not the same as try in some courses, the others will soon fall into place.

This became evident as the graduation rate at Tucson High School rose 50%. It is debatable that the courses only aided one group of students and not the student body but some students that were not Hispanic decent did take the courses and in their testimonies spoke on how great the courses were. Since they were not required courses, not every student attended a lass but they were open to whomever. From the concrete evidence and support by students for the courses, this proved that they were not doing harm to anyone.

There will always be many problems within a school district. By repeating the past mistakes, people are not moving forward. La Razz studies introduced an engaging way for students to become interested in learning and offered an opportunity to learn about their own culture. Once a program sparks up an interest, then teachers will begin to see an overall improvement in the rest of the classes and the enthusiasm in the students. If

the program is cut out because it does not fit typical "American" values, then we are back to square one.

In order to make a difference, a community must be radical and willing to change.

Overall, I believe the testimonies presented in the documentary, Precious Knowledge, helped illustrate the impact one program had on a whole community of students. Many people teamed up and participated in a movement to keep a program that was beneficial to the school graduation rates and that sparked learning in the students. They went to extreme circumstances such as uniting, protesting the an, and fighting in the state house to keep the program.