Aria by Richard Rodriguenz

       
           The author describes that he considered his home language of Spanish to be private. He says " what he needed to learn in school was that I had the right----and the obligation---to speak the public language of los gringos". His point of view seems to be that the first language that is learned  at home is more than just a language it is part of who you are. I think by asking the parents to speak English in the home its like losing a part of your culture and who you are. When I was fourteen I lived in Mexico City for one year with my parents. I attended an American School but I struggled with Spanish everywhere, in the market and when taking a taxi. It was a great experience, and I learned Spanish really quickly. However, I was thinking about what it would have been like if I was not allowed to speak English at home, and all my classes were in Spanish. While I would have learned Spanish even quicker, as an insecure young teenager in a foreign country I think it would have affected my self esteem and learning of other subjects that were equally important in school. 


The article linked below describes a middle school setting where children are taught in both languages so they can become proficient in both. This seems like a good alternative. Learning in what Richard Rodriguenz calls the public language is important, but I also think learning in the home language should be combined with it.


https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/05/13/bilingual-students-need-support-in-their-native.htmlhttps://


          The question I was thinking about to discuss was ideas for ways to incorporate both languages into the school. This seems like a great idea, but difficult to accomplish.