I enjoyed reading Kohl's chapter especially making note of her description of Julia. She was a child who lacked self-confidence and was not completely comfortable in the presence of teachers in the classroom. It may be that Julia felt vunerable and needed reassurance and feeling comfortable enough to make mistakes. I wonder if there is a Julia in many classrooms-the child who is capable, bright, and ready to learn but is not ready to take the step and put herself out there. How can we make children feel comfortable enough to express themselves and be Ok with making mistakes? I believe the answer is to begin by putting an emphasis on a personal relationship with students. Share with them your own personal vunerabilities and insecurities. For example, I do not sing well-- at all! I try but it doesn't sound so great. I try to explain that each person in my Kindergarten class has special talents and interests, including their own teacher.
Kohl explains that children listen differently when listening to the same teacher. Since the majority of communication in the classroom is the teacher directly speaking to the class we should take a step back and realize that our instruction, our approach, sounds different and is interpreted differently among students.
Smitherman's comments on the legitimacy of non-mainstream language left me feeling agitated. I realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It seems as if I was supposed to feel that whites don't see non-mainstream language as legit, as a real form of communication. I don't like the feeling of being grouped into a large category and generalized. I do believe in learning and appreciating new languages. I am nearly bilingual myself having studied Spanish for eight years. Consequently the knowledge gained in studying a new language gave me the opportunity to learn simultaneously about various cultures where Spanish is spoken. It was an incredible experience. I have met and communicated with various people from several Latin American countries and found that each has their own dialect, accent, and in some cases specialized vocabulary or slang. I just don't think it's fair to make a general comment about the haves and the have nots, the whites and the blacks. It is not politically correct to group any one segment of the population.
Wynne's chapter reminded me of the discussion that many people in NC are having these days. If you're going to come to this country, then you ought to learn English. True-- in the sense that if helps when one is out in public or in need of a service. Americans are a bit arrogant and ignorant in believing that English or more specifically SE is the end all and "best" form of communication because it is the dominant language. Bilingual students leaving college are, in the end, at a tremendous advantage when entering the workforce. Those who know Spanish or another second language should be more well-respected. The United States, the most powerful country in the world, does not emphasize the benefits of learning a second language. Perhaps in our dominant culture, we may feel that our language is supreme and there is really not a need to learn another language.
Comments (6)
Hello Renee,
I was very pleased to read your comments about chapter 10! Our thoughts on this subject are very similar. I can't bear to be categorized with all “white” people who have ever been prejudice, just as I hate to be categorized with all the “Yankees that are intentionally rude”. Not all “white” people view BE as substandard. Not all “Yankees” think southerners sound dumb! I remind people, when they start with the “You’re not from around here comments”… that I chose to move here to teach YOUR children. I do LOVE it here (This doesn’t happen so much anymore). I like to be challenged to extend my thinking, teaching practices, and ideas concerning language, but I do not like to be insulted. This book was provocative and thought provoking. I enjoyed reading it, but I think I would categorize chapter 10 as having an alternate agenda.
Written by
Heather Holland
Posted by Heather Holland | June 1, 2007 11:57 PM
Posted on June 1, 2007 23:57
Renee,
I agree that many policymakers and other political types who have visibility are leading the charge in the "English-only" paradigm. I also think that this is grounded in arrogance and fear of a loss of culture. How ironic that this fear of identity loss is what drives some Whites into self-protection that is legitimized, yet when other cultures express the same feelings, they are viewed as deficit!
Alecia Jackson
Posted by Prof. Alecia Jackson | June 2, 2007 11:18 AM
Posted on June 2, 2007 11:18
Hi Renee,
I too agree that we must share our own insecurities and vulnerabilities with our students in order to make them feel comfortable. Nothing bothers me more than to see a child who will not even attempt a problem/passage because they are afraid of what others may think of them. Every year I always try to share with my students some of the things that bother me. I can promise you that every child in my classroom would tell you that Ms. Mabe’s least favorite subject is math. However, I go on to tell my students that because I struggled with math, my struggle has made me a better math teacher. Due to the fact that I struggled, I make sure that my students understand math concepts as they are taught. I honestly think that my kids feel much better after I share my “Math Fears” with them. I think they feel reassured that I am going to help them as much as I can because I too have struggled in the same subject area. I feel it is essential for Teachers to share these types of vulnerabilities/insecurities with their students.
Kelly Mabe
Posted by Kelly Mabe | June 2, 2007 9:54 PM
Posted on June 2, 2007 21:54
Renee,
I agree that we Americans seem arrogant in our insistence that "our" language/English is all sufficient. Any multi-lingual student certainly has an edge in the "flattening world" (Friedman, THE WORLD IS FLAT). I appreciated the message from these chapters that we as educators need to encourage a world view that is accepting of many different languages and cultures in order to adequately prepare our students for living and working in a world that is increasingly "open" and interactive. Perhaps chapter 10 was more politically charged than the other chapters but the author may have felt the need to "overstate" in order to empahsize the urgency of her message.
Betsy Baldwin
Posted by Betsy Baldwin | June 3, 2007 2:49 PM
Posted on June 3, 2007 14:49
Once again I completely agree with your last point. The fact that most Americans believe that Standard English is the best language just because it is the most prevalent or it is the one spoken by the political side of this country. I don’t think that I was one of those people, but I was one of those people who thought that all people needed to learn English if you lived in America. And I still think that to a certain degree. But at the same time I know believe that I should learn Spanish because it is becoming more and more common in this day and age and it would be beneficial if I learned it.
Posted by Kristen Billings | June 4, 2007 11:19 PM
Posted on June 4, 2007 23:19
Renee,
I didn't enjoy reading chapter 10 as much as the other chapters because it was too political in nature (I don't care for politics) and seemed to be meant to rally support for social changes that would move forward the author's political agenda. I thought the suggested educational practices, such as valuing children's home languages as legitimate forms of communication to make them more receptive to learning standard English and promoting the study of foreign languages, were good ideas that I think could only benefit chidren. However, the means by which the author suggests achieving these educational reforms are somewhat controversial along party lines: demand "the restoration of budget cuts from education and other domestic programs and in opposing the military build-up and its gross and offensive budget" (pg. 174); "..speech, language, and composition professionals must work on the political front, in whatever way they can, to insure that... jobs and services are available for all, and especially for those we are teaching in our ebony and ivory towers" (pg. 173).
Posted by Vickie Howell | June 4, 2007 11:56 PM
Posted on June 4, 2007 23:56