Describe the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of the students in the classroom in which you arte tutoring. What cultural capital do the children bring into the classroom? What assets can be developed that will strengthen our society/democracy?
The elementary that I am working at reminds me much of my high school. There are many students which speak all different languages and everyone seems to blend in together. In my class there are Russian speakers, Spanish speakers, Creole speakers, Portuguese speakers, Indian speakers, and English speakers. That is so much for a teacher to handle and to make sure that everyone understands what is going on within the classroom. I go to my classroom from 10-11:30 twice a week. At 11:15 every day about 5 students go to ESL (English as a second language). Here they are given multiple worksheets and study guides in which they are to learn every day in order for them to become better speakers. These students are very intelligent because they are able to connect much of their first language to English, just like Claude Goldenberg says in her article Teaching English Language Learners. She states that students would understand the second language more if they are able to connect it to their first language. Many of the ESL students help each other out when one of them does not understand something because they are able to describe it better to the student than the teacher can. The children in my classroom are so awesome. They love to learn about each other’s cultures and embrace the diversity in the classroom. I have seen multiple times the children discussing what they do at home and why they do things a certain way in their culture. Many of the children do not have a great home life and they are able to open up their issues in the classroom. I have seen children bringing forth their issues and solving it together. The children show me that they have no preference of race and they do not see color, but see each other as equals and who they really are as people. The teacher of the classroom always allows the students to share their experiences from home when it relates to the subject they are discussing. The children bring forth a cultural capital in which all of them participate in. They are all able to open their eyes to new ideas and concepts. If our present society was able to adapt the way that these children do to one another, the world would be a much more accepting place.
I think that it's great that your students are able to express themselves freely in the classroom in an educational way. Learning about a new and different culture is one of the many different ways that people learn to become world citizens. Without the different cultures of the world, we would all be the same. I agree that by bringing forth their cultural capital, they are able to open their eyes wider than ever than if they didn't open them. I also am astounded that your students can so easily connect what their learning in English to their native languages. With the diversity of languages in the classroom, I find it remarkable that the teacher is able to help them learn so effectivly.
ReplyDeleteHi Shana,
ReplyDeleteI like your connection to Goldenberg. We need to build on the heritage language of English language learners whenever possible.
When you say the children "do not see color," do you mean that they don't discriminate based on color? I ask because people, even children, see color. As teachers, we also need to see color. But as Carlson argues, we can't assign characteristics to race, gender, class, or sexual orientation.
Yours in the good fight,
Dr. August