The Changing Face of Postville, Iowa

Aaron Hamann

CI 406 Section 1

October 22, 2000

Dr. James C. McShay

I chose to conduct this activity mostly due to curiosity. Growing up in a small town in NE Iowa, I had very little contact with cultures other than my own. Postville is a neighboring school similar to mine, but it is undergoing changes that are very new to the community. They have seen a large influx of both Hispanic and Soviet-Jewish immigrants into their community which has in turn produced changes in the culture and education of the community. My goal was to learn about these changes so that I could gain some exposure to the and also learn about educational implications of multicultural needs.

Upon doing research on Mexican immigration, which accounts for the majority of Hispanics in Postville, I learned some important characteristics. Marcelo Suarez-Orozco mentions one in length in her book Crossings, "I am convinced that the single most important characteristic of Latino immigrants, and particularly of Mexican immigrant families, is their enormous capacity to survive and adapt in the face of arduous life circumstances, poverty, and segregation. " This may be one reason that Mexican immigrants are coming and adapting so well to Postville. According to George Leland Iber, Ph.D. in his dissertation about academic performance of Mexican-Americans in West Liberty, Iowa, academic performance has been improving each year, and second generation families have excelled in the classroom and are choosing to further their education here in Iowa. This means that the need for multicultural education is not just a passing fad, but instead something that needs to be implemented and embraced in every school here in Iowa.

Another major component of the changes seen by Postville is the influx of Soviet-Jewish immigrants. They too have a unique culture that is uncommon to the town. In her book titled In the Golden Land, Rita Simon summarizes the reasons for Soviet-Jewish immigration to America as being :

Anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union 49%

Children’s education, future 34%

Family reunion, relatives in the U.S. 33%

Jobs, career opportunities 18%

Financial, level of income 15%

Bringing such a contrasting culture into a community that is already experiencing some culture shock and you again upset the notion of "normal" in Postville.

Both of these groups have a reason for migrating to a small town in Iowa. Based on my own knowledge, I will summarize the drama that has ensued. There are two packing plants in Postville separated by railroad tracks. On the north side is Agri-Processors owned by a Jewish family from New York, which is the only plant of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. When the economy went flat in Russia, due to the downfall of Communism, this plant brought Soviet-Jews like doctors, lawyers, and college professors to work as laborers in the plant for $260 pay for six months. This was better than anything in Russia. The second plant on the south side of the track is owned by Iowa Turkey Products who processed 2000 turkeys per day 15-20 years ago. Today they process 20,000-24,000 per day, which requires more labor. Many of the Americans in the area were unwilling to work for $6-7 per hour. Mexican labor was brought in, since in Mexico labor is $7 per day, to fill the plant’s needs.

My purpose for choosing this activity is multi-faceted. First off, I will learn more about a culture that I am currently under informed about and will expand my knowledge base when it comes to multiculturalism and teaching. Secondly, I will learn more about the area back home, since this community is located on 20 miles from where I lived and grew up. By understanding what is happening there, I am better prepared to make the transition wherever I end up and I will be able to understand what my students are going through, since I have witnessed it first hand. This will make me a better informed person since I will learn more about my hometown area as well as two new cultures.

The activity that I chose was to interview the Elementary Guidance Counselor at Postville High School, Mr. Ron Wahls. I conducted this informal phone interview during the week of October 16^th in a conversationalist style, for I have known Ron for 12 years

For 6 years Ron has been the elementary guidance counselor in Postville where enrollment has increased rapidly, one of the few small schools in Iowa to do so. They currently have 22 different ethnic groups within the school including Chinese, Vietnamese, El Salvador, Guatemalans, Mexicans, Soviet-Jewish, Ukrainian, Kurkistanian, Kajikastanian and the Republic of Georgia. Overall the school is about 18 percent non-European in ethnic background. The town contains 300-400 Ukrainian families, 800-900 Spanish speaking families, and 60 Jewish families. Ron said that the number one problem in Postville is the lack of housing. He said that if it was possible, the town could increase in size by 1000%.

One obvious difference between these two cultures is their previous education. The Russian immigrants are well educated, mostly doctor, lawyers, and professors, who all had a lot and lost everything. Their goal in America is to master English, so that they can thrive in the culture and regain that in which was lost. They are surviving financially by working in the processing plant. Mexican immigrants contrast this because they had nothing, and now they are making big money compared to people in Mexico. Many Mexicans come to Postville to make their fortunes in 3-4 years, then return to Mexico to retire. Thankfully the more recent immigrants have been families who are choosing to settle down and enrich the culture rather than work and leave. There is a Mexican and Jewish grocery store, restaurant, clothing, and jewelry store as well as a Russian bar and grill. Ron sees this as an attempt to blend and mix the culture, rather than an isolation or segregation by ethnicity.

Ron’s job as a guidance counselor is very atypical for Iowa. The elementary school has 1 of every 6 students as either Russian or Hispanic, with more Hispanics in Kindergarten then English speaking Americans. Amazingly, Postville has not lost any teachers. There has even been a Jewish school for boys and a Jewish school for girls open up with 60 students in each one, which actually brings in new teachers with a Jewish heritage. Ron mentioned the fact that both cultures are well behaved within the school walls. He has no problems with the immigrants, mostly because he feels they know they need some education to survive in the town. The biggest problem was absenteeism. In the past, Ron has had instances where he has gone out to homes and helped dress and feed the kids before taking them to school, since many times kids were dropped off late or even allowed to skip due to the parents working early shifts. Recently, Ron has implemented an in-town school bus where he picks up students at four different stops. It started out slow, but in a week it has grown to 70 people riding this bus, and Ron has had perfect attendance in the past four days.

One very interesting thing Ron discussed is something he was told on the first day of school this year by the Superintendent. He said, "If both plants close today and everyone associated with them would leave, 10 of you teachers would have to be fired." Obviously these immigrants have an impact on the educational needs in Postville Schools.

Many of the students Ron deals with may come from illegal families, but he wouldn’t be able to tell you that for sure. Postville has a policy of not asking about immigration status in the United States. Their philosophy is that everyone has the right to education. This is why there have been many new programs implemented in the district and teachers have been learning new cultures to adapt and implement these programs. One obvious example is the accommodation for Jewish holidays. Each teacher has a calendar containing the Jewish holidays, and parents are very good about reminding their student’s teachers when these holidays are. Students usually make all the work up before taking off. There are also ESL programs for Russian and Spanish speaking students. Ron feels that Kindergarten through 3^rd graders take only one year to become fluent, and 5^th-8^th grades only takes about two years to be fluent. Many of the Russian immigrants are facing their third language, since many first immigrated to Canada and were forced to learn the French language, followed now by the English language.

In the third grade class, Spanish students from Luther college in nearby Decorah spend 20minutes each day in class teaching all students Spanish. The Spanish IV class from the high school put in 40 hours of time in these classes as well. In the 4^th grade class there are two sections. A male teacher took all 6 Russian students in his section and learned Russian, while a woman took all 5 Spanish speaking students in her section and learned Spanish, both so that they could effectively teach all students, not just those who spoke English. This shows the adaptation that these teachers are willing to make, so that every student gets an equal opportunity to learn.

Three other programs that Ron has helped with target problems that are facing community members. The first is a breakfast program, which is used by 95% of the Hispanic population. Another is a summer program that was initiated this year. For five weeks, from 8:00-2:00, 44 kids came to school to improve their language and basic skills. There was breakfast, then class from 8:30 until 10:30. Then each child took swimming lessons until noon. Then it was time for lunch, and class again until 2:00. Ron commented that each child in this program has shown its benefits by excelling in the classroom this fall. Their English usage skills are tremendous and their basic education is at or above that of traditional American students.

The final program Ron discussed is targeting 16-21 year old Mexicans. Since many Mexicans in Mexico quit school after 4^th or 5^th grade, they don’t see the reason for higher education when they can work to support their family for good wages. In conjunction with NICC, Postville is offering a day school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-2 for night shift workers, and night school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 PM for day shift workers to further their education and learn some basic English skills that will help them thrive in the packing plants. In these classes of 30-40 people, Luther college students and professors teach things such as how to tell time, read a calendar, and days of the week. This way workers can learn responsibility and their boss can communicate effectively with them.

As you can see, much of what is going on in Postville can be useful, probably in smaller doses, wherever I end up teaching. By seeing all these changes and the creative ways of handling a situation, I will be better prepared to implement education that is multicultural in my own classes. I feel as though I have really gotten a sense of what is happening in classrooms and why the need is so great for multiculturalism. Hopefully, by keeping in mind these things, my approach to teaching will be better suited to all of my students, not just the ones who are like me.

There is a billboard that stands in the middle of a town in Mexico which reads, "Postville, Iowa tiene trabajar para tu!" which translates to "Postville, Iowa has Work for You! If you would have told me this 10 years ago, I would have called you a liar. The faces of Postville, in the schools, in the grocery stores, on the street and in the workplace, are changing. If it wasn’t for the efforts of individuals like Ron Wahls and all the other teachers in this school, these people would continue to feel isolated from the community. But through their efforts, everyone is offered equal and equitable education opportunities, and many immigrants are taking advantage of them. I encourage anyone who gets a chance to visit Postville to do so. Ron is more than willing to give you a tour and he will definitely change your thoughts and attitudes on multicultural education. I am looking forward to learning more and implementing ideas into my teaching style and curriculum to make my classes more culturally diverse. I feel as though I owe it to them, because everyone deserves the right to learn.

• Tell me a little about your job at Postville Middle School.

• Give me some background on the recent history of Postville and the changing community including who has immigrated and why they have immigrated.

• What percentages of your students are of non-European descent?

• What are the largest problems facing immigrants in Postville?

• How is the community handling all of the cultural changes?

• How are the new immigrants adapting to the native culture/How are the native residents adapting to the new culture?

• How is the school adjusting to meet the needs of the community’s educational needs?

• Is there an increase in dropout rates with Mexican Americans?

• Is there an increase in the use of governmental assistance programs by Mexican immigrants?

• Are there any instances of isolation either towards or by these groups in the community?

What adjustments are teachers and administration making to accommodate for these new learners?

• What do you see in the future for Postville the community and Postville the school district?

Banks, James A. (1997). Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Suarez-Orozco, Marcelo M. (1998). Crossings: Mexican Immigration in Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

Cornelius, Wayne A. and Bustamante, Jorge A.. (1989). Mexican Migration to the United States: Origins, Consequences, and Policy Options. University of San Diego, CA: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies

Iber, George Leland, Ph.D. (1992). Academic Performance, Acculturation and Ethnic Identity traits of First and Second Generation Mexican-American High School Students in a Rural Iowa Town. University of Iowa: UMI Dissertation Services

Orleck, Annelise (1999). The Soviet Jewish Americans. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press

Simon, Rita J. (1997). In the Golden Land: A Century of Russian and Soviet Jewish Immigration in America. Westport, CT: Praeger