Oaxacalifornia

The article Oaxacalifornia and my research topic have some structural issues in common. The most important point, and also the point I want to focus on is the language aspect. Language is a big topic in the text by Romero “Oaxacalifornia” and it is also a big topic at Laurel Dell. As discussed in class, language gives people access to power. But it gives people not only a way to power but also to basic things that are important in life. For example, language is essential in health care and court issues. According to Romero indigenous people from Mexico face a lot of problems because of language issues. For example “There are many cases of men and women in California who have been found guilty of crimes and served prison sentences as a consequence of a communication gap between the defendants and the court (Romero, 44).” Furthermore it is a problem to find people who can translate, as translators are quite rare as can be seen in the following quote “Aside from a lack of documents, for migrants who do not speak Spanish or English, it’s a challenge just to find the interpreters to help to carry out official business (Romero, 42).” Because of this issue, indigenous people face a lot of difficulties in various aspects of life.

At my community partner, the children and their parents face similar problems. They do not have the same access to various institutions as English speakers. Thus, non-English speakers tend to be in the non-dominant group. This is the reason why it is extremely important to teach children English. In my research project, I want to go further and state that children should not only be educated in English but also in their second language. This could have positive side effects on their life. Children get educated in both cultures and languages and hence tend to be more successful in life. It is essential, to value every culture and in order to make this happen, bilingual education would be required. Also according to Romero, bilingualism contributes to the children’s development in a very positive way as can be seen in the following quote “Paradoxically, the access these children have to bilingualism or even trilingual, in Odilia’s case, as well as the level of responsibility they assume from a young age, means they have far greater academic and professional opportunities than their parents’ generation (Romero, 489.” But it is not only important to learn about your native language but also about the culture as Romero describes “cultivating pride in one’s heritage helps children deal with identity issues that affect many migrant families (Romero, 48).” In my opinion, it would be crucial, to learn about your native culture respectfully.

This brings me to the following aspect, Romero mentions it is not only hard to find translators, but to translate the words because of huge cultural differences. Romero specifically talks about cultural differences in the courtroom and addresses that some communities do not know our system as can be seen in the quote “because, in our communities, justice is not punitive (Romero, 46).” And it is hard to explain what a judge or a courthouse is if someone has never heard of it before and has no imaginations about that. This is just another problem people face. Another phrase that I found really interesting was “It is not like the punitive system in the United States that throws you in jail because you stole a pizza (Romero, 46).” When I learned about specific facts about the punitive system in the United States, I was shocked. But this quote gives me an idea of why so many people are incarcerated in the United States.

Another aspect that is interesting, is that indigenous people do not only experience racism from within the U.S but also from Mexico which can be seen in the following quote “We are over 20 percent of the agricultural labor force in California, but we face discrimination, structural racism, and labor exploitation, along with racism from our other Mexican brothers and sisters (Romero, 39 40). At least, I interpreted that phrase that way.

Romero states that she has been an interpreter for her family since she has been very young “When she was 14, she even acted as an interpreter for another native of Oaxaca preparing for a state exam to be licensed as a hairdresser (Romero, 41).” This could also be the case for some of the children at Laurel Dell. I do not know who is indigenous, but I do know that the majority of the students ate Spanish speakers. I could imagine very well that some of the kids have to act as interpreters for their families. This is not suitable for a child as can be seen in the following statement “The child is the interpreter and of course that is not the best person to ask to be your interpreter (Romero, 47).” For example, in hospitals, how are children supposed to tell their parents that someone is sick. That could have serious psychological consequences for the child. Besides Romero also takes about some matters at school, that do not have dramatical consequences, but still should be avoided.

This article demonstrates another reason why census data is so important as it can inform the need for indigenous-language interpreters which can be seen in the following statement “One determining factor for the allocation of recourses for certain program and services, schools, hospitals, police departments is the information gathered by the US Census (Romero, 49).” The language issue s definitely a factor for being hard to count, as I am not sure if the Census is available in indigenous languages. And if it is, is it even possible to translate it due to cultural issues. As there are a lot of Spanish speakers at Laurel Dell, language is a structural issue that is in connection with being “hard-to-count”. Some children might have to translate for their families. It is crucial for children’s communities to get counted. For example, to get the free food plan, which most of the students get. But in terms of my research topic, it could also help to determine, which languages should be taught in schools. For example, a lot of students’ first language at Laurel Dell is Spanish. If the Census shows that, maybe the State could see that there is a need for Spanish teachers. I know that the system in the States is English only, but an accurate count could stress the need for bilingual education.

For the last months, I have been spending two hours per week at Laurel Dell working with amazing kids and I can proudly admit that I have come to know a lot. I got a lot more comfortable in the classroom, as I had never had the chance to work with very young kids before. I learned to handle certain pedagogical situations and how to handle kindergartners. I observed ways to motivate those young children and how to demotivate them. I learned how to be patient and how to give time to the kids to learn something. But I also realized how to be more sensitive. I have learned about cultures and some of the histories of the kids. Besides, I am also able to speak and understand some words in Spanish, although it is very little. I realized how important communication is and that there is always a way to communicate if all the people involved want to. I am impressed by the students’ interest in all different subjects, in their will to learn new things and by how courageous they are when they explore new things. These children are open-minded and willing to learn something new. In my opinion, we all should do that.