Speak American

I experienced both sides to language barriers in school growing up. I was once that foreign kid that had to adapt and learn the language of the land. While I was in Honduras I had not one idea of how to start a conversation with anyone except my parents. I had all the support I needed in Honduras, my parents had me write down common phrases used in class so she can teach me, I had family that always talked to me in spanish, and classmates helping as well by showing me how to be more social in my new environment.
I only spoke Spanish for two years until I moved back home to New Orleans. Coming back, I was put in ESL even though I was born and raised in the United States and my native language is English. With that said, most American schools are less sensitive when it comes to supporting foreign Spanish speaking students.
While I am not foreign, I was treated as such without question. Every year in high school I was required to take a test with the most basic questions making sure I was capable of comprehension. I knew something was up when not one person in the room was African-American, the first time around.
Furthermore, there was a case at Cliffside Park, New Jersey where a high schooler was speaking Spanish, and a teacher made some distasteful remarks that was insensitive to the students and their culture.
One of the remarks by the teacher was “speak American.” This so called teacher should be dismissed, because that is not what an educator does. A teacher is supposed to pave the way to success for the leaders of tomorrow.
“Speak American?” What do you mean by that when even America does not have a national predominant language since this nation is so diverse. Single out any ethnicity in the U.S and you will have more than enough to fill up Times Square in New York three times.
In middle school, once people found out I was from Honduras, I would get asked “Can you speak Mexican?” That, I can understand because my peers have not had a chance to learn that their question was ignorant and insensitive to who I am.
As a teacher, that is unacceptable.
You have a degree and a certification to teach, you have gone to college and have had a chance to immerse yourself in many other cultures by having the experience children and teens are supposed to look up to. You had your chance to learn, and to disrespect someone for speaking Spanish is unexpected.
I support the students’ decision to stage a protest, because for a grown woman with so much experience to be so insensitive, it is virtually impossible to change her ways. History will repeat itself if the students had not stepped up.
The students of that high school are only asking for an apology. In my opinion I would have protested for her dismissal from the school because me and my peers would be so disturbed by what she done, and there is nothing to do to make up for what she did.