Language Preservation Jessica Lee Garrison

Assimilation is one thing that will lead us to mass destruction of culture. Ignorance is bliss in the nations
fishbowl that we live in. as an educator I have the responsibility to hold children accountable, while in
doing so I shouldnt disrespect them and try and erase who they already are.

I feel like children who are bilingual need extracurricular to help them keep strengthening their
knowledge on another language other than English. They should not be punished for English being their
second language, however still holding them accountable. Enid said to not only meet the standards, but
also move beyond them. And this is accomplishable by not having high expectations and then looking
back and realizing they have really progressed farther than they or I ever thought possible in a young
child. One method of helping is allowing students to access opportunities opportunities to change
their world, to speak for themselves, to build and transform their communities into viable and just
places for all, where equality and dignity are not mere words.
-Enid Lee

Multilingual, multiracial and anti-racist literacy is what we should incorporate in our teachings. It gives
people a sense of identity. To the children who are forced into our schools to abide by our language and
then fall behind academically it really isnt fair or a proper interpretation of their academic transcript.
We act as though their prior knowledge doesnt count, when they should be appreciated for knowing
things that we might not. Its not ethical to expect someone with a different culture to abandon their life
and start new. They shouldnt feel ashamed and set back from the rest because they speak a different
language. I would motivate others to be interested in learning their language and incorporate it into the
curriculum so the bilingual child can lead the pack at those activities.

As a teacher I will have to be aware that when Im teaching other subjects such as math , social studies
and science that I am also teaching language. If anyone gets held back by this fact I wouldnt discourage
them but motivate them and give them the extra help if I think they need it. Why should we put one
language before another one? I appreciate diversity, and try to avoid assimilation at all costs, the beauty
in our country is the different beliefs, traditions and languages that we carry.
I personally have never had to speak another language for a job or anything, but Im jealous of people
who can. Through high school I took Spanish so I know some words, however I am not in any way
considering myself bilingual. To those that are though I believe the world has many opportunities for
you and to stay strong in the language.

Humans can be ignorant of others cultural differences. Noddings says

What may be good for people in a large region may be a disaster for those in the
particular locality. Some global citizens may be willing to live anywhere, but others want
to live in a particular place that they love. Is love of place compatible with global
citizenship? At the very least, weve added another factor to the concerns of global
citizensthe well-being of particular physical places.
I think this is proof that there should be preservation of languages and other than the commonality we
need to encourage diversity. It reminds me of a standup comedian I watched the other day that was
talking about how when we hear different accents we immediately have a different impression of that
person. Russian accents are intimidating he said and French accents are romantic. How is it that we
come up with these interpretations? How does the world hear our American English language? Does it
sound ridiculous with all the slang words we have and rules like There, Theyre and Their. It seems
crazy to me that our language is so complex and makes no sense half the time. So when someone comes
into your classroom leave the prejudices and pre conceived notions out of your interpretations of who
they are as a student.