“Yasmin*,” I asked, pointing to a lamented card of a huge printed Y, “What is the letter name of this one?” She leaned over and said “Y,” without missing a beat. “Good. And what sound does it make” I asked. “/J/!” she exclaimed “Like Jas-meeen!”The racial identification of the students in my school is as follows: 66% Hispanic, 23% African American, 8% Asian, and 4% White, with an overwhelming 93% qualifying for reduced price lunches (source: Infoworks). This data implies that almost all of the children in my school are from working-class families with parents who most likely do not have much education themselves. I sat and thought about these numbers for a minute and applied them to my own life. How would my education be different if my parents didn’t have much education? Would things be different if my mother didn’t finish high school or just got had a GED? Would educational expectations be different for me and my siblings?
While I would classify myself as a Latina, like the majority of my students, in elementary school I never qualified for reduced lunch. My parents were married; my father worked and my mother stayed home to raise three children. When a pre-school teacher suggested that my brother be tested for “special needs” (because of his insistence on speaking Spanglish), my parents immediately sent him to speech therapy. My parents knew the rules of the culture of power and they had the means to provide us with tools to operate within that culture. While my family maintains many of the cultural traditions of our native culture, we were always expected to abide by the “rules” of American culture. Why?
I now realize the privilege I had as a child. Although I have come from a Spanish-speaking home, my family internalized the code of power at some point. Most of these children come from a similar culture as myself, but there is a good possibility that their parents don’t know what mine did. There is a good possibility that no one had explicitly told them the rules of the culture. Lisa Delpit asserts that knowing the implicit codes and expectations of the culture of power makes acquiring power easier. I’ve decided that I want to participate in a system that can empower children to have confidence that they can gain by knowing the rules.
Sitting with my students, I realized just how important phonics is to not only successfully participate in our society, but to incite real social change. The knowledge of the game will help them to be able to change it. More importantly, I realized the importance of preserving the pride they have in their language and culture. Making sure that they understand that their cultures are different but not inferior will give them the desire to participate in education, rather than reject it altogether.
“Yes. It’s /j/ in Spanish”, I confirmed. “But in English, what does it say? What’s the first sound in the word yellow?” She thought for a few seconds and then declared “/Y/!”
*Name has been changed.
Valerie that was a great post! I can actually relate to being confused with the /J/ and /Y/ sounds in Spanish. I have taken several Spanish courses throughout my academic career and still cannot fully grasp the language. Many people say that out of all the different languages to learn Spanish is the easiest. Well I disagree. I think learning any new language whether it be Spanish, French, Italian, Portugese, Chinese etc. is hard. I didn't start taking Spanish classes until eighth grade and even now in college I strugle with it so I can just imagine how it must be for someone so young like Yasmin. We just went over this topic in class with Claude Goldenberg's article Teaching English Language Learners. Goldenberg discusses how the most controversial issue is whether English learners should be taught exclusively in English or in their native language AND English. In this article there were two different research groups, NLP and CREDE, and both came to the conclusion that teaching students to read in their first language promotes higher levels of reading achievement in English. Also that when instructing English learners in English the teachers must modify the instruction to consider the students' language limitations. So I'm wondering if Yasmin is being taught in her native language. If she is, according to the article, this will benefit her level of reading achievement in English. I'm also wondering that since you can speak Spanish fluently do you agree with Goldennberg and if you have the opportunity to teach English languages learners, would you preferr to teach them in Spanish and English or exclusively English? Although I feel that learning English is very important, if these studies have proven that it is easier for English language learners to learn in their native language, then why not? As teachers we are supposed to do whatever it takes to enrich our students' knowledge so instead of being intimidated by this we should embrace it and enrich our own knowledge in the process.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that this was definitely one of my favorite posts to read. The connection that you were able to make with Yasmin most definitely made her learning experience and your teaching experience not only successful, but fun and memorable as well. Unlike you, I found it hard to connect to my students at first because I am from the small town of Tiverton, and have only studied the Spanish language for one semester while at CCRI. In order to help myself understand concepts a bit more, I often think about what my life would be like if I were a multilingual student in a school where lessons were given in a language other than English. After reading Goldenberg's article I am a believer in the idea that English Language Learners should be taught lessons in their native language and English as well. The research included in Goldenberg's article support the theory that English learning students achieve greater success in English while developing their native language. Yasmin was quite lucky to have a tutor as knowledgeable as you, and I am sure that your time spent together was truly beneficial for the two of you.
ReplyDeleteGood job! Your post was very enjoyable to read, especially because it you make it such a relatable experience. English is my first language, but I’ve taken enough Spanish and Portuguese classes to know the different phonics of letters can get confusing! You also did a great job incorporating the blog prompt, your service learning experience, and our readings in an easy to read manner. Nothing seemed forced and it was really a pleasant post.
ReplyDeleteIncorporating Lisa Delpit’s article which talked about the ‘culture of power’ was a very nice touch. You were very lucky to have grown up in the family you did. Delpit believes you should still hold on to your personal culture because it is what makes every person unique, but there is no way in avoiding that the white English-speaking American fits the rules of success better than someone who is not native.
Another article you could have related to this is “Teaching English Language Learners.” There is a great deal of proven studies that students who excel in their first language, in this case Spanish, will do well in learning a second language, English. The fact that Yasmin could recognize that a Y makes a /J/ sound in Spanish is a much better foundation for learning the English phonics /y/ than having no idea what the letter is at all.
I am once again impressed by your exceptional insights, Valerie. Your examination and interpretation of your heritage and its relationship to your teaching was beautifully done.
ReplyDeleteMay I use your blog as a model for future students?
Thank you,
Dr. August