Special to the Record
Two local teachers spoke at a rally in support of immigrants at Chelsea City Hall on 7/18/25. The following statement comes from a former Chelsea instructor who now teaches in Revere.
“My name is Michelle Ervin. I stand here as an educator. I have been teaching immigrants for nearly 30 years.
I have taught all ages, from kindergarten to adults. I’ve taught English, citizenship and literacy classes. I’ve taught abroad, I have taught in private schools, night schools, community college, and public schools. I have taught well over 2,500 immigrants just in Massachusetts public schools, where I’ve been teaching for the past 22 years.
I have dedicated my life to educating immigrants. My students are some of the best people I have ever met and deserve to find a place where they can feel safe and welcomed.
Over the years, I’ve heard thousands of stories from my students. Many of whom are refugees or asylum seekers. Their stories are filled with fear, loss, and unimaginable bravery. Not a single person actually *wants* to leave their home. I’m not talking about a house; but a home. Their language, their culture, their friends, their families – everything.
I’ve always tried to be a safe, welcoming adult for them. The one who listens, helps, and creates a space where they can feel safe. It never ceases to amaze me that even after all they’ve been through — they show up. They try. They give their best.
With all that being said, today my heart is breaking. My students are GOOD people. People we want in our communities. Everyday when I look at my students, I just wish that everyone could meet them; see them; talk to them; get to know them. They are incredible human beings.
They are children. They are teenagers. And they are now experiencing new trauma — here, in the place they thought would be safe. Some worry about being abducted. Others worry if their family members will be home when they return. You know those days when you leave home and you can’t remember if you turned off the stove? How those thoughts permeate your mind and it’s difficult to concentrate on anything…and you just hope that your house is still standing when you get home? Imagine that times 100. Imagine leaving home and not knowing if your loved ones will still be there when you return. That fear doesn’t just go away when they enter through the school doors. It follows them through the day. It affects their focus, their mental health, and their sense of safety.
As teachers, we are also affected when our students are affected. We see the empty desks. We wonder where our students are. Were they too scared to come to school? Did they leave on their own? Or are they just…gone?
I listen to their stories. I see they are upset. I feel their hurt and I carry that with me throughout the day and to my home, where I sometimes ruminate on what I can do, how I can help; how I can make them feel better. Sometimes I cry because it’s just so heart breaking and I feel helpless. They are children. I had a student that I knew had been detained. When I had to mark him absent, it pained me. That child had already experienced so much — in his country, on the journey here — and now this? I want him to feel for once safe and happy. Like any other child. Although there is a lot of uncertainty in our communities right now, I know for a fact that I – and countless other educators – are committed to fighting for our students and their families. Think about school shootings and how every educator has responded. We fight to protect them and we will fight for them now. Because we see their potential. We see future doctors, artists, builders, leaders — Americans in the truest sense. will not stay silent. I will not stop fighting. These students represent the best of this country. They are the reason I teach. They are the reason I’m here.
To every immigrant student — past and present — who has ever walked through my classroom door: As I’ve always told you, you are my kid forever.
You matter. You are loved. And we are not going anywhere.
Kathryn Anderson, the president of the Chelsea Teachers Union spoke of her love for the Chelsea community. The end of this most recent school year was the most difficult in her twelve years in the district because of the pervasive and undeserved fear in Chelsea. She received calls from many C.T.U. members asking what to do when students or their family members were detained. She decried how wrong it is that Chelsea students and families have to face this fear.
She emphasized ”Children cannot learn when they do not feel safe, and the racist targeting of the Chelsea community impacts our kids’ ability to learn in the safe and supportive environment they deserve. Chelsea Teachers Union stands alongside our students, family, and community members against this activity, and in favor of rights and protections for all.”
Fliers for upcoming peaceful immigrant solidarity rallies are posted at the Bellingham area bus stops.