--FACTS—“By the year 2000, more than 30 percent of the U.S. population will have a racial- or ethnic-minority background (Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, 1995). If the children of those families were evenly distributed across the nation's classrooms, a hypothetical class of 30 children would have 10 students from racial- or ethnic-minority groups; of these 10, six children would belong to families for whom English is not the home language, and two to four children would have limited English proficiency (National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning, n.d.).”
I wanted to begin my blog with those predictions from the year 1995, because they did become true. We as Americans living here must embrace the different cultures that are amongst us, and truly believe that we can only benefit from this. I am using Stacey’s blog because I think it is interesting that she points out the fact that Rodriguez speaks in his writings on more a personal level, and Collier speaks from the voice and thoughts of an educator of the Spanish language, and she has brought up many similar points that I thought when reading these two pieces.
As Stacey wrote in her blog about how “He (Rodriguez) felt uncomfortable using the "public language" so he remained silent as he just waited for the bell to ring” I also read that and felt extremely sorry for him. It was a point when reading Aria for me that I felt most connected to the author. I felt his pain as a child sitting in the class rooms and not knowing what is going on and only being prompted to move, not because he understood what was going on but because of a buzzing alarm sound. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for him, and to think how his teachers never noticed is absolutely insane to me.
Additionally when Stacey blogs about how Collier speaks about techniques teachers can adopt in order to be “flexible and creative”, all while being a supporter and always there to keep students on task for learning, she (Stacey) says it becomes clear to hear that she is a dedicated teacher. I also felt this way when reading Colliers writings. I feel that she has the necessary tools and also comprehension of diversity each of her students is bringing to her, and I applaud her in trying to put her tools out there to teach more educators to do a better job so no more Children have stories similar to that of Rodriguez’s. In the end which I feel Collier gets, which is why she is successful at what she does, comprehension of diversity begins with oneself. We all must gather an unguarded and truthful look at ourselves before we are able to truly address our own hidden partialities, and be open to progress beyond them to create an all-encompassing environment. “Diversity is about learning from others who are not the same, about dignity and respect for all, and about creating workplace environments and practices that encourage learning from others and capture the advantage of diverse perspectives.”[1][1] With the amount of immense diversities amid us today everybody should be aware of the opportunities of knowledge that lay before them, and use that to their advantage no matter what area of life it concerns.
Here Rodriguez is attempting to hoist levels of awareness to teachers and Americans on this comprehension. He along with Collier wants educators to know just how difficult it is to come into a whole new foreign country and learn all new ways of life. Again, as Stacy wrote, “Rodriguez understands teachers are just trying to their jobs, it’s the norm, it’s their responsibility to make sure that we survive in the world”, Stacey I believe here is trying to say that there should not be that look on educators. There should not be that negative connotation that students are of less “power” in American culture than the student, and especially a minority student, and I agree. I feel that until that glass is shattered and full embracement of diversity and multicultural is looked at as a gain for everybody involved in all situations the unfortunate story of Rodriguez listening for that bell will go on for more children here in America as minorities today.
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