Talking Points #2

Aria by Richard Rodriguez

Authors Argument:

Rodriguez argues that teachers need to take the responsibility to teach bilingual students correctly, without erasing their culture and identity.

Quotes:
1. “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. I would have trusted them and responded with ease.”

It’s our job as teachers to make our students feel comfortable in the classroom and feel welcome. If the student/child isn’t comfortable and feels left out they automatically don’t participate or pay attention. I feel like anyone can relate to this quote especially if you can’t understand what the teacher is saying. I could just imagine walking into a class where a teacher only speaks Chinese, I would feel left out, and have no idea why I was there to begin with. Maybe wander my eyes and only hope for the class to be over. If the child doesn’t feel like he can understand the teacher and the other way around than how can he/she ever learn?

2. "From the doorway of another room, spying the visitors, I noted the incongruity--the clash of two worlds, the faces and voices of school intruding upon the familiar setting of home."

I feel as if through the whole article Rodriguez is relating the clashing of two worlds and identities. At home he was Ricardo, Close, loving, and spoke Spanish with his family. At school he needed to speak the common language (English), and there he was Ricardo. I feel like the quote is relating to his two identities and two worlds together. Not only is the quote relating them but is showing that one is more overpowering (school) and taking over the other (home) to put the child on the road to be successful in a world where the public language is dominant.

3. "They do not seem to realize that there are two ways a person is individualized. So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality."

I believe that this quote is the basis of Rodriguez’s argument. That he is saying that to achieve individuality and to be successful in the world we must lose some aspects of one to make one whole individual. I feel as if through the whole article Richard that he needed to lose all his qualities and Spanish language to “belong” or be successful in life. I feel like it shouldn’t be that way, being bilingual isn’t a bad thing, and it doesn’t make anyone disadvantaged or not as smart as someone who speaks English.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

I enjoyed reading this article because when I started first grade I could speak a fair amount of English but my main language was Portuguese. The only time I felt extremely comfortable was in ESL, however I felt like going to ESL made me feel stupid. I remember a girl saying to me why do you have to go to ESL? You don’t understand what were reading? I felt like she was implying that I wasn’t capable of being in the regular classroom, or as smart as she was. After that I told my mom that I didn’t want to be in ESL anymore, and that I didn’t need it, my mom signed a paper agreeing that I didn’t need it anymore. I am not really sure if the only reason I took myself out was because of that but I do know that it was hard distinguishing the languages. However I am really proud of my Portuguese language today. It’s actually an advantage for me.