Activity Topic 2

Activity 1: What would you do?

ABC News Video "What Would You Do?": http://abc.go.com/watch/what-would-you-do/SH5555951/VD5580302/what-would-you-do-813

I believe that the video was very enlightening about the vast difference of opinion in the US concerning immigration policies and current realities.  As an ESL teacher, I believe that I should advocate for my students in all areas where they may find difficulty in assimilating to life in the US.  As expected in the video, there were some people who agreed with the racist employee.  Not only did he refuse to serve them, but he insulted them.  It was good to see that of those who reacted, more people defended the immigrants than sided with the racist viewpoints.  However, I noticed that the majority of people did not react either way.  As someone who hopes to assist my ESL students in every way possible, I should remind myself that not speaking out against racist behavior in public should not be an option.  Those of us in the TESL profession know how difficult it is to learn a foreign language.  The attitudes expressed that people need to learn English in order to be in America most likely do not understand the reality of this.  These immigrants may be too busy trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table, and providing for their children, that they do not have the time or energy to learn English.  If I were brought into a debate or observed this kind of biased treatment, I would seek to educate the offending party by making this clear to them.

I saw a bumper sticker the other week in my neighborhood that said “Learn English or get the (expletive) out!”  This made me very sad that some people are so angry at those who are struggling to get by that I would like to use the insights I have gained through the study of linguistics and foreign languages to explain this to people.  I do not have personal experience interacting with administrators, students, and parents in the K-12 school system, but I feel from what I have read in our discussions that ESL instruction is frequently shortchanged in resources, budget, time, and accommodations.  I think that as an ESL teacher, there is no way to avoid struggling against these kinds of attitudes and policies.

Activity 2: Do you speak American?

Visit the PBS website to explore several topics in sociolinguistics. There you will find educational resources for both teachers and students. Briefly reflect (3-5 sentences) on how this information helps you as an educator.

Language and Society http://www.pbs.org/speak/words/sezwho/socialsetting/ 

Do you Speak American? Understanding African American English http://www.pbs.org/speak/education/curriculum/college/aae/#key 

Do you speak American? PBS overview of Sociolinguistics.http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/sociolinguistics/sociolinguistics/ 

African American English Vernacularhttp://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/hooked/ 

Standard American English http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican/ 

American Varieties of English http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/

Reading this reinforces the thought that everyone speaks with an accent.  There is no such thing as a language without accent.  The standard English in America is spoken with the Midwestern accent, frequently taught in schools and used among the educated, and most radio and television broadcast journalists and announcers.  However, I believe, as the articles point out, that people in everyday life use the non-standard forms that are used by the community to which they belong.  Therefore, as an educator, if I am teaching ESL in an area of the country that has a strong accent (compared to the standard or Midwestern accent), I should teach both pronunciations and dialects in order to best serve the students.