Preserving Multilingual Students' Private Individuality

This week, I read both the Rodriguez text and the Collier text. I would like to highlight the arguments of both articles because I feel they go hand-in-hand nicely. 

Richard Rodriguez argues that language assimilation can give one a sense of public identity and worth in the public community but can decrease one’s sense of individuality in a private setting. Rodriguez uses his own personal story to back his argument. When Richard Rodriguez’s parents were instructed by his teachers to speak to their children in English, his life changed forever. This increased his confidence in speaking English in the classroom; he says he finally answered a question loudly and confidently in front of his peers once he became more fluent in English. However, Rodriguez talks about how using only English in his home created both a literal and metaphorical silence in his household. Speaking Spanish formed a bond in his family, and stripping Spanish from their household also stripped this bond. Richard Rodriguez had gained confidence in a public setting but mourned the loss of his private identity. 

Collier argues that appreciation of different languages and cultures in multilingual and ESL classrooms is the key to success in these classrooms. Collier argues several ways that valuing the student’s home language and culture can lead to greater success in learning English but also can be extremely beneficial to their psychological growth and success. This is what Richard Rodriguez needed when he was a boy. He needed a teacher who would help him to learn English while reminding him of the value of his own language. Children who are learning English must be allowed to treasure their first language and continue using it along with English in order to preserve their private individuality.

I have provided the link to an article titled, "10 Tips for Teaching in ESL Classrooms." I really like the ninth tip in the article, which talks about creating a culturally responsive classroom. Many of these tips are great for any classroom, not just ESL classrooms. 

In ESL programs, students often spend a large portion of their day in traditional classrooms. How teachers in the traditional classrooms (meaning not the specialized ESL classroom) help these students when they are pulled into these English only classrooms?