This week I read Aria by Richard Rodriguez
Quotes
Language in general is something that can be difficult to learn. The best time to learn a new language is when you are young. Coming from a different counrty trying to learn the language used there can prove to be quite a challenge.
"Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid" (Rodriguez 1). A student coming into a new environment may not be quite ready to learn something such as a new language. They might feel out of place and fear talking out loud in the class because they speak differently than everyone else are maybe they don't know how to say what they are thinking in English at all. It is difficult to accomadate for students in this postion and this I why today there are ESL classrooms that try and teach kids English while incorporating their language to help them learn.
"I overheard one voice gently wondering, 'Do your children speak only Spanish at home'" (Rodriguez 2)? If a family legally migrates from one country to another it is clear that they would have to comply to how school is run in that country. The nuns that enter the Rodriguez household never had to. Families should be allowed to speak in whatever language they wish in their own household. The nuns wanted Richard's parents to start speaking Spanish in their home, the agreed in the article. Richard's parents should not have had to agree to such terms. They should be allowed to talk however they would like at home but obviously when they go out they would have to converse with people that most likely did not speak that language. Richard might have to speak English at school and do his work in English to satisfy the school conditions but he should not have to speak English in the comfort of his own home is the language at home is Spanish.
Throughout Richard's article he states the struggles of learning a new language when that isn't the language his family speaks at home. I do believe that people should learn the commonly used language wherever they moved to but they should not be forced to speak it. People have the right to speak whatever language they would like. Schools should be trying ways to incorporate different languages into the curriculum to help out the students who are not familiar with English. Schools are started to incorporate these methods with ESL classrooms and classrooms that involve multiple languages, the majority of the time Spanish.
Nathan, I really liked your ideas in your blog. I also used quotes for this article for my blog post this week. Although, I chose different quotes so it was nice to see other quotes thought out. It seems that I got the same understanding out of his article as you did which was nice because some of his points were confusing. I also liked how you included the ESL classrooms that are common today in most schools. I also think it is a great point that people should be required to learn/know the language of a place they move to, but not required to speak it. This will help people keep their individuality. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteNathan,
ReplyDeleteI think Richard's parents agreed to use English in their home not because they were made or compelled to, but I think they came to the conclusion, whether as a result of the nun's intervention or not, that speaking English in the home would result in greater possible success for their children. It obviously took a great effort on their part to make such a huge change in their home, which I feel really shows what wonderful parents they were. Maybe it could be debated whether they made the best choice, but that they were willing to go to such lengths shows what dedicated parents they were.
i agree that coming into a new environment can be scary for a new student especially someone so young as Richard. and for people to come to his home and disrupt his home life is unfortunate. i like the quotes you picked out of this story and how well you explain the realness of the text.
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