Microaggressions: Forever Alien in One’s Own Land
“How do they celebrate Three Kings’ Day in Mexico?” I once observed a teacher ask one of her Dual Language students. The question seemed innocent enough. She was trying to build sociocultural competence in her classroom by being inclusive of all her students as the upcoming holiday approached. However, the student felt uncomfortable. While his…
Keep readingHonoring Students From Collectivist Cultures
The Microaggression A former colleague of mine called me the other day to let me know how her supervisor had ridiculed her for still living with her parents in her late 20’s. The supervisor talked about how when she had been younger, she couldn’t wait to become an adult and be able to leave her…
Keep readingWords Matter – The Impact of Our Words on Native American Civilizations
Words Matter As Dual Language educators, our lives revolve around the theme of words and languages. We teach students the fundamentals of pragmatics, how to respect regionalisms within languages, and how to distinguish among nuances. We know that words matter and that they must be carefully and intentionally chosen for effective communication. But how often…
Keep readingTransnumbering – The Concept of Numbers Across Cultures Part I
In a previous post, we defined sociocultural competence, the third goal of Dual Language Education, to mean being able to fight for the rights of those who don’t speak, look, or think like you. It is about grappling with our racist and discriminatory history and being willing to change the future. To do this, we…
Keep readingWhat is Sociocultural Competence? How Does Identity Fit Into It?
Do you remember the three pillars of Dual Language Education? They are: High Academic Achievement Biliteracy and Bilingualism Sociocultural Competence Unfortunately, sociocultural competency is the most elusive of the three goals, partially because the definition is unclear to many and partially, because there are no standardized exams that can test this pillar. Yet, sociocultural competence…
Keep readingThe Intersection of Race and Language in Bilingual Education
But unless we can recognize the intersection of race and language, recognize the underlying racism that causes opponents to fight against Dual Language Education, and call out the racism, we will never adequately address the issues that keep children with home languages other than English from having the opportunity to maintain their linguistic identities.
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