We Latinos are on fire these days, in more ways than one. Immigration protests across the country have reignited the Latino engine but also refueled the opposite side.

Some people think we threaten American identity because we don’t assimilate, which I don’t get. Heck, even our tortillas assimilate – wheat, spinach or multigrain? By the third generation, most of us will speak only English. Half will marry outside our ethnic box.

Some critics wrote to me upset that so many of you younger ones walked out of school. They buy the perception that Latinos don’t value education (and, be honest, our high dropout rates don’t help), that we’re “dumbing down” U.S. schools.

I’d argue that the protesters, especially the younger ones, learned more last week than they had all year. A protest is democracy in action, and I can’t think of a better way to learn about First Amendment rights – including the right to stage walkouts and wave any flag you like – than firsthand experience.

And the Mexican flags, ay Dios mio, that has taken on a life of its own. (And if you haven’t seen the memo, organizers of the Sunday protest in Dallas discouraged anything but the Stars and Stripes.)

Symbols mean different things to different people. Many folks who e-mailed me were quite exercised by images of a “Mexican mob” waving its flag, signaling the beginning of the “reconquista.” They actually believe Latinos are migrating here because they want to take back what used to be Mexico. Believe me, we Latinos aren’t that coordinated; the answer is actually much simpler – a better-paying job.

So many myths to dispel. So I call on my fellow pochos – the culture straddlers – to step it up.

In states like California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Florida, we Latinos will soon be the workforce majority. Millions of those workers are first-generation Americans – pochos.

Countries like Canada, England and Ireland actively recruit immigrants because, as their populations age, they need younger blood to sustain the comfy life retirees worked hard to ensure. U.S. politicians and educators realize this, and some are freaking out. They know, for instance, that Texas’ economic health depends on how well you first-generation workers do.

It’s tough to be a pocho, but there are millions of us now, byproducts of foreign economic instability and America’s insatiable appetite for cheap labor. And if we all make a long-term commitment, we can make sure more of our children go to college and fewer end up in jail.

Demonstrations are valuable and worthy, but, ultimately, they are only mileposts along the way. Education is really our only long-term salvation.

Dolores Huerta, a co-founding member of the United Farm Workers, said at a university rally in California that the marches are great, but we need to vote.

And in Dallas, as in many other big cities, Spanish surnames dominate the public school rosters, so the classroom is another good starting point. Teachers and principals will tell you that their biggest challenge is engaging Latino parents, who aren’t as involved as they should be.

Latino students, part of your job is re-educating your parents. What worked at home doesn’t necessarily work here. Encourage your parents to take ownership of the schools, just as they did the streets. And you pochos who’ve beaten the odds, give back – participate in career days, mentor a kid or help fill out college applications.

Protests generate energy, but they are a means, not an end. Sunday’s march in Dallas may have been the biggest in the city’s history, but do not be fooled. If the symbolism doesn’t fuel substance, our efforts will prove empty.

The real work starts Tuesday, with a daily recommitment every day thereafter.

– Macarena Hernandez is a Dallas Morning News editorial columnist. Her e-mail address is mhernandez@dallasnews.com.