Blog 9-Emergent Bilingual Students

 Reading 1:

Title: Aria

Author: Richard Rodriguez

Reading 2:

Title: Teaching Multilingual Children

Author: Virginia Collier

Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4

Emergent Bilingual Students

After reading and viewing the material above regarding bilingual students, I gained valuable insights into how to work effectively with this student population. What I took away from Aria was that the familial language spoken at home is more than just a means of expressing needs; it is a form of identity that helps maintain connections among its members. When Richard stopped speaking Spanish with his parents and family at home, he felt he was not being true to his identity.

In addition, his family’s relationship had changed, and communication was no longer fluid or natural. In this reading, I felt that the teachers overstepped their boundaries and weren’t educated about the potential damage it would cause to the family. I understand the teachers wanted Richard to progress in school, but at what cost? Now, this child has lost a sense of himself, and the bond with his family has weakened.  The success of a child is so much more than a good grade. Having an identity and knowing who you are builds confidence.  These teachers were insensitive and made Richard and his family feel as though their language and culture were inferior. There are other ways to promote the English language than to walk into someone’s house and pressure them to use it at home. At the end of the reading, I found this was the perfect quote to describe what Richard and other bilingual children feel as they are forced to use the English language, “So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality.” Essentially, Richard had to lose a piece of his individuality to assimilate into mainstream American society. 

Similar to Richard’s experience, I came across a video by Karen Leung titled "Embracing Multilingualism and Eradicating Linguistic Bias." Here, she discusses her and her family’s experience as being bilingual in both Cantonese and English. She highlights how America does not have an official language, so why are we forcing everyone to speak English? Additionally, there is a double standard in praise for speaking English and then learning a second language, but learning English as a second language is often frowned upon. 

In the second reading, Teaching Multilingual Children, this author argued that the best way to teach children  English as a second language is to allow the child to embrace their first language and culture that goes with it, “The key is true appreciation of the different linguistic and cultural values that students bring into the classroom.” This author outlines seven guidelines for better educating bilingual students, all of which share a common theme: allowing children to use their native language freely and master literacy in it. We should welcome any expression of their native language, whether it be a different dialect or code-switching; none of these is a sign of weakness but of individuality. What I found most interesting was that to master literacy in a second language, students must first master literacy in their native language. “Once a child becomes literate in the home language, literacy skills swiftly transfer to second language settings.” 

After watching four episodes of "Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One," I observed a common theme among each teacher: a welcoming attitude towards the diversity of their students. The teachers used culturally sensitive material to teach the class and allowed kids to speak their native language when needed to express themselves. These teachers did not shut the children off and act like the English language and American culture were superior. They welcomed the students to express themselves as they felt comfortable and, from there, guided them in learning English. I can relate to one of the teachers saying she uses translation devices on her phone; since I am an English-speaking school nurse with predominantly Spanish-speaking students, I often use this to communicate with them and find it effective. 

                  As I reflect on the readings and videos described above, I have Delpit and Christine E. Sleeter in the back of my mind. Delpit's message of preserving one’s culture while also learning the culture of power reminded me of bilingual students learning English as a second language. Then, Christine E. Sleeter, in her message about the importance of Ethnic Studies, notes that these bilingual students need a sense of their culture and language to develop a passion for learning. How the teachers in the Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One incorporate these concepts and use learning material that the students can relate to culturally. In conclusion, I find that the classroom can be a two-way street where the teacher also learns from their students.