Blog # 1 Johnson - Intro to privilege, power and difference
Blog # 1 Johnson - Intro to privilege, power and difference
Aria, by Rodriguez was an article that portraits the sacrifices that ELL students make when giving up their home language in order to become successful in English speaking classrooms. The sacrifices are usually related to loss of home language, loss of family connections and loss of identity and therefore culture. Rodriguez argues that this loss is worth it, in order to gain a public identity by attaining a competent English language so that the person can flow and thrive in this society.
On the other hand, reading Aria, I infer that Rodriguez also portrays the pain that was dragged by this loss and by the effects of the changes within each individual of his family. His mother “grew restless, seemed troubled and anxious at the scarcity of words exchanged in the house”. His father “retired into silence” while “in Spanish, he expresses ideas he rarely revealed in English”, “he conveyed confidence and authority English would never allow him”. Ricardo became confident in his own public identity speaking English, but every time that he encountered the Spanish language or Hispanic culture, he recalled “the golden age of my youth”, giving the impression that the loss of his original identity carried a pain throughout the years. Ricardo acknowledged that he became careless about family members, distant from his family, and probably from his roots and his culture. And although the author claimed that the loss was worth it, and the fact that he seems to be against bilingual education due to his idea that “Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family’s language”; I believe that losing your cultural identity, your home language or your family connections is more damaging than the challenges and struggles of being bilingual, especially today, when this society has become globalized.
Rodriguez would probably relate to the majority of the students from my service school, considering that 82% are a minority, as he also once was a “disadvantaged child”. I think that the author would be able to experience a whole different perspective of the value that culture, diversity and relationships hold and the importance of it in the development of a person’s identity and more specifically an immigrant or immigrant descent identity.
I feel that, luckily, today people can find more opportunities in order to maintain their home language, therefore, I believe that this reading is a juxtaposition to the reality of my service school in which one of the priorities is to empower students with their bilingualism while the reading portrayed how pushing to eliminate the native language provides more opportunities and a better public identity.
Both the Rodriguez argument and my service school give a glimpse of the complexity of being multilingual and bicultural and how the diversity of backgrounds comes with many challenges and struggles, yet it is possible to successfully provide a bilingual education maintaining an embracing a diverse public identity without the expense of losing cultural identity, losing the home language or not being able to function or be assimilated into public society.
Confirmations of the author’s argument:
Students take longer in the process of acquiring English in a bilingual setting compared to an only English setting.
Students have the desire to learn English and not struggle communicating easily showing a need to be assimilated into a public society.
As a minority, trying to navigate in a foreign society requires facing inevitable challenges and sacrifices that conveys the idea that “Something had to be lost, something had to die!”
Challenging the author’s argument:
The benefits of embracing cultural identity go beyond the benefits of acquiring a language. Cultural identity nurtures confidence in self, it provides a sense of belonging, sense of security, sense of self realization, sense of direction and allows you to make significant contributions personally and professionally to your environment.
It is not necessary to give up your home language in order to acquire the dominant language of society and still be successful. Statistically 51% of students arrive at ICS dominant in Portuguese or Spanish, but the RICAS results in English show that 3% of students exceed expectations, 23% meet expectations, 47% partially meet expectations and only 27% do not meet expectations.
Bilingualism and biculturalism can also be a public identity that allows people to successfully navigate in a diverse society.
The reality of my service school ICS
It is a disadvantage to not have the dominant language and often leads to financial struggles. Some parents live in this country for many years, do not speak the English language and are not able to support their children with acquiring the English language.
Minorities often struggle financially and in this particular school 54% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals and 38 % are economically disadvantaged
This school and its administration honors and respects student’s cultural diversity and home languages.
In conclusion, the reality of ICS is a great example of how a bilingual education can foster a healthy environment where students can develop a second language without losing their home language and more importantly without losing their cultural identity. ICS and its administration strives to be advocates for justice and equality, passionate for bilingual and high academic achievement education, ally for cultural diversity, and co-conspirator for the minorities of our community. ICS puts forth every effort and attempts to provide all the possible resources in order to serve each student in the best possible way, and to support staff in a way that would transcend cultural relevant pedagogies, multilingual approach, community approach, inclusiveness, anti-racist education and abolitionist teaching to our students.
The revolutionary power of Bilingualism - TED Talk
Comments
Post a Comment