THE LOS ANGELES TEACHERS’ STRIKE : Immigrant Students Call Strike Setback to Better Life

Unlike many high school seniors who are worried that the Los Angeles teachers strike might affect their ability to get into college, students at the Evans Adult School on Monday expressed more immediate and pressing concerns.

Many of the Evans students are immigrants who are trying to qualify for U.S. citizenship or working toward a high school diploma. For them, the strike by United Teachers-Los Angeles could mean a substantial delay in their ability to get good jobs and improve their standard of living.

“I don’t want to be a dishwasher all my life,” said one student in Spanish, who picketed with the teachers but refused to identify himself. “I come to this school to get an education so that I can have a better life. Why does the district want to keep me from doing that?”

Other students echoed similar concerns as they joined the picket lines downtown in front of Evans Adult School, the largest adult school in the country with an enrollment of more than 14,000. It is the only school that provides classes around the clock for immigrants seeking citizenship under the federal amnesty program.

Student Body Vice President Jose Bautista, 23, who immigrated from Mexico in 1978, said, “When I got to class this morning, my (substitute) teacher said, ‘Today I just want you all to tell me about yourselves.’ What am I going to learn from that? I come to this school because I need my high school diploma to get a decent job--not to talk about myself.”

Principal Doug Holmes said no classes were canceled as administrators filled in for the school’s 150 striking educators. Dressed in sneakers because he “had been running around like crazy,” Holmes said the strike will not hold up any student’s citizenship application.

Under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, applicants must complete 40 hours of citizenship studies or pass an English proficiency exam to earn their permanent residence card and, Holmes said, “as long as students attend class, they will get credit for their hours.”

But some students, like Byron Martinez, said they will not go to ESL (English as a second-language) classes until their regular teachers return.

The Guatemalan immigrant proudly joined the picket line Monday carrying a homemade banner that read “Don’t Explote Our Teachers.”

Other students, who refused to go to their amnesty or ESL classes, proclaimed, “We don’t like the artificial teachers!”

“You mean substitute teachers,” said the picketing educators who thankfully patted their students on the back.

But, while they were not in class, some picketing students said that participating in the strike taught them an important lesson in democracy.

Ludy Leon, 54, an immigrant from Guatemala, said, “In my country teachers never stood up for more money. They kept quiet because the country was so poor that they felt it would be wrong to make demands.

“But here, I am proud the teachers can stand up to speak out for what they want. The government is telling them there is not enough money, but I know there is money--lots of it.”

TELEPHONE HOT LINES

District telephone hot lines open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. General strike information: 213-625-KIDS. High school information: 213-345-GRAD. Adult education information: 213-62-LEARN.

District’s 24-hour recorded telephone hot line updated daily. English: 213-625-4000. Spanish: 213-625-4643.

The union has a hot line for teachers only, which is not made public.