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Case: English Only! We recently finished reading and discussing The House on Mango Street in my 7th grade English class. Students had mixed reactions to the book, but they were really into discussing the issues in the book. Last Tuesday, I assigned my students to small groups to discuss Esperanza's (the main character in the book) experiences in her new school. Two of my Hispanic students in one of the groups started speaking Spanish to each other, but it was obvious that they were talking about Esperanza's experiences. So, I did not mind this. However, some of my other students started staring at these students and two of them said "English, please! You are in America." I told my students that it was okay for them to speak Spanish because they were on task. Then, some of my other students protested my position and said "if all international students speak their native languages, then how are we English-only speaking students going to understand anything?" How should I respond to this situation because it seems like I will have this issue again? Should I not allow any other language in the classroom? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) If the students make comments and remarks about how students should only speak English in the classroom, I would remind the the class that we accept students who speak all languages in the classroom. I would remind the students that the classroom is full of diverse students and we can learn a lot from each other. I would support students to speak their native language in classroom, but remind them to please tell the class what they said in English, so the other students can understand what they said and thus, respond to their comment. That way, the English speaking students can understand what the non-English speaking students are saying. It is important to make non-English speaking students feel comfortable in the classroom. One way to do so is to let them speak in the language they feel most comfortable in. When the students say something in their native language and then translate it into English for the class, the other students receive knowledge about their fellow student's language. It is important to mix up the groups of students for each group activity. The students who speak different languages should be placed with different classmates throughout each group activity. The students would receive a different perspective from a student with a different cultural background. This will help the students to become more accepting, as well as enhance their knowledge about different cultures. |
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