Thinking Piece #2: Rodriguez Reading

Richard Rodriguez: Aria

Premise:

• Bilingual
• Words
• Public language vs. Private language
• Home vs. School
• No escape
• Disadvantaged
• Family
• Teachers
• Learning
• Techniques
• Unfamiliar

Authors Argument:

Rodriguez argues that bilingual students are at a disadvantage when they are not being taught the same language as their family. This is a huge struggle for not only the student but for the rest of his/her family as well.

Evidence:

1. "Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family's language" (34). Meaning, students who are being taught by their second language causes many struggles and disadvantages for the student.
2. "At first, it seemed a kind of game. After dinner each night, the family gathered to practice 'our' English... Laughing, we would try to define works we could not pronounce"(35). Richard and his family had a fun routine to not benefit himself but it also benefitted the whole family in a fun and more interesting way.
3. "No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness"(36). Richard was very close to his family in the beginning of the article, so close in fact they actually created games at the dinner table just to help out the whole family learns English. Until their children began to know more and more than their parents causing a huge separation barrier.

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:

Rodriguez’s article really reached out to me. He is very straightforward in writing about a student’s true life experience with having two languages. Reading this article made me realize that teachers are very one wayed about the whole language barrier. It is not only up to the student and his/her family to help learn the specified language of the student community, but it is just as equally up to the teacher. The teacher basically needs to make students of all languages, heritages, and races feel welcomed and eager to learn.