RES 5530: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Spring 2009)

Stefoni, as an ESL teacher, I will tell you I think there ARE many kids who live in limbo between mainstream white culture and their home culture. One the one hand, this is survival and even acculturation at some level. Even a fully bilingual Eng/Span speaker who is not white experiences discrimination, especially in the small rural county of Davie. When I lived in Mexico, I spoke Spanish but I definitely did not blend in. My eyes and hair gave me away. People stared at me. That happens to my Latino students all the time around here. And some of the looks they get are not of interest, but of distrust.

I do think language ability (bilingualism) gives them so much more cultural capital. But I also think this whole country has a long way to go in terms of race relations. I, too, have a lot to learn.

I feel that many ESL kids who are in our school system desperately want to feel that community at school and with their peers. They feel forced to go back and forth because they get pressure from family at home to speak one way and then pressure at school to speak another way. Putting myself in their position, I feel that it is the pressure to fit in wherever they are, not so much the desire for community, that causes them to vacillate between two languages. I can't imagine the stereotyping and taunting that goes on when the teacher isn't around. I agree with you--our nation has come a long way, but still has quite a ways to go, especially in rural settings like where I teach. The only way many students know how to respond to diversity is to point out their differences.

Hi Stefoni! How are you?? I have this great piece of art in my home that makes me think every time I look at it. I found it at this antique-type shop in a small town called Swansboro on the North Carolina coast. It fits that I found it here because it’s where my parents lived after they married and it is where I was born before moving to NYC. I was looking through a collection of different pieces and then there it was – the colors aren’t bright. The background is a dark cream and navy blue letters create the message that I fell in love with. It says “Home is where your story begins.” Think about that for a moment. For me, it was a beautiful thought because the story I began at home with my family easily connected to the story I continued at school. My teachers liked me, I listened to them and followed their directions (when I wasn’t talking excessively to anyone who would listen), and I understood how school worked. However, many of our students have a story that began differently, a story that sometimes just doesn’t match the expectations of school. It is at that place of misunderstanding and confusion that some of our students feel left out and maybe even begin to feel that their family and their story is less important, less valued. I think it becomes the welcomed challenge of teachers to help all of our students feel that they belong and that their story, their culture matters. A teacher has the power to create an environment where all children feel comfortable enough to take chances and risks, which allows them to learn and grow. I want all my students to see the words, “Home is where your story begins” and feel pride that their family gave them the beginning skills of success. I think that we can do that. I think that if we really took time to stop and think about the structure of our education system and then made changes where they were needed, we could create a place where all children, all teachers, felt that what they brought to school each morning made it a better place for all of us.

Stefoni and Amy,
I enjoyed reading both of your views and points. My undergrad degree is in Special Education, and I can see the barriers students face because of their disabilities. I feel that this barriers are comparable to some of the barriers ESL students face. But I also think there are barriers that only ESL students face. I have not had the opportunity of having my own classroom, but I have experienced the school system and noticed the language barriers. When I student taught in a K-5 school system my teacher was a very experienced teacher and taught for many years. She has also stayed in the same area and is now teaching the children of some of her previous students. Some of these students came from low socio-economic status and spoke a language that was far from standard English. After viewing their struggles with written expression and their inability to separate the language they speak from proper English,I feel there are many students who experience prejudice from language.

Ami, that sounds like a really neat photograph and philosophy to have!

Is it improper to post a comment on my own entry? Well this is really to Amy's comment..I have the same quote on a harlequin style painting greeting our visitors at our front door. Thank you for reminding me of a sentiment that I have looked at so often I have forgotten its power.

Stefoni,
Of course it's not improper to comment on your own entry! :)
I like the complex questions you raise in your post, and your colleagues had some insightful comments to offer. When you ask the question about community, the first thing that came to my mind was a research study I read a few years ago on gang members in Latino communities in the US. Basically, the researchers learned that the desire for community -- one that is accepting of language, culture, and identity -- is what attracts young Latino men to gangs. They aren't getting community and acceptance at school, and they tire of wearing multiple masks and of the pressure to "fit in." In essence, gang membership is a response to some of the same issues that Dowdy and Smith experienced -- though the response is starkly different.