Talking Points #2 (Rodriguez)

Aria


Richard Rodriguez



Rodriguez argues that language barriers in a classroom can end up taking over and breaking up a once close family. To take this out of the prespective of the article, issues and changes with one individual can often transpond over to other individuals, resulting in a "tremor" in a once fluid system.

"Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease."

I picked this quote because I think everyone can feel this way, whether or not you do not speak the language of the majority. For example, like most older citizens, my grandparents have all had their fair share of medical setbacks. So when it comes down to me listening to a doctor ramble off his procedure that he is about to perform on someone I love, I don't feel comforted or confident. I feel scared, aloned and segregated. I feel like the doctors simply come out and talk to families because they have to not because it will help the family rest a little better or inform other citizens of the "wonders" of the medical world. Is this what teachers feel like in a classroom that has non english speakers in it? That they "have" to "try" to explain English to those who don't understand it and not help them because they want to improve their quality of education? And if I feel this way around doctors as a fairly well educated, middle class white girl, I can't even being to imagine how alone, terrified and helpless a young child of a different culture feels like in a prodominately English speaking classroom.


"In an instant, they agreed to give up the language (and sounds) that had revealed and accentuate our family's closeness."


I feel like this quote stuck out to me because it is basically saying the the majority race "demands" everyone else to give up what makes them different and their own person to conform to what is assumed to be a "better" race. (By better, I mean more prodominent and more accepted--I do not by any way mean that the white race is the best or bettet than any other race.)

"We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness."


This quote stuck out to me because I think it could be an example of "long term" effects of teaching in a non-Delpit style. To me, teaching in a non-Delpit style would be having every child in your classroom, regardless of anything, learn all the same ways. So, if you have a child do this (like force them to learn English and change their culture in doing so) I believe this to be non-Delpit. I think this could an effect of that teaching style as it would make the child (or children in this case) more like everyone else, which segregates them from their parents. Its like sending your kids off to school in the morning to find out that they have been "replaced" with just another white American child. It really seems to just strip a child of their individuality almost because the teacher just doesn't want to deal with their differences--this is something I hope never to intentionally do in my classroom.




Overall, I actually enjoyed this article. I thought it was interesting to see how separated a family becomes out of their use of language. But when its put into perspective, it all kind of made sense. You often seen families of other cultures that are closer together--even as a comnunity. But when you look at white families, you do not get that same impression. Yeah, they might know their neighbors but they don't interact as much as other cultures do. And within a "nuclear" family, there are those huge separations; children at school, who are involved in activities and clubs, parents who are constantly at their jobs or running errands. And, as the society becomes more and more based on money, whenever people are not at school or working, they are out spending their money. Its not like they save it and go on a family vacation and actually spend their time together--they probably go off and have their own activities. Its really unfortunate and I think everyone could see how separate their families are in reading this article. It also made me thankful for how close my family is but I know how hard we work to keep it that way as well considering my brother now lives in Arlington after 4 years of college in D.C. and I live at school. Granted, its half an hour away but I am really close to my parents so its still a big deal. One last point what that iwas interesting to see a family "broken up" by a language issue--usually you see this happen with drugs, drinking or just other forms of trouble. But then again, maybe those are more "white" based problems and families of different culture may also experiance these problems but much more complicated ones that can be cured with rehab or moving to a different town.


On a side note, I googled the word "aria" and found out it was a term used in music. It was often a way of a melody, usually in refrence to singing. However one alternate definition included: "to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment" I feel like this connects to the article in that Richard's original voice, his native language, was that aria. It was self contained and alone but it completed the orchesta of all different voices. By "americanizing" himself, I feel like that orchestra is still complete but not nearly as interesting.