Rodriguez Reflection





    This story broke my heart. I do agree that it is essential that students are taught to speak English fluently in school. The role of educators is to provide students with the tools they need to succeed in the world, and being fluent in English is one of them. I agree that students should be pushed to speak English in school and pushed to be confident in their speaking. One thing that stood out to me regarding this was when he wrote that he didn't feel like English was his language to speak. Teachers should teach MLL students that English is as much their language as their native language. However, the problem, as shown in the story, is when the push for proficiency in English leaves the classroom.

  His teachers encouraged his parents to speak English at home, but it had more drawbacks than advantages. In terms of advantages, not only did his English improve, but his family's improved as well. This allowed his dad to no longer be as distrustful of Americans and allowed him and his mother to feel more comfortable. In addition, it was easier for Rodriguez and his siblings to socialize with their classmates. However, while they gained the advantage of being able to speak English in public, they lost a lot of their private lives. Rodriguez wrote about how he no longer knew the words to call his parents in Spanish. He also wrote about the silence in his home. Although his parents improved their English, Spanish was the language they knew best and used to express themselves. After their kids lost that language, it would make sense that their relationship would change, especially since instead of being called "mami" or "papi," they were called "mother" and "father." Overall, it makes me upset that in order for our students to learn English, we force them to give up the intimate language of their home. It robs them of a place of relief and eventually steals their home language away. 


Listen at 6:32


Comments

  1. maryanndoeFNED246October 27, 2024 at 4:55 PM

    Get points for your reflection overall. The ESL Teaching Tip were what truly caught my attention.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JordanTaylorOctober 27, 2024 at 6:35 PM

    This story also broke my heart. I feel so awful that I never considered situations like this from this perspective. I enjoyed reading your blog this week!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms. Moreau's Literacy BlogOctober 27, 2024 at 7:04 PM

    I really liked how you put tips in. I feel like it is a struggle to know how exactly to approach ESL students and will take these tips with me to my placement this week!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AlanaOctober 28, 2024 at 11:01 AM

    This story really is heartbreaking and so important for us to read as future educators to understand the different perspectives of ESL students. I really enjoyed your added video and think it will be useful!

    ReplyDelete

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