Spread the Words

        For this post I'd like to focus on an interesting book that I read recently, which I feel can be connected to a current event. Recently there was a 600-page rewrite of  'No Child Left Behind'. One of the parts of NCLB that I don't agree with is the lack of accountability on the government's part. There are few if any national standards when it comes to education, leading to many decisions being left up to state governments. What I'd like to point out is the section regarding English language learners. NCLB states that the federal government will give grants to states to further the education of the English language for infants, adults, and young immigrants. I believe that if America is going to hold the title of 'The World's Melting Pot' then that philosophy must be shown in our education system by encouraging immigrants to learn our language. 

       My argument is supported by a book I read recently called “Hunger of Memory”. Richard Rodriguez’s “Hunger of Memory” is a memoir of Rodriguez’s experiences in losing his culture and his language as a result of making an effort to assimilate himself into American society. In the beginning of the chapter, Rodriguez explains how he felt a sense of unity and belonging when he’d come home to a Spanish-speaking home after feeling alienated in the outside world. Rodriguez speaks on the language of the ‘Los Gringos’ and how he struggled to have every day conversations with people, including his shyness in school. Eventually, Rodriguez decided that in order to thrive in society, he needed to become better at speaking the English language. At this point, his shyness in school was resolved and he was finally connected with society. The downside was that Rodriguez struggled to communicate in Spanish to his friends, relatives, Spanish-speaking strangers and teachers. As a result, Rodriguez wrote “Hunger of Memory” to express the frustration of growing up as a Hispanic-American citizen and student.  He writes: “Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teacher address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease”.

        Rodriguez’s personal account of his struggle with education in America shows how if there was a gradual system for immigrants’ children into the education system, these kids would be better off in their academic careers. If an American travels to another country, there may or may not be a gradual integration system for Americans, but if we’re going to accept the title of the world’s ‘melting pot’ then we must differentiate ourselves in being willing to gradually integrate foreign children into our education system. If our nation’s education looked at Rodriguez’s experience then we can also make immigrants’ integration into our country a little more stress-free. I believe that Rodriguez’s book was not just about his experience in the school system, but his difficult experience as a human being in the United States. 

source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/inside-the-600-page-rewrite-of-no-child-left-behind/2015/04/08/bbec7616-de0b-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html