Today, the foreign-born population of the United States is the highest it has been in more than a century. Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population does not speak English at home. Meanwhile, the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States, long thought to be around 11 million, may be as high as 22 million.

Immigration remains one of the most contentious issues facing America. Social studies teachers, therefore, need to bring the conversation about immigration to our students.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR CONVERSATION

Depending on the testimonial or speaker, teachers may focus the classroom conversation on any number of difficult topics. If educators couple firsthand accounts of migration with concerns about border security and undocumented immigration, for instance, students may begin to recognize the challenges lawmakers face in trying to address people’s desire for a better life with the mission to uphold existing law.

How should lawmakers balance the safety and well-being of American citizens with our country’s ideals and historic role as a place of sanctuary and opportunity for newcomers? How do we decide who gets to come here and how? How should our nation humanely enforce the law on its southern border, while not incentivizing a journey in which many are killed or exploited? What, ultimately, is America’s responsibility to its own people, and to the people of the world?