Presentations 3/08

The presentations from today were very good. Nice work to the groups that went. Every group provided great information about their topic. I thought that the Social concerns presentation was the most entertaining. I was surprised to hear that such a high percentage of Hispanic women deal with obesity and Hispanics have the highest uninsured rates in the United States. It was sad to hear that only 52% of Hispanics have a high school diploma while 85% of whites do. Another fact that I found interesting was that only 2.5% of teachers teaching English as a second language have a degree to teach it in Hispanic communities. This must make it very difficult for Hispanics to learn English properly. I also enjoyed learning about Political Issues and Cesar Chavez. I compare Cesar Chavez to Mr. Mendoza in Urrea's short story. They both wanted to wake up the population and tell them all what is wrong with the populated thought. "On the road that runs north from Escuinapa to my village, there is a sign that says: Rosario POP. 8000, Below that in Mr. Mendoza's meticulous scrawl: No intelligent life for 100 kilometers." Both Cesar and Mr. Mendoza sought to change society and help better others. They both worked to help changes peoples minds and help open people to new ideas. I also want to give the groups that did the Hispanic Art, Music, and Dance presentations their credit. Those presentations were very entertaining, engaging, and informational. It was nice to learn about Hispanic culture through those aspects.