INCULCATE KIDS WITH PATRIOTISM.

Byline: AARON HANSCOM Local View

THE red, white and green were hard to miss at several of the immigration-rights protests over the last month. That's because most of the students who walked out of class to attend the rallies were carrying Mexican flags. The pride these marchers expressed for a country they probably wouldn't like to live in contrasted sharply with the difficulty they have in truly forming an American identity.

Some of us weren't surprised. As a substitute teacher for grades K-5 in largely Hispanic schools, I see the challenges of assimilation daily.

One question I always try to ask students is: "What country do you live in?" It is extremely rare for them to answer correctly the first time. "California" and "Los Angeles" are the most popular responses. Not until I direct their attention to the American flag in the corner of the room and remind them of the Pledge of Allegiance they recited earlier in the day, are they finally able to make the connection.

"Oh, so that's why we say that every morning," is the thought I'm sure goes through most of their minds.

The sad fact is that Mexican-American students are often taught that they are Mexicans before they are Americans. While it is admirable to foster cultural pride, we are doing students no favors by failing to instill in them an abiding love and deep respect for America.

Imagine for a moment that in Mexico students were told to come to school on July 4 wearing red, white and blue clothing. The fact that this absurd scenario would never transpire doesn't mean Mexico is anti-American. So why do Americans feel the need to bend over backward to prove that they aren't racists?

Elementary school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, for example, are told to wear red, white and green on both Sept. 16 for Mexican Independence Day and May 5 for Cinco de Mayo. Parents are reminded of these events with letters in Spanish. Meanwhile, the Oceanside Unified School District has banned the red, white and blue. It seems that patriotic clothing and American flags are just too inflammatory.

If that's confusing to you, imagine what it must be like to an 8-year-old child. Since a lot of students don't even know the name of the country their parents and grandparents sought refuge in, it is clear they are not simultaneously learning about the opportunities and freedoms that American affords.

Most Americans are concerned about this deficiency. Here's how Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal described the mood of the nation: "It's the broad public knowledge, or intuition, in America, that we are not assimilating our immigrants patriotically. And if you don't do that, you'll lose it all."

We've learned that English immersion works in language development. Many are the students I've seen who, recently arrived from Mexico, speak nary a word of English. A couple years later, they are fluent in their second language. While they haven't forgotten how to speak Spanish, they are much better prepared for a successful life in America.

Why not try American immersion? Feeling a little love for America doesn't require erasing one's native culture. Let's teach students patriotic songs like "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful." Let's make sure they are clear that George Washington is not the current president. Let's have them learn all 50 states in the nation.

I've done my best in that last regard. After my students are all made aware of the fact that they, in fact, live in the United States of America, I ask them to name one of the states in the union. "Mexico" invariably comes up immediately.

With this in mind, it is interesting to note that the historian Victor Davis Hanson wrote a book in 2003 titled "Mexifornia: A State of Becoming." Sometimes, I can't help but think it is already here.