Culture, Language and Connecting with Students: Module 2 Blog

             Pragmatics involves the appropriate use of language to communicate in social situations-how to enter a conversation, tell a joke, interrupt, keep a conversation going or adjust your language for the listener (p. 170).  While pragmatics and children learning how to communicate with others is an interesting topic on its own, the part that stuck out for me while reading this section was that it mentioned culture.  It stated that the rules for the appropriate use of language vary across cultures (p. 171).  I found this interesting and made a connection with this reading material, and our discussion board topic about the importance of recognizing how cultures different and the importance of knowing the culture or ethnic background of students.   By knowing that different cultures have different rules for language, we are able to connect with students on a different level.  This can eliminate confusion in the classroom, because a question that may seem “normal” for one group of people may seem like an odd question to another group of people from a different background.  Personally, I want to be able to connect on all levels in some way with all of my students and since communication is a key piece in a classroom and while trying to form connections, I believe that this information will come in use when I begin teaching.  I will make it a point to remember that what may seem “normal” for me, may be a question that a student has never been asked before.  In the classroom, I will remember this and perhaps ask students the same question in a different way, ask them a different question, or explain to them why I am asking the question that seems odd to them. 

               

                Another interesting topic this week was bilingualism.  I found it interesting that if children are exposed to two languages from birth, bilingual children (children who speak two languages) reach the language milestones in both languages on the same schedule as monolingual children (p. 175).  I think that being bilingual is very important in the world today.  We live in such a culturally diverse world that being able to speak multiple languages will allow connections with people who normally you would be unable to connect with due to language barriers.  If children are raised bilingual from a young age, and are taught both languages, they are able to learn both languages easier and reach milestones at the same time.  Many jobs require or prefer someone who is bilingual, so if children can be taught from a young age, they can continue to learn another language as they would English, and it will benefit them as they get older.  One of the children that I used to babysit for had a daytime nanny who was of Spanish decent.  The boy’s parents were not bilingual, but his nanny was teaching him Spanish.  He was able to speak Spanish and English, and even knew some words in Spanish before he knew them in English.  He would also watch cartoons in Spanish with the nanny, in order to learn more words.  I believed that this was a wonderful thing for him to do.  He was learning English on a consistent basis from his parents, and Spanish from the nanny.  This not only helped his mind grow at a young age, but it made it easier for him to become bilingual, since it was started at a young age. 

            The last topic that was discussed in our readings that I connected with was suicide.  The readings state that up to 10% of adolescents have attempted suicide at some point, but even more have considered it. This is a topic that is very personal for me.  In high school I had a close friend commit suicide.  I often wondered if there was anything that myself or anyone else missed or could have done.  Up until this day, I still do not remember any warning signs that are listed in the book such as a change in eating or sleeping habits, weight, grades, disposition, activity level, or interest in friends (p. 146).  Her behavior never changed.  She walked around smiling, maintained good grades participated in sports and was part of the group just as before.  In my case, it was something that was internal and she did not let anyone know about it.  The day that she committed suicide, I was working as a library aide during homeroom. She came in smiling and saying hello as normal, checked out a book and said that she would see us tomorrow.  Little did I know, that would be the last time I saw her. I received the call a few hours after school and myself and everyone who knew her were shocked. When I looked back at the book that she checked out that day, I found that it was a book of poems about peace.  I wish I could have saved her or that she would have talked to someone, but unfortunately this was not the case.  This is one reason that one of my goals as a teacher is to really get to know my students and leave the communicated open with them. I want my students to know that they can trust me and that even if they feel as though no one cares or is there for them, that I am and will be there.  

            The topics that I chose for this post are all from different subject areas, but I believe that each one is important in its own way.  Each of these topics can help my connection with my students and learn more about them.