Over this semester, this course has taught me so much as it has allowed me to reflect on experiences I have had as well as I also have developed a new passion for language and the importance of it. Going into this course I had very little knowledge about language policy, language awareness, and even the true meaning of multilingualism. As the end of November came around I was able to really take it all in. This month’s topic was a great way to end the course as I feel like I learned the perfect amount of information as a beginner in the language topic.
When reading the article “The struggles of affluent East Asian youth in Canada” was a hard read in terms of it being an upsetting article. The fact that families decide to leave their students in Canada just so they get a proper education puts them in a tough position. I can’t imagine leaving my family and friends at such a young age, especially all alone in a completely new city. Although some may enjoy it once they do move, that would still be very harsh on the child and parents because the parents are trying to provide them with the best education but they are also making their child leave everything behind. As I was reading this article it states “some East Asian youth complained their mothers show up primarily to criticize them for not keeping the Canadian house clean. They found such visits “inconvenient””. For me, I could see myself feeling the same way. In the article, it says how Canada is more laid back whereas East Asia is high demands and quite competitive. I would hate it if my Mom or Dad came to visit me to specifically just criticize me about my living space instead of spending quality time together and catching up. When first hearing the word transnational students I didn’t know what it meant but with the two articles provided, it informed me about what it is, the feelings towards it, as well as the student’s experiences with it.
When talking about deaf culture it brought up some situations I have encountered and interests that I have had. I have always wanted to learn sign language and I always thought that it should be an elective to learn in high school. I used to watch a show called “Switched at Birth” on Netflix. They would use sign language often as a few characters were deaf. I would turn my subtitles on to try and pick up on some different signs and learn words like “thank you”, “sorry”, “mom” and “dad” as well as a few others. I think the deaf culture is so important and they already have a hard time as it is, which is why I think people should learn sign language and about the overall deaf community so they feel more valued and included. At an old job of mine working at Boston Pizza as a host, a deaf old man would come in and use actions as a way to order. He would pretend like he was writing on a piece of paper with a pen so we would provide him with those items. He would write his order down and we would try to make it as easy as possible for him. Everytime after seeing him, I would feel useless because I was able to connect with him and many people would struggle with understanding him. When I read “The Deaf Body in Public Space” it was heartbreaking. Hearing how she felt like such an outsider and self conscious made me sad. When I read “…my teachers created a welcoming environment for me to learn, but finding a place to belong with kids my own age often felt more difficult.” It made me happy to read this because as a girl who is becoming a teacher, these types of comments inspire me to be a teacher that is talked highly about, especially in making the environment inclusive. But, reading about how she was struggling to feel like she belonged with her student is something that I feel like due to lack of education on these topics, especially in the younger grades, that this was the cause.
In week 14 materials was a youtube video that was called “Bee Nation”. I found this video to be very powerful and heartwarming. One thing stood out to me a lot and really connected with me. It was when William’s Dad said “Having the First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee demonstrates that first nation people given the proper opportunity, the proper resources can be equal to anyone else” I believe that this is so true and that as a future educator, we have to advocate for this to happen always and for first nations people to never be seen as not worthy enough to have opportunities like these. Everyone deserves to be heard and feel valued. You shouldn’t have to have certain qualities that get to decide if you deserve a proper well cared for education. This video really made me realize how passionate I am to provide these feelings in my classroom. It allowed me to explore feelings that I never felt before. It made me so happy to see the children smile because of their success and even though they got upset a few times, the parents were able to comfort the child so well and it was in such a caring and proud manner. It was truly an inspiring video to watch.
Thank you for an amazing semester, I really enjoyed having you as my teacher for this course and the information you taught! Have a great Christmas Break:)
References
Kolb, R. (2016, September 28). Opinion | The Deaf Body in Public Space (Published 2016). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/opinion/the-deaf-body-in-public-space.html?_r=1
Todd, D. (2017, March 07). The struggles of affluent East Asian youth in Canada. Retrieved from https://vancouversun.com/life/the-struggles-of-affluent-east-asian-youth-in-canada