The document discusses linguistic diversity in America and debates around bilingual education. It summarizes the perspective of those who believe English should be the sole language of America and critiques this viewpoint. It also provides perspectives from research supporting bilingual education programs. The document reflects on the author's own biases towards non-English speakers and how their views have changed after learning more about issues like linguistic diversity in schools.

1. By Tamela Dershem
EDUC 3002 601
11-28-11

2. Key Societal Belief: If you are going
to live in America then you only
need to speak English.

4. "In the first place, we should insist that if the
immigrant who comes here in good faith
becomes an American and assimilates himself
to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality
with everyone else, for it is an outrage to
discriminate against any such man because of
creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is
predicated upon the person's becoming in
every facet an American, and nothing but an
American...There can be no divided allegiance
here. Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at
all. We have room for but one flag, the
American flag... We have room for but one
language here, and that is the English
language... and we have room for but one sole
loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American
people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1917

6.  Republicans push English-only bill in
2011
@ http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-
action/house/149049-republicans-push-english-
only-bill-requiring-language-tests
 Bilingual Education Program not
renewed in 2002 (Koppleman, p89)
 Over the past 20 years 30+ U.S. states
have made English their official language

7.  Have been and continue to be the main group
“engaging in the oppression” of those who
don‟t speak English
 Have always been critical of immigrants who
maintain their native language
 Are concerned that “Spanish-speaking
immigrants aren‟t learning English fast enough
& are changing American culture from Anglo
to Spanish” (Koppleman, p85)

8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHVRDay8
UEk&feature=player_detailpage
The people with power in our government
continue to argue whether the United States
should be English-only. Some states more
vehemently than others. Many of them seem to be
making more of a statement about keeping
immigrants out.

10. I too have felt that, if you
come to live in America,
you need to learn English.

11.  I have made comments to my
friends and family for years
when “Mexicans” would speak
“their” language instead of
“ours” in public places.
 I have been guilty of stereo-
typing and labeling Latinos.

12.  I have been exposed to the children
in schools who know little or no
English and struggle to understand
what we are doing or saying in class
and felt sorry for them.
 I have been aggravated at their
parents/guardians for not learning
“our” language and speaking it at
home.

13. I haven‟t understood why minorities, especially
Latinos, don‟t make more of an effort to learn
English. In places like California there are larger
groups of Latinos retaining their native language.
I never really thought about why they were here
or what their circumstances might be. I was just
bugged that I couldn‟t understand them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAajdPp-
h_o

14.  http://www.facebook  http://answers.yahoo
.com/pages/This-is- .com/question/index
AMERICA-Speak- ?qid=20091005115836
ENGLISH/229129117 AA4hBsm
747

16.  I have been kind to people who
have spoken another language
around me, even when it
aggravated me.

17.  I have been patient with and
listened closely to students and
parents when they have
struggled to communicate with
me.
 I have encouraged
children, whether they were
Latino, Chinese, African
American, or another race, in
finding the correct words to use.

18.  I don‟t mind that immigrants
continue to come into America. My
husbands ancestors, as well as my
own, were immigrants at one time.
I do believe America is a land of
opportunity for anyone.

19. Aside from the ways mentioned on the
previous three slides, I cannot honestly say
that I have countered this belief in
America. What I can say is that now I see
reason to do so. And I have begun to
realize that maybe learning to be bilingual
should begin with me.
See clip of Obama @
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiGhntWrLxs

21. Most schools in America are all about
helping students to get rid of the “burden”
of speaking another language. (Nieto &
Bode, 2010, p.221)
 Linguistic Diversity is often looked upon as a
temporary block in learning. (p. 221)
 Teachers and schools may view ELL‟s (English
Language Learners) as “handicapped.” (p. 227)
 Children who don‟t speak English yet are often
viewed as lacking language period. (p. 221)

22. It seems as though our schools are sometimes
more concerned about what language we
speak rather than what is being said. Find out
more about Ana Ligia Mateo (Nieto &
Bode, 2010, p. 222) @
http://news.change.org/stories/school-secretary-fired-for-
translating-for-concerned-parents

23.  Believes that minority  Believes American
students should schools should make
conform to American accommodations for
culture and language linguistic diversity (p.
90)
(Koppleman, p. 87-88)
 Believes that minority
 Believes that unity students should keep
occurs when linguistic their native culture as
diversity is eliminated well as the dominant
one

24.  English-only critics were  Bilingual education is a political
successful in their efforts to issue because there is societal
persuade America that bilingual power involved (Nieto &
education programs weren‟t Bode, 2010, p. 230)
working  It is also a pedagogical issue
 “The Bilingual Education Act  Research in the past decade has
was terminated in 2001 by new shown that students in bilingual
federal education policy, with education have typically done
the passage of No Child Left better than those in students in
Behind by the U.S. Congress. English-only programs on
This law offers no support for standardized tests
native language learning, but  Advocates for bilingual
rather emphasized programs claim that it is easier
accountability in English for students if they are literate
only, and mandates that all in their first language before
students, including ELLs, are learning a second language
tested yearly in English”

26. We need teachers now that are bilingual in our schools, but
they are not easy to find. If more children today learn to be
bilingual, then more of them will grow up to be teachers in
our schools tomorrow. America has been content to be a
monolingual society while most of the world around us is
bilingual. These days as we become more of a global
economy it would be advantageous for us to be fluent in
more than one language. Many of us have heard lately that
employers are looking for bilingual employees. We as
educators need to be preparing our students for tomorrow
in the real world. (Koppleman, p.90)

27. When I become a teacher I can speak up and try
to have bilingual programs put back in my local
schools. I can share with others the positive
information I have learned about bilingual
education programs as opposed to the ELL
programs. Instead of pushing minority students
to hurry up and learn to speak English like us; we
should be adding other language classes in our
schools, beginning in elementary school. All
students should have a chance to begin learning
another language at a early age, when it‟s easiest
for them to pick up on it. At one elementary
school in Clayton, NC they have a Chinese class!

28.  I don‟t think many people consider that there are many
benefits to being bilingual. “Bilingualism is reliably
associated with increased attention control, working
memory, metalinguistic awareness, and abstract
reasoning, all of which, naturally, can contribute
positively to academic success.” (Nieto & Bode, 2010, p.
226) With that being said, who wouldn‟t prefer their
child to take a foreign language class in first
grade, than for their child to be put on medication
because they can‟t focus?
 Studies have also shown that people who are bilingual
have sharper minds for longer in their old age. If we as
schools have minority children abandon their native
language, we are hurting them in more than one way.
(p. 226-227)

29. After I finish college (again) I plan to start
learning Spanish. I did take 2 years in high
school, but I don‟t recall much of it. I know it will
benefit me and my future students. I will
probably invest in a Rosetta Stone program.
http://www.rosettastone.com/Schools
As I am learning a new language I will “create a
learning environment that supports and affirms
the native languages” of all my students. (Nieto &
Bode, p. 233)

30.  I will seek to develop my skills in multicultural
communication so that I can make more of a
difference in the lives of all my students.
 I will offer help to students who don‟t ask for
it.
 I will be a positive role model for my students.
 I will care for them and learn about them, their
families, and culture.
 I will raise expectations for them and
encourage them to do their best to meet them.
(Nieto & Bode, 2010, p. 385-386)

31. I feel differently about linguistic diversity in
America now than when I began this course in
diversity. I do still think that minority groups
should do what they can to learn English;
however, now I believe they should learn it for
the flexibility it will give them throughout their
lives, not to have them conform themselves to
everyone around them. After all…”we” as the
dominant “white” groups did not come over to
America and learn the Native Indians language.
Why should we expect people who come to
America now to be any different?

32. (2010, August 12). This is america. Speak english. [Facebook update]. Retrieved
November 14, 2011 from Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-is-AMERICA-Speak-
ENGLISH/229129117747
(2011). Rosetta stone. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
http://www.rosettastone.com/Schools
A. DiBranco. (2010, February 9). School Secretary Fired for Translating for Concerned
Parents [web blog]. Retrieved from
http://news.change.org/stories/school-secretary-fired-for-translating-
for-concerned-parents
Bilingual Education. (2011, November 22). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilingual_education
BrownPrideus (Poster)(2008, July 10). Barack obama: on english only in america [video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiGhntWrLxs
Kasperowicz, Pete. (2011, March 12). Republicans Push English-only Bill, Requires
Language Tests [web blog]. Retrieved from
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/149049-republicans-push-
english-only-bill-requiring-language-tests
Koppleman, K. (2008). Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a
Diverse America. Boston. 85-90.
Lauryn L. (2009). If you hear someone speaking spanish in america, what is the first
thing that you think. Retrieved November 14, 2011 from Yahoo! Answers:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091005115836AA4hBs
m
Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2010). Affirming Diversity: The Societal Context of Multicultural
Education, 6th Edition. Boston: Pearson. 221-386.

33. Pach Brothers. (1904). File: president theodore roosevelt, 1904.jpg.
Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:President_Theod
ore_Roosevelt,_1904.jpg
Teddy Roosevelt on Immigration. (2011). Retrieved Novenber 13,
2011, from
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/r/roosevelt
-immigration.htm
Wlwttv (Poster)(2010, May 27). Debate rages on over „english
only‟ policies [video] Retrieved from
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k
1seckelman (Poster)(2008, May 13). Will spanish speakers ever
learn english [video] Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAajdPp-h_o