Reflection of Pavlenko's Negotiation of Identities in Multilingual Contexts :: Chapter 1. The Making of an American

Note: "America" refers to USA.

I just want to start off by appreciating the society I am in now compared to what America was before. Now, we (as in Americans) treasure bilingualism, we value biculturalism, and we appreciate cultures (including our own). Because of this kind of attitude, we have schools that can help English Language Learners, we train teachers to be open minded when it comes to different background of students, we even adapted to other culture's traditions as our own. With this kind of diverse setting, valuing your own beliefs is highly respected.

Unfortunately, it doesn't happen everywhere. Even many immigrants these days try very hard to assimilate themselves to the American culture that they, too, forget their own culture (compared to the Great Migration). If a student from a different country enters a new classroom in America, what is the first thing they notice? The difference in the language and appearance (which both can be associated to culture). If the student's culture is not recognized and appreciated in the classroom, just like during the Great Migration, the student's original culture will surely be washed away (just like the Great Migration!).

As teachers, we need to appreciate each and every child’s identity and value it. We need to encourage students to value their own culture; at the same time, introduce them to the culture they are at, here in America.

As for a question for this chapter, how would you know a student is giving up their culture to fit in with the American mainstream or just assimilating to the American culture?

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