Aria-by Richard Rodriguez

Hyperlinks

       Aria by Richard Rodriguez discussed as well as depicted a setting in which children are in America at a young age and are part of  a Spanish family that speaks the foreign language. As the children, one such being Ricardo, go to school the setting is different and the comfort level is not the same as the home setting because everyone is speaking English. This is where Ricardo as well as his family start learning and recognizing the importance of English and the changes that occur.  

 

1. Educational Barriers and Experiences

         In the text the author Richard Rodriguez discusses the experiences in which a student such as Ricardo have to go into a setting where English is spoken nearly all of them time and Ricardo comes from a Spanish family. Ricardo talks about his language being that of a private language where he only talks to those close to him and those that speak Spanish. The unknown of not being able to efficiently speak English in front of his class leaves Ricardo lost in the shuffle as he attempts to become proficient in English. This highlights the struggles that he deals with such as a disconnection between his teacher and classmates. Relating to my hyperlink this becomes a barrier where resources for Spanish children are at an immediate disadvantage because they do not have the tools to excel in the language like the other children who grow into it as well as learn it. The teachers also tend to lack the ability to pick out or even disregard the responsibility to engage students such as Ricardo which leads to underachieving academic success. Such statistical data is presented relating to this is my hyperlink where it shows that Hispanic are among the least educated group and the least with degrees of higher education most likely stemming from their futile education. More often than not opportunity is not prevalent at level-based skills and thus Spanish speaking children are overwhelmed by the advancement into the language.   

 

 

2.  The Change in Culture     

         Without Ricardo excelling in the classroom and him not being able to clearly speak up loudly and give answers in front of his classmates things had to change. Ricardo's teachers came to his house and suggested to his parents that he should start speaking English at home to better his knowledge of the language. His parents told him to start so he did. Relating to the hyperlink the feelings of hostility and or disagreement in the classroom between Ricardo and the teacher seemed to ease a bit and he was able to raise his hand and give an answer. This gave Ricardo the confidence that he was becoming comfortable with English. Another interesting part in the hyperlink is the explanation that different languages often  present with resistances. Resistances did occur as Ricardo and his siblings learned English more proficiently talk around the house was a lot less and his dad was usually rather quiet around the dinner table because he was not all that proficient in the English language. Ricardo was finally not separated into a private language and finally had public individuality.

 

Connection: Aria by Richard Rodriguez closely related to delpit because it deals with the way in which children she be taught in school. Whether it relates to different races, and or cultures being taught the way in which the teacher thinks the children she be is a common theme among both of these stories. Learning the way in which things are handled in the classroom and then enforcing these differences in the home environment can create a situation that betters the individual such as Ricardo.

 

Points to share/Discuss: I thought this article was very good because it talked about the experience a Spanish student was going through in an English classroom. He wasn't comfortable talking but as he talked more and more in English he became comfortable and was able to become more engaged. My question is what it for the better of Ricardo? The family? or both?