"Today I hear bilingual educators say that children lose a degree of individuality by becoming assimilated into public society...They do not seem to realize that there are two ways a person is individualized. So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private identity by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public identity." (Rodriguez 38-39)Richard Rodriguez is a Mexican immigrant who moved to California with his family at the young age of six. As a child, Rodriquez was forced through the difficult transition from living in Mexico to the United States. Many American traditions were new to Rodriguez and different from those of his family; the English speaking language being the most difficult adjustment. The elementary school in which Rodriguez was enrolled allowed him only to speak English, even though he solely spoke Spanish at home. This led to a distinct separation between the cultural traditions he used at home from the cultural traditions used in school; what Rodriguez labeled as his public versus private identity.
Rodriguez claims that even though it would have been comforting for him if his teachers addressed him in Spanish and involved his private identity in the classroom by allowing him to speak Spanish, he insists that it would have prolonged his growth towards a public identity. It was not until his family had insisted that he speak English at home and there was a "clash of two worlds" (Rodriguez 35) that Rodriguez was truly determined to learn the language and become comfortable in this overwhelmingly different environment. Having Spanish as a private identity provided Rodriguez with a place to escape from his public identity and prevented him from assimilating with the American culture.
Many bilingual educators push the theory that students who lose aspects of their culture, such as their traditional language, are also losing a piece of their individuality; that it is necessary that children who are learning English as a second language to maintain their primary language as well and work on both skills collectively. Rodriguez claims that even though giving up his private language resulted in a loss of closeness and communication with his family as well as a piece of childhood, keeping his private identity held him back from belonging to his public identity and being successful in America. The achievement of public identity is made possible through the process of assimilation, and though refraining from assimilation and embracing it have different disadvantages, Rodriguez would argue that a public identity makes for a much less difficult future.
Citation:
Santa Ana, Otto (ed.) Tongue Tied (2004)
On my very first day of my service learning project, I was introduced to a young girl, named Anna, who seemed to be struggling with similar issues of public vs. private identity. Even though she did not have trouble with learning the English language, she dealt with issues of balancing her time in school in Rhode Island and her time spent with her family back home. This second grade student moved with her family to Providence from Puerto Rico. In order to maintain a bond with her extended family, Anna's family visited Puerto Rico for a span of five consecutive weeks. Her absence in school has resulted in her falling behind to the point where she could not catch up successfully. Her teacher explained to me that it has been over a year since Anna has been back to school and she is still fighting to catch up with her reading and math skills. Since her visit to Puerto Rico, Anna's teachers and family have struggled to agree on where her priorities stand. Even though her private home life has interfered with her public school life, how can either set of adults determine which is more important? For Rodriguez, giving up aspects of his private life at home were worth sacrificing for the growth of his public identity. However, each person has their own personal story and struggles differently with their public and private identities. Anna's case is very difficult and because she is so young, she has become stuck in the middle of a battle between the most important figures in her private life and public life.
ReplyDeleteAs I see it, public vs. private identity is a concept which greatly reflects that of a superhero who leads a double life in order to maintain two balances lifestyles where both parts are satisfied. Like that of Superman and Clark Kent, the public identity satisfies the expectations of those around around them (in society). The private identity, however, is considered "the other half" where the person has no choice but to embrace this persona. This idea became all too prevalent to me as I watched a handful of kids prove this in my second week of VIPS tutoring. Within a matter of two hours, at least three or four students mixed up the English vocabulary in their small-talk with Spanish words. "Oops", or "I mean..." was often the response that I heard shortly after this "error" was detected. One of the children, Elena, has been undergoing special assistance with the school's literacy coach. I personally noticed her Spanish slur in several of the vocabulary words she was describing when our class talked about weather. Several times over the last few weeks, I have noticed that she has begun pausing to search through the "English" file cabinet in her head to search for the proper English term when making a statement in class. While the school has made several attempts to cater to both dominant languages (the front office is an example of this), her Spanish vocabulary around her peers is slowly fading. Her private identity at home is being slowly erased as her day to day education is topping her first language with the "dominant language", and is taking a blow to Rodriguez's suggested solution.
ReplyDeleteFor more on Brittany's Service Learning Experience visit:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.trintuition.com/bderita/edmundwflynn