Last Week 4/29

In Wendy’s story, she talks about codeswitching and using two languages in the classroom.  She said it made her feel a sense of belonging.  I couldn’t help but think of bilingual education just then and how much I love the dual-language program and think that it is the best program when implanted effectively.

It was interesting to read the narratives.  Wendy’s talked a lot about how much the English language was looked up to.  Phrases like “Language of freedom” and “language of dream” were used.  This makes me think back to how we discussed English as a language of power.  These people felt like if they knew English then that meant that they had a leg up on everyone else.  English represented “who they wanted to be”.  It was just so interesting to hear how much these people wanted to learn English and how much it meant to them.

I really like how this article talks about the successes in these people’s journey but also talks about how it wasn’t so successful.  Because of this “Standard English” idea people have, and because many people in America are so close minded and quick to judge, people who are not native speakers of English feel inferior and suddenly self-conscious.  I am not a native speaker of Spanish but my family is native speakers and I talk with them frequently.  I have found that when I was in Mexico, native speakers would obviously know you were from somewhere else but they never once judged me or made fun of me.  They were so excited that we were all learning Spanish.  If only people in the U.S. had a similar attitude.

Sandra McKay talks about the practice of “Othering” in chapter seven and how it is evident in discussions of native and non-native English-speaking.   Non native speakers are seen as lacking skills.  I couldn’t believe what I read about educators saying that in some countries they have different attitudes toward education and its function in society.  I think that a serious problem is that some native speakers think that they are superior and that non-native speakers should look up to them.  I think that is a huge problem in our society.  Just because we are speakers of the “language of power”, doesn’t mean that we are high and mighty and that we know everything or that our beliefs are more correct or better than other peoples.  

Standard Language

In the Lippie-Green article, I found it interesting how the author discusses how a standard U.S. English does not exist because language is always changing and evolving.  However, people still believe that a homogeneous, one-language-fits-all language is desirable and possible.  The author talks about how this language doesn’t really exist but the ideal does in the minds of speakers.  I always knew that there was never a Standard English language but, I never thought of how it was really just an ideal that that people had in their minds that they saw as attainable.  I think that this is another reason why students need to be educated on dialects.  Not only is that a good way to start off a discussion on world Englishes.  Students, along with people in general, need to realize that there is not Standard English and that it is not ok to make generalizations or stereotypes based on people’s dialects or accents.

In McKay’s chapter 5, standard language is also addressed.  McKay talks about how discourses attempt to “suppress variations in their attempts to impose control and order on English language acquisition and use.  What is scary is that the author proposes that schools are among the group of institutions that participate in these ideologies.  I think that it is important that educators stay up to date on issues like these and that this knowledge also gets passed on to their students.  I agree with McKay that standard language and ideologies that go along with this idea are mostly about control and issues of power.  It is so critical that we get these ideologies out of our school.  

Week 14 Post: Language Policy

I really enjoyed McKay’s discussion on language planning and language policy.  Particularly, I found the part about bilingual education fascinating because I will soon be a bilingual educator.  I agree with what is said about how there should be more of a language policy at the federal level rather than teachers being informed at a local level.  Multilingualism should be encouraged at the federal level so that every student in the US has the same opportunity to learn different languages and so that students who speak another language can maintain that language while learning English.  I don’t know how long it will take for our country to get to that point or if it ever will but in my eyes, that would be ideal.  While we are lucky to have bilingual education at all, I am not in favor of some “sink or swim” models.  I am happy to see more dual-language models being implemented but I still wish that there were more.

I found it interesting how the article on bilingual parenting addressed how even though parents might encourage bilingualism on their children, the dominance and superior role of English in our society can play a part in how well that ends up happening.  Because national and local language policies fail to support languages other than English, there is a lack of high quality bilingual education.  Also, one must think about how difficult it might be for lower class families to get access to high quality bilingual education.  Higher class parents have the resources to provide their children with access to bilingual education as well as extra help outside of school.    

3/25 Weekly Post-Race and Stereotypes

In Kuma’s article on cultural stereotypes, stereotypes of Asians are talked about.  The author talks about how people from so many different countries and cultures are all thrown into this category of “Asian”.  This made me think a lot about how a lot of people will refer to people of Latin decent as “Spanish”.  They say things to me like,”oh, you’re Spanish!”.  I always reply,”no, I’m Mexican”, and they say that it’s the same thing.  This drives me nuts.  It is not the same thing.  People from Spain are from an entirely different continent.  Although there may be Spanish influence in Mexico, Mexican and Spanish are not the same thing.  Maybe I am being a little picky or I shouldn’t let it bother me so much, but I don’t like how people just throw around people’s heritage and treat it so carelessly.  I was also surprised to see the three stereotypes about Asians.  I was surprised because I wouldn’t have guessed that those would be the stereotypes people would come up with about Asians.  It is absolutely not okay for teachers to make or even take into consideration these stereotypes.  One thing that is very important to me as a teacher of a diverse population of students is that teachers do not make generalizations or stereotypes and really get to know their students on a personal level.

I was also intrigued by Kubata’s discussion on the social construction of race and how we should question whether the term race should be used as a category for scholarly investigation and discussion.  This really intrigued me and got me thinking about the term race.  There are so many different combinations of race and people are made up of so many different things.  So, should we be using the term race?  Are we reinforcing these socially constructed definitions of race?  What is that teaching people?  Could this lead to racism?  I’m not really sure what to think about this but it has really got me thinking.  Part of me thinks that it is a historical term and that it might be time to steer away from the word race.

Week 7 Textbook Analysis

Looking at textbooks through a critical lens is very important for teachers of a diverse population of   students.  Teachers must ask themselves what the message of the book is.  Who is pictured as inferior/superior?  What will students take away from the book?  Picking a textbook is so much more than just finding something that teaches the language or culture well.  Personally, I know that I don’t want to send the message to my students that American culture is superior or better than their culture.  It is very important to me that my students feel comfortable in their own skin and own who they are and where they come from.  Every student should have that sense of pride.  However, in a country that is so self-absorbed, it can be hard for students to maintain that pride and sense of identity.  It is east for ESL students to get caught up in American culture and want to “fit in” or be accepted by their peers.  So, I know it is part of my job to pay attention to what my textbooks might be telling my students.

I also enjoyed Hinkle’s chapter on interactional competence in another language.  I found this interesting because I can relate it to my learning of Spanish.  One of the practices talked about was “guided discovery”.  I liked this practice because I know it was helpful for me in my acquisition of Spanish.  I think it is important to give students opportunities to discuss something they’re interested in because they will feel motivated and more confident.  In my Spanish class this semester we had a “expert day” assignment.  Each student chose something they felt they were an expert at or about and presented to the class.  We had time to research and learn the vocabulary if we didn’t already know.  I thought it was a very helpful exercise.

Week 6

I found “Unfinished Knowledge” very interesting because it discusses how although some teachers make have good intentions when it comes to getting to know their students culturally, they may not be going about it the right way.  This article made me reflect a lot on how I view culture and how I was culture to be discussed in my classroom.  To avoid making generalizations and stereotypes I want to try to get know each one of my students on a personal level.  I will never assume anything about any of my students.  Each student has had different experiences in his or her life that make them who they are.  I think that the strategies that Barbara used were ok, but she tended to generalize.  I believe it is important for teachers to never get a fixed idea in their heads of what a culture is or looks like.  After all, culture is always changing and can depend on a person’s experiences.  This is why I want to take the time to get to know each of my students.  I want to learn about their life experiences and how they have affected them.  I want to build authentic relationships with my students and let them know that I am genuinely interested in who they are and their culture. 

Other readings discuss writing of ESL students versus writing of native English speakers.  I think that American schools push the organization part of writing a little too much.  I do think it is important for students to organize their thoughts, however, because of different cultural backgrounds; they may want to organize and share their thoughts in a different way.  Who are we to tell them that their way of thinking isn’t correct and that they need to do it a different way?  I remember being in school when I was younger and my teacher constantly making us fill out a graphic organizer before writing essays.  We were all so tired of that same graphic organizer because we understood and we didn’t need it pushed on us anymore. 

I also think that it is unreasonable to expect ESL students to perform as well as native English speakers on tests written in English.  I strongly believe in tests being administered in students’ native language.  I agree with Silva that students need more time and help from teachers.  I also believe though, that some things do not need to be pushed on them so much.  Sentence structure and grammar need to be mastered of course.  But I do not believe that students should always have to follow that same intro, three paragraphs with ideas and details, and a conclusion.  If students want to organize and express their thoughts in a different way, than they should be allowed to do so.  Teachers can still give advice or help them clean up their work, I just don’t think it is ok to tell students that their way of thinking is wrong or not as good as the way we organize our written papers here.

"A Step from Heaven"

"A Step from Heaven" was an amazing story of the challenges and struggles families experience when they immigrate to the U.S.  I volunteered in an ESL classroom at Oakdale Elementary school last semester and there would always be new students coming in from different countries all over the world.  I would constantly think about how scary and strange everything must seem to them.  The technology, the routine, the expectations, rules, might all be completely new to them.  I couldn’t imagine coming into a new place where you can’t understand what people are saying and they can’t understand you.  I remember a little girl from Congo who didn’t want to eat the cereal that they gave her on her first day at school.  She looked so scared and I wished that there was something I could do to make her feel better.  The story about Young brought back a lot of memories from helping in the ESL classroom.  It also made me think about the struggle students experience trying to fit in with a new culture while trying to hold on to their native culture.  I think that students who have these struggles get placed in a middle identity.  They’re caught between these two cultures that they either want to be a part of or are somewhat forced into being a part of.  The relationships that deteriorate between parents and their children is so saddening.  Young becomes embarrassed of her parents and their home.  She lies about where they live and her parents’ occupations.  While facing these struggles, Young also has to deal with family issues at home.  School and her friends become an escape from her home but she still longs for her parents’ approval and for her parents to be proud of her.  How do children like Young ever find their identity and who they are?  Would it help if they had someone to help guide them and help bring meaning to what they are feeling?  Do all of the children who immigrate to the U.S. also face the same identity struggles?  Do they ever find an identity that they feel comfortable in?

Kang’s article also made me think of identity struggles.  Kang emphasizes that in order for students to successfully become bilingual they need support at home as well as in school.  Parents must be on board and be consistent in their language use.  Parents ideologies with respect to their children’s language development  and how parents implement their ideologies can have a big impact on children’s successfulness with becoming bilingual.  Kang also talks about how students identify with the language that they feel they can express their feelings in.  Although I can see how that would greatly impact what they identify themselves as, I still believe there is a middle identity that many children get put in and many of them are remain confused without some kind of guidance to help them feel comfortable in this middle identity.  I myself have experienced this.  I grew up with an American culture as well as a Mexican culture.  Growing up, I never really thought about what all of that meant.  Many times people didn’t realize I was Mexican unless they heard my last name or were told.  When I got to college and went to Mexico to live for a month, the feelings of being caught between these two cultures were amplified.  However, with the help of friends who were going through the same feelings and my professor, I now feel comfortable in this middle or third identity and hope to one day use it as a tool to help my future students who might also be going through the same thing that I did.

Identity

The discussion of second language learners and identity has always intrigued me.  I've always wanted to learn more about it and how I can help guide my students in figuring out who they are.  So many ESL learners get confused on who they are when they grew up around one culture and then suddenly get immersed into another.  As a bicultural student, I didn't have anyone to help guide me.  It wasn't until I got to college that I was able to talk about it with people who had similar experiences.  I want to make sure that my students don't have to go through the same thing as me.

In particular, I found Norton’s discussion on motivation and investment very interesting.  I had never really thought about the difference between the two and how they can impact someone’s second language acquisition.  This made me think about my future classroom and how it is important to create a safe and warm environment.  Students will come into my classrooms with different reasons for their motivation and with a different amount of investment.  Some students may have families which highly encourage their children to learn English while some families might not want them to.  As a bilingual educator I will have to take these things into consideration and try to build on what my students have come to my classroom with.  By making my instruction authentic and by building authentic relationships with my students, I can help motivate them.

Norton also discusses identity and resistance and how language learners can maintain membership of their vernacular communities and cultures while learning a second language.  I have often thought about this topic in some of my bilingual education classes.  I would often question how I would feel as a second language learner in a foreign country, forced to learn the language and culture to fit in and be successful.  I can’t say that I wouldn’t be resistant at all.  I need to take this into consideration with my students and use their resistance as teaching moments as Norton points out.  This is another reason why I want my classroom to be warm and inviting and why I want to have authentic relationships with my students.  I want them to be able to be themselves and feel that they can express themselves.

Week 2: Culture

“Culture and its Complexities” covers so many aspects of the daunting question, what is culture?  I really like how the author brought up the thought of what culture does being more important than what culture is.  I really liked this thought because I’m so intrigued by cultures and how they affect how people interact with one another.  Identity formation is also addressed which is an indirect consequence of culture.  Thinking of identity formation made me think about what the author would have to say about the identity formation of someone who grew up in two very different cultures and the factors that would come into play.

The author of “Exploring Culture” gives the tip of raising culture to a conscious level.  The example is given of a boy who does not know that in the United States students are expected to raise their hands to be called on before they speak.  The teacher in the example talks to the whole class about how it is expected that everyone raise their hand to be called on.  This example kind of bothered me because the teacher needs to be also culturally sensitive to that student.  It’s perfectly fine to let students from other countries aware of cultural norms here in the U.S., but you also want to make sure you are not belittling their culture or making it sound like one culture is better than another.  I think it is important for teachers to be culturally sensitive and learn how to approach situations like this one.  I also think it is important for teachers to be educated on their student’s cultures.  If they are educated on cultural norms of their student’s cultures, then they will better know how to introduce U.S. norms into their classroom.

Hinkel talks briefly about inner speech in the process of cultural development.  I have never really thought about how children start to develop that inner speech as children when they listen to dialogues between adults.  Children develop organizational patterns of culture.  I found the different stages very interesting.  Reading about private speech and inner speech made me think about my niece.  It made me wonder at what age or stage in development do children go from private speech to inner speech.

1/21 Reading

Culture is such a complex word and involves so many different aspects.  The author of the readings does a great job of trying to come up with a broad definition that involves all of the different parts of culture.  Although I think that Morgan's definition is a good one, I don't think that anyone can come up with a universal definition.  I think that there are just so many different parts to a culture that can be so deep rooted that people outside of a culture would not notice.  I don’t think I could come up with a better definition than the author but I do think that there would be some piece that got left out.  It just seems impossible to cover everything that is a part of a culture.  I like how Morgan talks about being able to learn a lot about student’s culture by have discussions.  I had never really thought about the idea before.  Student’s responses to stories could tell a great deal about their beliefs, their community, and their family.  In chapter 4, Morgan talks about her struggle with trying to understand the different forms of “you” in French.  It made me think of my struggle with that same grammar rule in Spanish.  Only if you are truly immersed in the culture can you understand the rule.  Even then it would probably be difficult.  I had also never really thought about the different functions of language and thought that was really interesting.  After reading, I thought about all the different phrases my Spanish teacher in Mexico taught me while I was living there this past summer.  He was teaching me phrases that can’t be literally translated into English.  Some of the phrases were really hard for me to understand because they were a part of the culture there.  After some explaining I understood. I also liked how she discussed the distinction between language used to participate in a culture and language used to learn the culture.  I will be applying both of these practices into my classroom.  Although I was not born and raised in Mexico, I am Mexican and feel that I have a good understanding of the culture.  I want to use the language to learn more about my students and their culture, but also to participate in the culture so that my classroom can feel like a community and I can build authentic relationships with my students.

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Becca and I'm majoring in Bilingual Elementary Education.  I will be doing PDS and student teaching in Little Village, Chicago next year and am super excited about it!  I am very excited about this class what it will teach me!