Connections on Collier, Rodriguez, and Delpit

In "Aria," Richard Rodrigues reflects on his experience as a second-language learner, Spanish being his first language, and English his second. It was a somewhat liberating, somewhat traumatic acquisition. While he gained confidence in American society, he lost confidence and a sense of comfort and closeness at home. He feels as if he had to sacrifice one identity for another.

Lisa Delpit notes in her essay, "The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children," that a "teacher cannot be the only expert in the classroom. To deny students their own expert knowledge is to disempower them." Delpit also conjectures that cultural diversity is important, it should be valued, and "each cultural group should have the right to maintain its own language style."

Virginia Collier says in her essay, "Teaching Multilingual Children," that a teacher must have a "true appreciation of the different linguistic and cultural values that students bring to the classroom," and she lists several guidelines for teachers of non-native English speakers to follow. Among them, number 2 recommends not correcting "so-called 'deficiencies' of . . . students," and number three directs not to "teach a second language in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language." She elaborates in guideline number 4 that a teacher must affirm native languages while teaching the second by having the class analyze and appreciate the differences and variety between languages and dialects. Guideline number 5 discusses code-switching, alternating between two languages, and the importance of it. She says, "code-switching by students should be accepted, and not penalized." They are recognizing and utilizing the strengths of both languages. Delpit says, in a similar sentiment, "I . . . do not believe that we should teach students to passively adopt an alternate code. They must be encouraged to understand the value of the code they already possess as well as to understand the power realities in this country . . . tell them that their language is unique and wonderful but that there is a political power game that is also being played." Both women seem to agree that in teaching multicultural classrooms, one must honor and embrace all of the different cultures while providing the necessary tools for students to thrive in standardized society. It is unacceptable for teachers to allow one culture to dominate and squash out the others.

Because the nuns teaching Rodriguez violated many of the guidelines and sentiments represented above, he feels he has lost much of his native identity, and was deprived of a rich family life. His experience is truly tragic, and I agree with the sentiments of Collier and Delpit. It is every teachers responsibility to make sure their students feel fully valued and appreciated, to ensure that experiences like Rodriguez's are few and far between, or better yet, eliminated altogether.

A website my aunt referred me to also stresses the importance of appreciating, celebrating, and managing differences, for all kinds of learners. I think it would be beneficial to discuss in class how some of the above strategies can translate to better success for other types of learners, not just second-language learners.