#7 - Language

I love languages.  Absolutely love them.  I have been fortunate to travel around the world to countries that speak no (or very little) English.  For some of my international travel I have tried to learn the local language.  These languages include Russian, Hebrew, Arabic (although that one was too hard for me!), Thai, Croatian, Czech, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.  My goal is to have enough to get by, and it usually works.  I try to not be the ethnocentric American who thinks that everyone in the entire world should learn English because that is what I speak...and nothing else.

In my opinion, one pitfall of American education is that - ethnocentricity in the language realm.  We believe that everyone should speak English, and only English, in school.  This flows out to the business world as well.  In modern day America, many students speak other languages in their homes.  As the group showed last night in their presentation, the number of homes who use a language other than English or Spanish is near 20 million.  That's other than English and Spanish.  Instead of forcing one way, be open to other options that may be as beneficial.

How can we, as educators, use students' native language to their advantage?  How can we help them see the strengths and opportunities that being bilingual can provide?  How can we encourage students to learn English while maintaining a sense of pride in their native culture and language?  How can we balance American culture and native culture without forcing ideals and acculturation to what we think is normal?  How can we use language to the benefit of the student?

I do not have answers to all of these questions.  I wish I did.  The right answers could change the way that the education system in America operates.  They could change the way that our society operates.  They could change the way that our world operates.  By taking our eyes off of "our way or the highway" in learning English, we may be able to open doors for other students to learn more about other cultures and languages instead.  We need to be more sensitive and encouraging of others as we openly embrace what they have to offer.