When Thursday came around Elias' interest in Homeroom's assignment had peaked. All of the topics that had been discussed so far were all quite broad & diverse in their own ways & everyone in class had various different feelings & thoughts on each issue. At breakfast Elias thought to himself about what topic would be the focus that day.
"I have no idea what today's topic might be. It could be abortion, gun control, immigration, legalisation of drugs or even prostitution amongst other things. It's too bad that we won't be able to learn about all of these things though" thought Elias.
"How are you feeling today Elias?" asked Ella.
"Good. I'm thinking to myself about what today's topic will be in Homeroom. There are so many different things we could possibly learn about. It just sucks that we aren't learning about every controversial issue" said Elias.
"You might learn more about it in the future. You never really know" said Ethan.
"Maybe. The whole concept of this assignment has definitely allowed people to open up & show everyone how they feel about this stuff. I suppose in later school years we might dig deeper into these things" said Elias.
After eating breakfast Elias caught the bus to school. He continued thinking about Homeroom the whole way there.
"I really think this assignment should be used more often. I think by doing that people will get a better understanding of other people's opinions & how society can evolve in a positive manner by finding ways to help those who need it while at the same time preventing further problems from arising" thought Elias.
Throughout the entire school day Elias' thoughts about Homeroom continued to play in his mind. Throughout the 1ST 2 periods Elias' focus kept shifting between his schoolwork & Homeroom. At recess he played on the swings thinking about what topic would be the focus of the day.
"Today's topic could really be anything. There really isn't any way of knowing for sure what we'll be learning until Homeroom actually comes around. I'm sure that all the other kids are probably wondering the same thing as well" thought Elias.
Throughout both of the next 2 periods Elias' thoughts continued to weigh down on his mind. At lunch he told his friends about what he was thinking regarding the Homeroom assignment.
"I wonder what topic we'll be learning about next period. There are so many different categories to choose from" said Elias.
"There sure are. Maybe we'll be discussing gun control. That's quite a big issue in this country" said Ace.
"Maybe it'll be immigration. That process also has a lot of people on edge" said Carlos.
"Whatever it is I know it'll result in a split reaction. Every topic we've discussed so far has" said Danny.
"I've got no idea how today's discussion will turn out. I hope it'll be as smooth as the other lessons" said Katie.
"Me too. I'm impressed with the fact that no arguments or fights have come from this assignment" said Kelly.
"Same here. The way things are going right now it seems that nothing crazy will happen. I hope it stays that way" said Ryder.
As everyone took their seats during Homeroom there was a lot of silent anticipation on the topic that would be discussed. Everyone listened intently as Miss Spearwood addressed the class.
"For today's topic we'll be learning about immigration. As usual you'll have a few minutes to think about reasons to support & oppose it. Then after everyone finishes filling in the chart the discussion will begin" said Miss Spearwood.
Everyone in class sat in silence to think about their reasons. Once thinking time was over the chart was filled in. Elias' reason for supporting immigration was that it helped many people move to a new home that they considered utopic & that they would be able to leave places torn apart by war & other extremely violent crimes & his reason for opposition was that many people immigrated to other countries illegally & that some of these people could potentially pose a risk to the people of the country they were now living in. After the chart was filled out the discussion began. Ace was the 1ST person to speak.
"I think immigration is a good thing but at the same time there are too many people in this country & other countries around the world who migrate illegally. It's just ridiculous that so many people can slip into countries undetected & then potentially go out & commit crimes against other people. That's a big problem since the authorities have little to no information on these people & capturing them can be extremely difficult. I think any illegal immigrants should be deported so that things like that don't happen" said Ace.
Elias raised his hand & was permitted to speak.
"I can definitely understand where you're coming from Ace. The only problem is that not all illegal immigrants are dangerous. Some of them probably only migrated illegally possibly because the process was taking too long for them & they felt that if they didn't leave their home quick enough to find a better place to live then something bad would happen to them. Telling people to go back to where they came from is quite complicated. If anyone in this country who didn't have Native American ancestry or origins told anyone to go back to their home country that would make them hypocrites. Everyone in this country who isn't of Native American descent or heritage are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants themselves. As far as I know that applies to just about everyone in this room. Most if not all of us have heritage from other countries. If everyone went back to their home countries all the Asian people would return to places like China, India, Japan & other countries in the continent of Asia, all the black people would return to Jamaica, The Bahamas, Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe & other countries in Africa & the Caribbean, all the Hispanic people would return to Brazil, Mexico, Spain & other countries in South America & Eurasia & all the white people would return to the UK & its surrounding countries. If that was the case each country would only have a certain ethnic group who lived there. I think that the immigration process should be made more efficient & quick so that people who wish to migrate don't have to do so illegally" said Elias.
Everyone in class found these viewpoints to be quite profound. For the rest of the school day the discussion continued. After school Angel, Elias & Kelly went to the Lookout. Ryder & the pups were all quite intrigued by what was said.
"Learning about immigration today was really quite interesting. The amount of cultures in so many different countries is quite astounding" said Angel.
"I think if every living returned to their home country I'd end up back in Germany. That's kind of ironic since I've never even been there before" said Chase.
"I think most if not all of us would be living in various different countries. I'm not sure where I'd be living if that was the case" said Marshall.
"Me either. Since I'm a mixed breed it would be hard to know where my true origins lie" said Rocky.
"I think I'd end up in the UK. I'm not sure if life over there would be that much different than it is here" said Rubble.
"Being a mixed breed like Rocky I don't know my true origins. I might have origins in this country but I don't know for sure" said Skye.
"I know for a fact that I have heritage from this country. I think every Labrador Retriever does" said Zuma.
"I think multiculturalism is a good thing. Some people believe that it destroys cultures but I think it allows people to experience cultures from other countries without having to travel so much" said Elias.
"That's so true. Some of the things I've learned about other cultures are quite cool. It would suck if we couldn't learn about that kind of stuff if each ethnic group lived in their own country" said Kelly.
"I definitely agree with that. Without Carlos we probably wouldn't have ever been able to learn so much about Mayan civilisation. In the end everyone lives life differently & they all have distinct practices that they adhere by. That's the beauty of multiculturalism" said Ryder.
Everyone went to the park & hung around there for the afternoon. At home Angel & Elias told Ella & Ethan about the things they learned that day.
"Immigration is quite an interesting process. It's too bad that it isn't completely flawless" said Angel.
"I'm sure that in the future immigration won't be as difficult as it is now. I think background checks are vital in determining who poses a threat to society & who doesn't" said Elias.
"If only there wasn't a big stigma regarding which immigrants come from which country. Media stigma about certain ethnic groups has caused a lot of bias & prejudice lately" said Ella.
"Yes it has. If the media didn't constantly stigmatise things like this I think that there wouldn't be so much bias & prejudice amongst society" said Ethan.
As Elias got in bed that night he thought about the wonders of multiculturalism.
"It's quite wonderful to live in a country where we see so many different cultural aspects from other countries. So many people seem to be quite unhappy with the so called destruction of cultures that they see in multiculturalism. It's just ridiculous how people see things like that. I love lots of things about other cultures like their cuisine, their rituals, their way of life & so much more. Even if I don't necessarily live life the way they do I still enjoy experiencing the many cultures of the world" thought Elias as he went to sleep.