Aria by Richard Rodriguez was an article that definitely
piqued my interest. This is an argument post. Rodriguez argues that although
those who learn a public language lose a sense of individualism, they can gain
a different sense of individualism by becoming one with what is already public
knowledge. I really think that the main point was that although Rodriguez felt
less close to his parents, and a kind of language barrier was created between
them, he grew closer to society and the public by learning a language that was
more popular in the public eye. Rodriguez disagrees with current educators who
study bilingual students; because they say that they lose individuality when
they become part of a society. Rodriguez argues that there are two type of
individuals. Both private and public, and when one is lost, the other is
gained. That is the point that Rodriguez is trying to make, and the point that
he thinks that educators are missing today. These children are not just losing
out on something, they are also gaining something that Rodriguez refers to as “public
individualism”.
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/BilingualChildren.htm
The attached link has much more information about teaching bilingual children and answers many questions regarding children who speak two languages or are multicultural.
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/keith.html
The link above is a resource I found that is directed toward multicultural education (I found it very interesting, so you guys should check it out!)
:)
Hey Kate I totally agree with everything you said in your post, and I particularly found your second article very interesting. especially when he says that "Reduction of fear, ignorance, and personal detachment are possible benefits to a Multicultural education" and then he gives the example of what a student had said about his class. I had never looked at it that way and I was glad that I took the time to read your article. Great job, thanks!
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