Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Aria- Rodriguez
This is a different side of the story being told by a minority when it comes to assimilation. Rodriguez believes that its important for immigrants to join into the mainstream if they want to have a life here espeically when it comes to education. However, many the arguments today is that the minorites will lose some sense of their idenity because they will have lost some of their culture. Do you agree with Rodriguez that there shouldn't be bilingual education? He is also against affirmative action. He writes this essay in 1982 and this is still very much a huge issue within education and the work field....whats are your general thoughts?
7 comments:
I would have to agree with Rodriguez on this issue. Many Hispanic children who live in Amercia are at a disadvantage to children who fluently speak english. First of all, they are unable to fully participate in the classrooms. Also, as Rodriguez stated, they lack the confidence to interact with others and often feel like outsiders. Parents in spanish speaking homes do need to stress the importance of their culture and teach them about it, but should also encourage their children to learn english in order for their children to be able to feel more comfortable with their surroundings.
I think that immigrants should join the mainstream language of the country that they live in. If they live in America...English, if they live in Mexico...Spanish, if they live in France...French, etc. When moving to a different part of the world, one must recognize that he will have to change his lifestyle, and maybe even his more frequent language. Therefore, bilingual education prevents that. As my grandmother tells me, when she moved from Italy to America at age 7 she did not have a bilingual education. However, I am not saying that while a child is learning a different language the teachers should have absolutly no consideration of their struggles. The children should be helped, but not to the extent that it will prevent them from learning the language.
-When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
No, I do not think that there should be bilingual education. If given the choice, the vast majority of people refuse and reject notions and ideas that are new and unfamiliar. The same is true for learning a language. I believe that unless people are forced, in some way or another, to learn a new language, they will not successfully learn to communicate in a language other than their native tongue.
I agree with the notion that immigrants should learn the fluent language in the area that they move to. Children who can not fluently speak the mainstream language in their community are at a disadvantage to those who can. If bilingual education is holding children back from truly learning this new language, than yes it should be done away with. It is however important that children are taught the native languages of their parents.
I can relate to this essay because English is not my first language. I agree with Patrick that the only way people can learn another language faster is if they are forced to. Bilingual education will make learning English in this case more difficult because people are always going to feel “safe” speaking their first language and are not being forced to learn English. I also agree with Amy in the sense that people who don’t speak English as their first language are in disadvantage and should be helped. And people need to adapt to the country they go to and this means learning the language.
I agree with Stephanie when she says that those who do not fluently speak English are at a disadvantage. I also agree with Patrick that people should be forced to learn the language if we expect them to be able to communicate with others who are fluent in our language. I do believe that it can be a struggle for those who have to learn a second language but it is for their benefit. If they don't they will be at a disadvantage both in the classroom and in society due to their lack of ability to communicate in the new language.
I think that children should not be forced to learn English. If they wish to, or their parents wish them to, then they should, otherwise, they should not.
I also think that there should not be one large, homogeneous, government run school system (I do not, however, mean to say that the schools should not be funded by the government). If there were multiple schools competing for children and government funds, then eventually the schools left would be those that taught what the parents wanted and the children needed.
Under our present system it is either decided that children should learn English or not, and the parents of these children have no say in the matter.
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