Aria Rodriguez: Why Can't She Remember That?

"Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in thier family's language. What they seem not to recognize is that, as a socially disadvantaged child, I considered Spanish to e a private language. What I need to learn in school was that I had the right-and the obligation-to speak the public language of los gringos."pg17

"My mother! My father! After English became my primary language, I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents. The old Spanish words(thoes tender accents of sound) I had used earlier-mam and papa-I couldn't use anymore.They would have been too painful reminders of how much had changed in my life."pg23

"Behind this screen there gleams an astonishing promise: One can become a public person while still remaining a private person. At the very same time one can be both. There need be no tension between the self in the crowd and the self apart from the crowd."


COMMENT

I believe personally that when someone speaks another language how amazing it is. To me its almost like playing instruments or sports, some times it comes natural and someone can be good at a lot of things. During my High School years I took Spanish and catched on quickly then started to struggle. I am somewhat of an average student and if I struggled with learning another language which is a fairly easy language to learn, Can you imagine the difficult of learning English;One of the hardest languages to learn.Being brought up one way and being forced to do something because of society must be a challenge. In my service learning I havent seen any of the kids speak another language.