"Aria" by Richard Rodriguez

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Richard Rodriguez 

The article "Aria" by Richard Rodriguez is a memoir of his childhood and his struggle to adapt to the culture of power. Rodriguez and his family spoke Spanish in their home because that is their native language and it's the language that they are most comfortable with. Rodriguez and his siblings were learning english in school. The nuns at the school really wanted him to use English at home so he could improve on it. When he got comfortable with English he felt more confident in his public identity but at his house he felt like he wasn't as close with his parents anymore. The family couldn't communicate as well. For me this article was upsetting to read. I don't think that Richard and his siblings should have been discouraged from their native language. 

I could personally relate to this article. I have  a younger brother who is only five years old and a step mom who speaks both English and Spanish. At home my brother is taught to speak in both languages but at school he is only taught in english. It would be nice if he was encouraged to use both languages at school so he could be strong in both of them. My step mom's side of the family live in Honduras and only speak Spanish. If my little brother isn't strong in Spanish too then he will have trouble communicating with his grandma, grandpa, and cousins.

Suzanne Gamboa 

After reading this article, it made me think of an article I read in the news the other day. The article is called "Are English Learners Neglected in Early Education" by Suzanne Gamboa. Unlike "Aria" where English is the accepted language, This article points out a preschool in the "San Antonio's Harlandale school District, pre-kindergarten students learn English and Spanish together" (Gamboa). 

Conner Williams from New America

I really liked this article because it points out many positives to being bilingual. Also it states how there is a company called "New America" and New America focuses on dual language education. I think this company has really good goals for the education of young children. Since I plan on being a kindergarten teacher this article really stood out to me. I liked how they want to expand early childhood education by making the lessons bilingual. I feel like the students would really benefit from that. This article is very recent it is from February 12,2015 while "Aria" was written in 2004 but based on Richard's school experience from 1951. Schools have come along way since 1950 with accommodating the needs of those who don't speak english. Many schools are starting are actually requiring students to take another language. For example, here at Rhode Island college a couple years ago they put in the foreign language requirement. Overall, having multiple languages taught in school can really benefit students and their families. If Spanish was being encouraged in school like it is starting to be encouraged in parts of the country now Richard and his family could have kept their close bond.