Virginia Collier

“Don’t teach a second language in a way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language” (page, 227)

This quote stood out to me because in elementary I experienced something that went against this quote. I come from an immigrant family; both my mother and father are from Guatemala. My mother raised my three sisters and me, as for my dad he basically was a dead beat to me. He was not their when I was born nor was he there for me as a role model growing up. He‘s the reason why I am the type of man I am, I strive to be better and opposite from him. Anyways my mother put me in first grade at Carl G. Lauro in Providence; I was put in an English only classroom. I should not have been put in that class since my first language then was Spanish. My mother knows little to none of English so that did not help because she could not express to anyone what I needed. So basically they completely removed the Spanish language from me and started to teach me English like if that was my first language. It was discouraging because I never got to master my first language before starting a whole brand new one.

“Do not forbid young students from code-switching in the classroom. Understand the functions that code-switching serves. “(Page, 229)

I understood this quote because I have experienced this were I did not understand what the word was in English but when my sisters would help me with my homework they would break it down so I can put the Spanish word with the English word. I was able to understand it better when they explained it to me in Spanish but when I went to school I would not get it or be able to read out loud because everybody spoke English I could not rely on anyone to help me. This also was a reason why I stayed back in first grade because I was not showed the proper tools for me to translate from Spanish to English. It was a tough road for me because I even got placed in resource because I could not read, that was more time out the classroom when I should have been in the class learning everything else the Bilingual kids were doing. I was placed in the wrong class and my mom tried to let the teacher know and the principal know but they did not change me because my sisters spoke and read English. The school did not understand that my sisters were born in California so they had the right schooling, so that transition for them was easy because by the time we had moved to Rhode Island they already had the sufficient tools to make it by. My little sister and I were the ones that were forced to give up our only language and learn a complete new one without understand the basic of our home grown language.
Code-switching happens all the time, from the way you talk to your mother, to the way you talk at work, to the way you talk to your friends, boyfriend, or girlfriend. The ways you speak to those are always going to be different have a different structure and context.

“Provide a balanced and integrated to four language skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing.” (Page, 234)

This quote stood out to me because if I had these tools in elementary school and coming up as a student I would have been more successful growing up. Being able to understand the language would have come a lot easier for me. Instead all I was listening to in the classroom was the teacher talk in English all the time; I could not connect to Spanish because nobody in the classroom was Spanish. I spoke enough English to get me by I guess but I could not keep a conversation because my vocabulary was limited. Reading was very hard for me because I was not taught the proper way to understand and make that connection from Spanish to English. The sounds of letters, or even naming the syllables therefore making it impossible to read because without those tools you can not read and comprehend. My writing skills till this day are not the best I have taken courses to help me improve and understand the structural bases but I still have a hard time with it. I have managed to make it this far because I take education with the upmost responsibility because I know that without it you’re nothing.
The dialogue journals that are used in ESL and Bilingual classrooms would have really helped me I believe because it would have improved my writing and communication skills. My academic growth would have been right on with the other students because I would have had that one on one interaction with the teacher, therefore giving me encouragement to learn.

sorry for the late post!!! i have just been so busy with work and running around like a chickem with its head cut off.