A Dispositions Essay
Looking around, I noticed that there were no books written by poets of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino descent. I was curious as to why this was the case, when the district had a high poepulation of Spanish speaking students. I checked the shelves, but still, no Hispanic literature. So, the students and I went to a computer and researched poets there. They were enthusiastic about completing the assignment and were willimg to do twice the amount of work. They were going to translate the poetry that they found into English and then explain how the meaning of things can be lost when one translates directly from Spanish into English. I was amazed at their initiave and creativity as well as the level of effort they were willing to put in. I wondered what their teacher thought about their willingness to put in more work in order to be represented in the anthology.
To my surprise, their teacher responded as follows," The students do this all the time. They are hesitant to do their work in English. When I ask them to complete assingments, they never want to write them in English first. They are resistant to change." But, as teachers, aren't we supposed to appreciate others' culture and ability. Why was their teacher so annoyed that these students wanted to use their home discourse, their first langage in school? If they are ESL students, aren't they supposed to become acclimated to their second language when they are able to? I thought that their show of effort and willingness to explain the translation was a good thing. I was now left quite confused. On the one hand, the school seems unprepared for a multicultural student body, yet they were premoting a universal literature, like poetry. And, if it was a class anthology, why wasn't the class being wholly represented?
As I left the class that day, I reflected on my experience. I could understand the frustration of trying to learn a second language as a teenager. I could also relate to the frustration of trying to communicate in a second language as one does in their first. I also appreciate how hard it is to understand, speak, write, and communicate in English.It made me want to continue to persue Spanish in the future so that I may be able to share in my students outside knowledge. Although I am passionate about the subject, it is difficult to expalin at times. There are many rules that just don't make sense and words that don't look like they should be prononced the way they are. Here were students who were underrepresented in the library and underapreciated for their effort. Perhaps their teacher was uncomfortable using Spanish or trying to grade a paper in two languages. If this was the case, then I hope I never let my insecurities or inabilities hinder my students' performance, or my ability to help them. Teachers can learn just as much from their students, as their students can learn from them. I will keep this experience in mind when I step into the classroom and try to create a comfortable place for students of all backgrounds and cultures and check all of my own judgements and insecurites at the door.
