Reading #2 is done!

Aria: Memoir of Bilingual Childhood

Rodriguez's idea covers both possibility and perspective of the bilingual education solution. Both approaches, unified and bilingual ones, are living now in the U.S. But does bilingual education really help bilingual and immigrant people to find (or not lose) themselves?

Rodriguez analyses his past as Spanish child who saw American people around as strangers, "gringo". As a child in Mexican immigrant family with Spanish as a native language, Rodriguez didn't want to change. The family environment, and the language as well, gave him the feeling of security and stability.

But Rodriguez insist that those feelings couldn't be forever. It's not because American reality is rough for everyone who don't felt himself obligate to speak English. It's because childhood always ends, and every adult is the only real source for his/her internal stability and security. When you're a kid, doesn't matter actually you speak native language or the foreign one; but then, you begin to choose your path of life and get it fit with your desires. So, Rodriguez concluded that his Spanish (Mexican?) past must have been died with an age, and the "public English" would inevitable become the "private" one.

Does the bilingual education really help bilinguals to get themselves in truck in their lives? Providing Rodriguez's argument, it could only delay the moment of accepting national language. This process can't be stopped or reversed "back to childhood". A Spanish-spoken immigrant has a choice, to live with his "public English" or be able to speak only with the "private one".

I agree with Rodriguez's opinion about bilingual education. Even more, I have the likely situation. I'm not a child, but I'm going to immigrate in the U.S. And I learn English as an international language to reach all my aims in my life. And, I have the Russian past, when I was fulfilled with my Russian and didn't want anything I want now. Even now, I feel how my Russian degrades, replacing with English words, definitions, and syntax constructions. I think it's OK: I should go further than my young Russian limit was. The

In recent American history, bilingualism was the problem that must have been resolved. Some people who believed in cultural identity proposed the education in native languages for bilingual people. But the result, as Rodriguez said, weren't good. If we delay the progress, we can't handle the future. So, even the experiment with education in "black English" pulled off in 70s wasn't help any of black student to get the better life. What should we say about Indians, Russians, Mexicans who live in America and believe that their children "should speak in father's language"?

Also, there's the same experience in 80s Germany. People from Turkey wanted to learn their children in Turkish. Well, after the school most Turkish people went learn German or English to get a good job, and did that without any habit and with dividing German and Turkish to the "public language" and the "private one".

The bilingual education have the negative result for people. It can't actually hurt the socialization and naturalization of immigrants. But, it can't make the learners happier. That's the main argument of pro-bilingual people which doesn't work in real life: "to get people happier, you should let them speak in their native language".