ENGLISH-ONLY IN AMERICA

By Tamela DershemEDUC 3002 601

11-28-11

Key Societal Belief: If you are going to live in America then you only need to speak English.

America in the Past…

A Famous Advocate for English-only in America

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1917

America Now…

The English-only Movement Continues…

Republicans push English-only bill in 2011

@ http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/149049-republicans-push-english-only-bill-requiring-language-tests Bilingual Education Program not

renewed in 2002 (Koppleman, p89) Over the past 20 years 30+ U.S.

states have made English their official language

Nativists

Have been and continue to be the main group “engaging in the oppression” of those who don’t speak English

Have always been critical of immigrants who maintain their native language

Are concerned that “Spanish-speaking immigrants aren’t learning English fast enough & are changing American culture from Anglo to Spanish” (Koppleman, p85)

English-only Debate Rages On

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHVRDay8UEk&feature=player_detailpage

The people with power in our government continue to argue whether the United States should be English-only. Some states more vehemently than others. Many of them seem to be making more of a statement about keeping immigrants out.

My Part in it All…

I too have felt that, if you come to live in America, you need to learn English.

I have made comments to my friends and family for years when “Mexicans” would speak “their” language instead of “ours” in public places.

I have been guilty of stereo-typing and labeling Latinos.

I have been exposed to the children in schools who know little or no English and struggle to understand what we are doing or saying in class and felt sorry for them.

I have been aggravated at their parents/guardians for not learning “our” language and speaking it at home.

Why Don’t These People Learn English?

I haven’t understood why minorities, especially Latinos, don’t make more of an effort to learn English. In places like California there are larger groups of Latinos retaining their native language. I never really thought about why they were here or what their circumstances might be. I was just bugged that I couldn’t understand them.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAajdPp-h_o

I Could Have Easily Posted on One of These Sites…

http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-is-AMERICA-Speak-ENGLISH/229129117747

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091005115836AA4hBsm

Countering the Belief…

I have been kind to people who have spoken another language around me, even when it aggravated me.

I have been patient with and listened closely to students and parents when they have struggled to communicate with me.

I have encouraged children, whether they were Latino, Chinese, African American, or another race, in finding the correct words to use.

I don’t mind that immigrants continue to come into America. My husbands ancestors, as well as my own, were immigrants at one time. I do believe America is a land of opportunity for anyone.

Aside from the ways mentioned on the previous three slides, I cannot honestly say that I have countered this belief in America. What I can say is that now I see reason to do so. And I have begun to realize that maybe learning to be bilingual should begin with me.

See clip of Obama @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiGhntWrLxs

Schools Continue to Adhere to the Belief That America Should

be English-only…

Most schools in America are all about helping students to get rid of the “burden” of speaking another language. (Nieto & Bode, 2010, p.221)

Linguistic Diversity is often looked upon as a temporary block in learning. (p. 221)

Teachers and schools may view ELL’s (English Language Learners) as “handicapped.” (p. 227)

Children who don’t speak English yet are often viewed as lacking language period. (p. 221)

Bilingual Secretary Fired

It seems as though our schools are sometimes more concerned about what language we speak rather than what is being said. Find out more about Ana Ligia Mateo (Nieto & Bode, 2010, p. 222) @ http://news.change.org/stories/school-secretary-fired-for-translating-for-concerned-parents

Assimilation vs. Pluralism

Believes that minority students should conform to American culture and language (Koppleman, p. 87-88)

Believes that unity occurs when linguistic diversity is eliminated

Believes American schools should make accommodations for linguistic diversity (p. 90)

Believes that minority students should keep their native culture as well as the dominant one

English-only vs. Bilingual English-only critics were

successful in their efforts to persuade America that bilingual education programs weren’t working

“The Bilingual Education Act was terminated in 2001 by new federal education policy, with the passage of No Child Left Behind by the U.S. Congress. This law offers no support for native language learning, but rather emphasized accountability in English only, and mandates that all students, including ELLs, are tested yearly in English”

Bilingual education is a political issue because there is societal power involved (Nieto & Bode, 2010, p. 230)

It is also a pedagogical issue Research in the past decade

has shown that students in bilingual education have typically done better than those in students in English-only programs on standardized tests

Advocates for bilingual programs claim that it is easier for students if they are literate in their first language before learning a second language

What I Can Do To Make a Difference…

I can be an advocate for bilingual programs

We need teachers now that are bilingual in our schools, but they are not easy to find. If more children today learn to be bilingual, then more of them will grow up to be teachers in our schools tomorrow. America has been content to be a monolingual society while most of the world around us is bilingual. These days as we become more of a global economy it would be advantageous for us to be fluent in more than one language. Many of us have heard lately that employers are looking for bilingual employees. We as educators need to be preparing our students for tomorrow in the real world. (Koppleman, p.90)

When I become a teacher I can speak up and try to have bilingual programs put back in my local schools. I can share with others the positive information I have learned about bilingual education programs as opposed to the ELL programs. Instead of pushing minority students to hurry up and learn to speak English like us; we should be adding other language classes in our schools, beginning in elementary school. All students should have a chance to begin learning another language at a early age, when it’s easiest for them to pick up on it. At one elementary school in Clayton, NC they have a Chinese class!

Benefits of Bilingual I don’t think many people consider that there are

many benefits to being bilingual. “Bilingualism is reliably associated with increased attention control, working memory, metalinguistic awareness, and abstract reasoning, all of which, naturally, can contribute positively to academic success.” (Nieto & Bode, 2010, p. 226) With that being said, who wouldn’t prefer their child to take a foreign language class in first grade, than for their child to be put on medication because they can’t focus?

Studies have also shown that people who are bilingual have sharper minds for longer in their old age. If we as schools have minority children abandon their native language, we are hurting them in more than one way. (p. 226-227)

I Can Become Bilingual

After I finish college (again) I plan to start learning Spanish. I did take 2 years in high school, but I don’t recall much of it. I know it will benefit me and my future students. I will probably invest in a Rosetta Stone program. http://www.rosettastone.com/SchoolsAs I am learning a new language I will “create a learning environment that supports and affirms the native languages” of all my students. (Nieto & Bode, p. 233)

Relationships with Minority Students

I will seek to develop my skills in multicultural communication so that I can make more of a difference in the lives of all my students.

I will offer help to students who don’t ask for it. I will be a positive role model for my students. I will care for them and learn about them, their

families, and culture. I will raise expectations for them and

encourage them to do their best to meet them. (Nieto & Bode, 2010, p. 385-386)

My Final Thoughts…

I feel differently about linguistic diversity in America now than when I began this course in diversity. I do still think that minority groups should do what they can to learn English; however, now I believe they should learn it for the flexibility it will give them throughout their lives, not to have them conform themselves to everyone around them. After all…”we” as the dominant “white” groups did not come over to America and learn the Native Indians language. Why should we expect people who come to America now to be any different?

References(2010, August 12). This is america. Speak english. [Facebook update]. Retrieved

November 14, 2011 from Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-is-AMERICA-Speak-ENGLISH/229129117747

(2011). Rosetta stone. Retrieved November 27, 2011. http://www.rosettastone.com/Schools A. DiBranco. (2010, February 9). School Secretary Fired for Translating for

Concerned Parents [web blog]. Retrieved from http://news.change.org/stories/school-secretary-fired-for-translating-for-concerned-parents

Bilingual Education. (2011, November 22). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilingual_education

BrownPrideus (Poster)(2008, July 10). Barack obama: on english only in america [video] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiGhntWrLxs

Kasperowicz, Pete. (2011, March 12). Republicans Push English-only Bill, Requires Language Tests [web blog]. Retrieved from http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/149049-republicans-push-english-only-bill-requiring-language-tests

Koppleman, K. (2008). Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America. Boston. 85-90.

Lauryn L. (2009). If you hear someone speaking spanish in america, what is the first thing that you think. Retrieved November 14, 2011 from Yahoo! Answers: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091005115836AA4hBsm

Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2010). Affirming Diversity: The Societal Context of Multicultural Education, 6th Edition. Boston: Pearson. 221-386.

References continued

Pach Brothers. (1904). File: president theodore roosevelt, 1904.jpg. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:President_Theodore_Roosevelt,_1904.jpg

Teddy Roosevelt on Immigration. (2011). Retrieved Novenber 13, 2011, from http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/r/roosevelt-immigration.htm

Wlwttv (Poster)(2010, May 27). Debate rages on over ‘english only’ policies [video] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHVRDay8UEk

1seckelman (Poster)(2008, May 13). Will spanish speakers ever learn english [video] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAajdPp-h_o