There was always a mix of cultures in my public/private school upbringing. So from early on I was always in touch with other racial/ethnic groups. The teachers in grammar school and my peers since high school have had a different ethnicity from me. I am open to increasing my knowledge about different racial groups by making a commitment to watch different ethnic broadcasts and listen to radio stations dedicated to specific ethnic groups. (Although I may not understand the language).
My experience: During my undergrad years I would take the bus to Lakewood in the morning and see groups of men just standing around the Freehold bus station. Some were being picked up in trucks and others just waiting around (mostly) dressed in cowboy hats, cowboy shoes and smoking cigarettes. Bus opertors would often yell out the left side window to ask people to move out of the way. It made me feel uncomfortable because I had no clue as to why they were just standing around the station in the way of bus traffic so frequently. Bus operators often made comments about that section of Freehold. It was considered Little Mexico. I did not totally believe them, but seeing them everyday made it partially true. According to city-data.com http://www.city-data.com/city/Freehold-New-Jersey.html, the Hispanic population is the second largest population in Freehold, NJ. I have to admit for sometime after that, at least until I graduated in 2005, when I saw a short man wearing cowboy boots, smoking a cigar and standing around, I automatically thought he was from Little Mexico in Freehold.
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Thanks for your comments. I believe that everyone has the right to pursue the best for their family. Imagin that one of your students parents were standing waiting for work everyday. Sometimes we can take that information and support that student or assume that student is being deprived because of economic reasons. Good Reflection
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