Federico Fellini, the influential Italian filmmaker, once noted that a “different language is a different vision of life.” As I reflect on that quote, I think what the filmmaker was trying to convey was that learning a language isn’t just memorization, grammar and pronunciation but the immersing of oneself in a world foreign to one’s own. Language, rather spoken or written, is the vehicle through which culture is expressed. Students cannot learn a language without learning the culture associated with it. Neither can a language be taught without the teacher endowing his or her pupils with the different facets of that given culture. I’ve told my fiancé numerous times that I wish more for our future children than for them just to be citizens of …show more content…
As an aspirant educator, nothing will bring more intrinsic value to me than helping non-native speakers transition smoothly into our society. The learning that will go on in my classroom will be reciprocal, from me, the students will receive excellent instructions on how to grasp the English language as well as the diversity of American culture, from them, I will receive the pleasure of knowing that I am helping them on their path as well as gaining insight of their culture along the way. If I must say so myself, education is truly the gift that keeps on giving. I wish to give and make a contribution, not only to the society that I live in but to the world also. Thus, the sole purpose of this letter is exposed. My goal of getting into graduate school is driven by my desire to become an educator and share my passion of linguistics with …show more content…
program in TESOL. First and foremost, as is often claimed, one 's interest is one 's best director. Linguistics is my passion and because of that I have no doubt that I will excel in this program. My major as an undergraduate was history and I achieved remarkable scholastic success in this field. During my undergraduate years I maintained a 4.0 GPA in all of my history courses. For four consecutive years of my undergraduate study I received numerous awards for my academic performance. I was nominated for the United States Achievement Academy National Collegiate Minority Leadership Award, was a candidate for the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute and graduated on the Chancellor’s List with a 3.8 GPA. As a student I was also active in extracurricular activities on campus such as the Model United Nations Society. Secondly, although I majored in history as an undergraduate, I took several educational courses including Computers in Education, Educational Psychology & Measurement, Foundations of Education and Human Development. In addition, I accumulated 40 hours of lab experience at E.E. Smith High School as a student teacher. I believe that the educational courses I took coupled with the field experience I received will better prepare me for my ultimate goal of becoming an educator. My time in the Army as well as my everyday experiences has provided me
Lisa Delpit’s book, “The Skin We Speak”, talked about language and culture, and how it relates to the classroom. How we speak gives people hits as to where we are from and what culture we are a part of. Unfortunately there are also negative stereotypes that come with certain language variations. There is an “unfounded belief that the language of low income groups in rural or urban industrial areas is somehow structurally “impoverished” or “simpler” than Standard English” (Delpit 71). The United States is made of people from various cultures and speak many different variations of languages. As teachers we must be aware of some of the prejudices we may have about language and culture.
Language is an important part of who we are. It influences the way we think and behave on a great scale. However, sometimes it is forced upon us to go in different directions just so we can physically and mentally feel as if we belong to the society in which we live in. Just as we see in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Richard Rodriguez’s “A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, both authors faced some challenges along the way by coping with two different languages, while still trying to achieve the social position which they desired.
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
Being familiar with several different languages is most definitely not one of the easiest things to do. While growing up and experiencing different opportunities to learn different cultures there is no way it should be passed upon. Having the knowledge of different languages will offer one to have a lot more culture within there main culture and the one they are opening there self into. People with culture know their way around the world and the life they’re living. Also, it would permit one to travel to places all over the world and countries. Being knowledgeable about back rounds of several cultures will open a door for one with several opportunities throughout ones life time. Discovering different cultures will bring one around the world giving individuals chances to learn lifestyles in completely different ways. “Wild tongues can’t be tamed, they can only be cut out.” (Anzaldua) I enjoy this statement within writing my essay simply because it represents that she will continue to stay faithful to her language throughout her life.
being taught in their family’s language. What they seem not to recognize is that, as a socially
The technique relies on a holistic approach that adopts instructions that allow students to actively participate in the learning process. This is easier for children that feel that the society appreciates their diversity through bilingualism and biliteracy. The society and parents need to encourage children to take up bilingual classes because they offer a lot of benefit to the society through favoring critical thinking, rationality, and sensitivity to other cultures, empathy, and detached or balanced awareness. However, Sonia Nieto mirrors a society that is made to fake being American and become ashamed of their family. It helps appreciate that it is not by choice that anyone speaks any other language as the first language and that the society and community influence the language of choice. Therefore, bilingualism cannot be detached from any community that freely promotes and accommodate the language spoken by the other community. Children and community members learn each other’s language without disregarding each other favoring effective learning that influences bilingualism and biliteracy in the long
(93) Many immigrant students have to work part-time and face demanding work at school. The most important thing is they only have limited knowledge of English. My friend, as an immigrant student, she always found difficulty in her academic field in the first two years of school in the United States. She worked very hard and checked every word that she didn’t know, but she was still not getting a B or higher. Her sadness and hopelessness covered all her pleasure, and she thought that she would never get a better grade next time.
When visiting just about any school across America, students who attend come from all over the globe. This raises the question across America about bilingual education. This can create many challenges in and out of the classroom. The classroom should be a safe place for all students regardless of what native language they speak. In the essay Lost in translation written by Eva Hoffman, describes a foreign student who tries hard to fit in. Instead, Eva begins to feel angry, hurt and confused because people laugh at her. In Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education by Elizabeth R. Howard, Julie Sugarman, Donna Christian Center for Applied Linguistics Kathryn J. Lindholm-Leary San José State University David Rogers Dual Language Education of New Mexico. Guiding principles gives great ideas to educators to stop kids from making other students feel the way that Eva felt. After reading several articles about bilingual education, it is evident that all children in school should learn English but never lose their native language. When all the students speak one language, students will be less likely to make fun of each other. A good educator should learn enough foreign languages to aid them in effective communication in their classroom although; if an educator does not speak a foreign language, they should recruit within the classroom students to be peer mentors. However, a teacher should be willing to listen and encourage the students. Above all a good educator should be a good role model to their students by respecting their heritage and their language.
When the majority of teachers in America are White, middle class women who only speak English in a country were students are starting to come from a multitude of backgrounds it is no wonder problems are arising. As more people from different cultures and religions immigrate to the United States the average classroom is losing the cultural uniformity it had in the past. Though the faces in classrooms are steadily changing many teachers have not been able to adjust as quickly to the ever growing diversity taking place. One would expect for teachers to still be able to teach students effectively whether they share a similar background or not, but in actuality cultural conflicts between teachers and students are only getting worse. Especially when
In today’s society, especially in the United States, most people are monolingual English speakers. As a result, these monolingual speakers are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who speak more than one language fluently. This disadvantage is crucial to realize since it is important to learn how individuals and the nation can be enhanced. Multilingual speakers have an advantage in global affairs that involve countries that speak different languages. Speaking multiple languages makes it easier to communicate with people when involved in foreign affairs. Those who speak multiple languages are also more aware of other cultures in society. Monolingual speakers are not as exposed to other cultures and have difficulty understanding or even recognizing them. Furthermore, being multilingual increases your
...l survival in our society. I work as a counselor each summer at a sports camp in Philadelphia, and each summer I encounter very intelligent students who are placed in lower tracks or labeled as ìlearning deficientî because of their language. This disturbs me because as a speaker of both Black Vernacular speech and Standard English, I know that students can learn to use Standard English just as I have. Unfortunately, many students are not privileged enough to have the same educational opportunities that I was given by my parents, therefore, it is my responsibility to teach these students Standard English the way that I have been taught. But I must learn more about teaching students and dealing with the issues that plague the educational system, and I am looking forward to receiving more of this knowledge during my pre-student teaching and student teaching experiences.
...xpressing her Chinese culture. Mastering a second language allows her to articulate her and her mother’s thoughts; it is a foundation for her pride and a foundation to express herself. For Gloria Anzaldua, instead of choosing one language over the other, she chose a mix of the two and fights for it. She realized the value of her language when she lost it and now treasures it. The kind of Spanish she speaks is neither English nor Spanish, but both. It is overflowing with culture from Medieval Spain, France, Germany, etc., just from the origins of the words. It is her pride and a representation of herself, fighting and living. In conclusion, in addition to Lera Boroditsky’s article proving that the structure of language affects how we think, the articles by Eric Liu, Amy Tan, and Gloria Anzaldua show how language is a foundation for a person’s culture, pride, and self.
In this position, I 've had ample opportunity to work with undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines. Notably, I have worked closely with many students who speak English as a second language, and this has been the most challenging and the most rewarding part of my job. Several students have worked with me on a consistent basis, and it 's a great accomplishment to see their vocabulary improve through repeated contact with a peer, from whom they discover new words and phrases to better express their ideas. When I help them combine their accumulated knowledge of English grammar and sentence structure with these elements, the results are truly remarkable. My familiarity with the specific nuances of the English language that native Japanese speakers often struggle with, in conjunction with my people skills and cultural sensitivity, will exemplify me as a dependable, approachable source of information and allow me to achieve maximum results in the Japanese
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been
In 2009, teachers of a New Jersey school banned foreign languages and stated, “any language other than English will not be tolerated" (Debaron 1). This situation was soon no longer allowed. While over ten percent of the total adolescent education systems contain emergent bilinguals, a whopping sixty percent of those students are educated in only English (Bale). Maria Estela Brisk, a Boston College Education professor, believes, “schools has wasted much energy in the search for a "perfect" model and the best way to learn English” when they could just focus on proving “quality education” to every student in the system (1). Teacher’s main priority should consist of effectively teaching their students to prepare them for the future, but currently there are a lack of certified bilingual education teachers. When students are taught more in different ways, they can educationally benefit their cognitive abilities, involving the brain with “mathematics, problem solving, logic and memory”, can be improved to create an overall better student. Even by learning another language at a earlier age can contribute to __________. Learning another language will be