Welcome to America, Now Speak English

     It is always important to understand the linguistic diversity of our students.  Farr's description of the history of Chicago and the diverse population of people we have here is a valuable resource to teachers.  When we begin to understand where our students linguistic backgrounds we can address their literacy needs more effectively.  Research has proven that students who have developed literacy skills in any language will be more likely to be successful in reading in a second language.  It is common practice for youngsters in American schools to experience full English immersion at a very young age.  This practice impedes their literacy and identity development.  It is my belief that teachers should encourage literacy practices in any/all languages accessible to their students.  Many bilingual students will be discouraged from reading in their first language.  By discouraging the use of first language literacies, we are making an impact on that student's identity.  

     "Welcome to America, Now Speak English":  I can't tell you how many times I have heard people complain about the amount of people in America that don't speak English.  If I could speak to everyone with this opinion I would tell them that we are lucky to have linguistic diversity in our country.  We are one of the few nations that do not speak many languages.  I believe that the fact that we have people who speak different languages will be a strength as long as we develop the second language skills of our youth.  If all of our young people speak two languages we will be better off.  Second language learners struggle with their identity in their first language because of these negative opinions whereas I think it is something that should be celebrated.  

      In class we discussed code switching.  It made me think about a code switching champ at my school, our assistant principal.  She is African American and is incredibly successful in her interactions with students because she is constantly code switching.  She can be a professional, speaking perfect standard English to a parent or teacher one minute and the next she can speak the home language of our African American population.  In this case, her code switching for those students makes her more than a principal, but a community member that deserves respect and cooperation like a mother figure.  Her ability to move seamlessly between the two discourses is a prime example of code switching.  

      This graph below show the reasons for code switching.  You may not think that you code switch but I challenge everyone to think about how they speak differently depending on the situation.  Everyone code switches whether they believe it or not.