It May Sound Bad, but Just Learn the Dominant Language

Response/Reflection on Aria by Richard Rodriguez:

I feel as if I can definitely relate to this article firsthand because I was once in the same situation as the author. Ten years ago, my family and I moved to the United States from Canada, where I was born. Since I had lived there for the first nine years of my life, French was my first language. When I moved here, I could not speak English, and the beginning of the school year was just around the corner. Trust me, when I stepped into that school to go to fourth grade and I didn't fully understand what people around me were saying, I was sure glad to have that ESL teacher.

ESL, for those who aren't aware, stands for English as a Second Language, and these educators are available for students like me who need help learning English; it could be just learning a few grammar skills, or learning the entire language from anew. And without mine, I know I most certainly would not be where I am today.

However, while I was learning my second language, I started feeling the same way Rodriguez did. I began thinking that maybe my French culture would slowly go away. Since now I was speaking English at school with my friends, doing my homework and watching TV in English, and even had to speak it at home all the time, I was afraid that I would never be "French" again. I started resenting my new life and my mother for making me move and change my entire way of thinking. I felt uncomfortable in class as well as in my own house. I felt as if I didn't belong, and as if no one wanted me to. It took me a very long time to understand that this type of change was for the better and I would appreciate it in the long run.

Although I have lost some of my fluency in French, I can still speak it and read it very well and it is still a huge part of my life. I go to Canada every summer to visit my dad and the majority of my family, and during this time, I speak French and go back to my life before I ever left. Nothing can change the fact that, everyday, I miss where I am from and all of the people that live there, however, moving here and learning English was the best thing that ever happened to me. It opened up so many more doors and gave me hundreds of opportunities that I would not have had if I hadn't been forced to learn it.

Learning this second language was a very challenging task, but it has made me the person I am today. If my school offered to teach me both in English and in French, I would not have felt the need to push myself to learn the new language at all. Then, I certainly would not have been as successful in school and I probably would not be writing this blog right now. Think about it, there are no French schools around here. There are no French companies, radio stations, or television channels. There are no opportunities for a French person to succeed here, unless they learn the dominant language. So that is what I had to do, and I am so grateful that I was able to do so because without it, I would be very unsuccessful in this country.

There are so many people that are here in the United States that cannot speak fluent English and demand others to learn their language and make all public places bilingual. Don't get me wrong, I do not have a problem with those who speak a different language. In fact I encourage them to hold on to their culture, however, I also encourage them to broaden their horizons and learn about new ones; the ones they are surrounded by.

Rodriguez ends his story by stating "they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality," and I strongly agree. If I were still unable to speak English, sure I would be an individual in the sense that I would not be able to understand anyone around me and I would basically be isolated from society. Since I have learned this dominant language, I am now able to do what any other American can, but in my own way; and I am still a unique individual.

This video shows some reasons as to why teaching English above all else is a priority. Towards the end, however, there are bilingual education supporters who are quite offended and make their claim that bilingual education should indeed persist.

In class, I plan to discuss this issue further. I am almost positive that some will strongly disagree but I am prepared to back up my blog and stay true to my opinion. I don't really feel the need to talk about my personal experience any further since I've written about it, unless anyone is curious about a certain issue. See you all Tuesday!