Hinkel Chapter 11

Hinkel Chapter 11: Cultural Mirrors

How is culture reflected in textbooks used for teaching English as a foreign language/ESL? Distinguish cultural content from cultural medium (culture of learning). Variety of teaching materials from around world.

·         There are several paradoxes arising form cultural mirrors found in materials and methods used in language classrooms around world.

·         Suggestions: 1. Broader definition of cultural content of texts.

2. Teachers and learners take more reflective/ethnographic stance when tackling cultural contentment & cultural processes involved in learning foreign language.

·         Extent and quality of inclusion are sometimes assessed using textbook evaluation checklists. Not always enough culture figured in. Representation of culture is more complex than the kind of portrayal implied by many evaluation checklists.

·         The medium for learning about target cultures in classroom is part of culture of learning.

·         From early-on, students and teachers are socialized into expectations about what kinds of interactions are appropriate in class, how texts should be used, and how they should engage in teaching/learning processes.  (expectations arising from culture of learning can be powerful determinants of what happens in classroom interaction. Can lead to possible mismatches between cultures portrayed in textbooks and culture so learning used by teachers/students to acquire appropriate knowledge, skills, or attitudes about target cultures.

·         The solution is not to include more representative elements of target cultures in texts.

o   We must reflect on ways of using the human resources of the classroom more effectively for intercultural education.

·         Learning a foreign language is not just mastering an academic study but more focused on learning a means of communication.

·         Communication in real situations is never out of context, and because culture is part of most contexts, communication is rarely culture-free. Now recognized that language learning and learning about target cultures can’t realistically be separated.

·         Just what is culture?

o   Meorman’s definition: “Culture is a set-perhaps a system- of principles of interpretation, together with the products of the system.”

o   Framework of assumptions, ideas, and beliefs used to interpret others’ actions, words, and patterns of thinking. Students must become aware of different cultural frameworks to interpret intended meanings through different cultural assumptions.

·         Communicative competence: can look at 5 aspects:

o   Grammatical

o   Sociolinguistic

o   Discourse

o   Strategic

o   Intercultural (seen in social effectiveness and appropriateness); the ability of a person to behave adequately in a flexible manner when confronted with actions and attitudes and expectations of other foreign cultures.

§  Social effectiveness: ability to achieve instrumental and social goals

§  Appropriateness: suitable communication in given situation in particular culture.

·         There exist many strong arguments for developing students’ intercultural competence, given increasingly international nature of work of many professions. “In the contemporary world, a person does not need to travel to encounter representatives of other cultures: popular music, the media, large population movements, tourism, and the multicultural nature of many societies combine to ensure that sooner or later students will encounter members of other cultural groups.” (198).

o   Damen 1987 states, “The current dedication to the development of the communicative competence of language learners mandates the development of intercultural communicative skills and an understanding of the process of culture learning on the part of students and teachers alike.”

·         What do we expect vs. what actually exists

o   Expect: materials that raise learners’ awareness of intercultural issues and enable them to communicate effectively and appropriately in variety of communicative contexts. Expect English-language teaching curriculum design and evaluation, including textbook eval, to include consideration of culture and intercultural communication. YET not the case! “culture” is not even indexed in many books.

·         Communicative Competence: grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competences, can add intercultural

o   Intercultural: social effectiveness (ability to achieve instrumental and social goals), appropriateness (suitable communication in given situation in particular culture); the ability of a person to behave adequately in flexible manner when confronted with actions, attitudes, and expectations of representatives of foreign cultures

o   Student doesn’t need to travel far to develop intercultural competence (look at our music and media!)

·         Just what can a textbook be?

o   Teacher (contains material needed to instruct)

o   Map (overview of structure program of linguistic and cultural elements)

o   Resource (set of materials from which appropriate items will be chosen)

o   Trainer (for inexperienced)

o   Authority (reliable and valid, written by experts)

o   De-skiller (teachers may not use more creative or critical approach)

o   Ideology (reflects worldview or cultural system)

o   Cunningsworth: are the social and cultural contexts interpretable by students? Language textbooks are bound to express some social and cultural values. (often unstated)

o   Few checklists mention historical dimensions or comparative frames of reference (checklists often reflect authors’ awareness and interest in culture)

o   Byram: cultural content criteria: social identity, social interaction, belief & behavior, social and political institutions, socialization and the life cycle, national history, national geography, and stereotypes and national identity

o   Risager: Western Europe: people featured are middle-class, young, isolated, tourists

·         Evaluating treatment of cultural content in textbooks:

o   Giving factually accurate and up-to-date information

o   Avoiding (or relativizing) stereotypes by raising awareness

o   Presenting a realistic picture

o   Being free from (or questioning) ideological tendencies

o   Presenting phenomena in context rather than as isolated facts

o   Explicitly relating historical material to contemporary society

o   Making it clear how personalities are products of their own age

·         C1 refers to learners’ own culture (source culture)

·         C2 is target culture where target language is used as a first language

·         C3, 4, 5 refer to cultures that are neither a source culture nor a target culture (use English as international language, international target cultures)

·         There is an argument that until learners’ first cultural identity is established, it may be harmful to learn about other cultures. In this view, it is acceptable for younger students to learn EFL but not for them to learn about English-speaking cultures. This depends on separability of language and culture, yet many say separation is impossible/undesirable if communicative competence is goal.

·         Cultural identity is negotiated in intercultural contexts and communication competence can be defined as an “effective identity negotiation process in novel communication episodes”

·         Teacher should be able to mediate textbook in classroom interaction, indicating which aspects of source culture would be interesting or problematic for target language speakers (avoid awkward situations) ; this demands intercultural knowledge, skills, and awareness from teacher.

·         Luke: closed text shows unproblematic world that confirms or reinforces learners’ views and beliefs. (text already complete so no need for student response) Open text invites range of possible interpretations. Deliberately incomplete.

·         It is easy to assume textbooks should reflect a target culture but there are mixed reviews on this!

·         International target cultures: English frequently used in international situations by speakers who do not speak it as a first language.

·         3 categories: textbooks based on source cultures, textbooks based on target culture, and textbooks aimed at international target cultures

·         Teacher’s role

o   Ambassador of culture

o   Culture learning through textbooks is like dialogue between author and reader but teacher manages how students see culture mirrored in textbook

o   Neither the teacher nor the students are blank slates regarding target culture. May have previous knowledge. Even if they don’t have target culture knowledge, their resources are their understanding of their own source of culture, which can be exploited in an ethnographic or reflective approach.

·         In an EFL classroom, culture learning is not only a content-based dialogue, but also a medium-based dialogue of learning. Teachers teach influenced by their culture of learning. A culture of learning not only mediates the learning of target culture content, but can deny learning by creating barriers of different interpretation.

·         The problem is that students and teachers culture of learning may not be synchronized with target culture and this culture content can become filtered if source cultures dominate.

·         Possible paradox: teacher and student may share same culture of learning but use EFL textbook based on a quite different culture of learning. Cultural mismatch can lead to miscommunication and student frustration.

·         The more the teacher moves toward the students’ expectations, the greater the distance he or she is from the target culture. Some students may feel that to change their culture of learning is to change their culture. (raises identity problems)

·         Cultural mismatch: Chinese don’t want to ask questions because waste of time; Western teachers emphasize communication rather than linguistic knowledge and mental activity. (some teachers are “poor” because choose pair and group discussion over individual, direct instruction).

·         Implementations

o   Broader definition of cultural content of texts needed and corresponding requirement is that textbook evaluation lists have greater sophistication about cultural elements

o   Teachers and students should take more reflective or ethnographic stance toward cultural content and methodology to raise awareness of intercultural issues

o   More textbooks should include explicit intercultural elements, teachers should be more conscious

o   Developing cultural awareness means being aware of members of another cultural group

o   Students should realize HOW to learn about cultures

·         Conclusions

o   EFL textbooks reflect target cultures and source cultures and international cultures

o   Cultural focus on intercultural competence advantages: encourage development of identity, awareness of others’ identities and element of stabilization in world of rapid change, stabilize self-identity in process of cross-cultural mediation

o   Few EFL materials are culturally neutral

Acknowledging Differences in Writing

    
         The readings from this week were full of wonderful insights! I have always enjoyed writing, and looking at it from a multi-dimensional, multilingual, and multicultural standpoint was very beneficial.
The Contrastive Rhetoric Hypothesis Theory was first brought up in Hinkel Chapter 4. It is where different speech communities have different ways of organizing ideas in writing. Native English speakers can't judge nonnatives, because as we learned through the readings, different cultures write in different styles and with different structures! What is acceptable to us will likely be different than in another culture. However, there are some criticisms of this theory. We need comparable data to have meaningful contrastive research. It is hard to compare genres and writing styles cross-language. In fact, there may be different rhetorical patterns associated with different genres. Also, there may be genres in one or more languages/cultures without counterparts in other languages and cultures. One example of different writing styles based on cultures is how an argumentative text in American and British English is defined by problem-solution structure and its purpose is to convince readers of superiority of the solution provided in text. However, in Hindi, the issue is discussed with different opinions and approaches and then gently arrived at a desired solution. A recap of the essay is not necessary in the conclusion, unlike in the writing style I have grown up using! One of the biggest dangers we can fall into is assuming nonnatives are incapable of contributing to the growth of revelant knowledge just because their writing style is different and may not seem legitimate enough because of its distinctions. This is why it is so important that both the reader and writer, regardless of cultural background in writing, share a mutual understanding of expectations and norms of the other. On page 85 of Hinkel, it states that, "the reader is the space on which all the quotations that make up a writing are inscribed without any of them being lost; a text's unity lies not in its origin but its destination" (Barthes, 1977, p. 148). Interpretation is key. Each party should have mutual responsibility, whether it be in writing or reading. An openness to other traditions enriches the available and acceptable range of linguistic structures and rhetorical modes. It is the combination of tension between received conventions and the innovative spirit of the individual that produces good writing in acedmic disciplines.
         In Hinkel Chapter 6, I really enjoyed many of the points made regarding ESL college classes and whether or not they were suitable/acceptable for students, particularly in regards to writing expectations. I currently work with bilingual students in a Reader's Theater program and I work with many children outside of this as well. That is why I am always looking for new ideas, such as dialogue journals, portfolios, etc. Hinkel discussed the use of multiple drafts to really allow students to learn from their mistakes and further develop their writing skills. However, there are precautions that teachers need to make when working with ESL students. By over-emphasizing students writing about their culture and their homeland, we emphasize the differences and make them feel more foreign. Instead, why don't we have them write also about their experiences in the US thus far? Not all of them JUST got to the US anyways! The last thing we want to do is dichotomize cultures. Hinkel states, "writing is so tied to thinking- the inner expression of a person's being- and to communicative style- it's outer expression- thus touching core of writer's identity." So many students have to focus on the exotic parts of their lives and cultures, minimalizing the normality of their cultures! Teachers must be careful not to misunderstand or blow off student comments and insights. It is good to talk about such things. Don't assume students from the same culture share the same mindset or perceptions. One way to get everyone on an equal talking basis is by choosing topics that ALL students can give opinons on, such as issues ongoing in the US. Overall, we must find the balance of acknowledging students' histories and cultural stories while at the same time not alienating them through doing so. We want students to be genuinely motiated, not writing for sympathy, to please the teacher, or because they felt forced to 'open up.' Live in the moment, and make it teachable.
         There are many differences between ESL and native English speakers' writing, as the article "Writing in Multicultural Settings" showed us. ESL texts tend to be shorter in word count and include more errors (spelling, lexicosemantic errors, etc.) Native English speakers tend to write in a deductive manner, going from general to specific. This is not the case with everyone though. Japanese writers write in an inductive manner. Arabics give warnings and are less defining with their writing, while Native English speakers (NES) state rationales for decisions matter-of-factly. ESL writers tend to use undefined terms, have irrelevant detail adn information, and use less of an essay form. Growing up, I remember being taught in school multiple writing strategies. Attention-getting devices were one. I feel as though Americans 'dress up' their essays a lot, finding ways to really engage and persuade the audience. Many ESL writers are less explicit with their writing because they don't want to come off too aggressive.I find this very interesting. It would be interesting to study which method is most effective in convinving readers to see from the writer's perspective? I think it makes sense that ESL writers tend to rely more on texts than NES writers because it may be harder for them to paraphrase what they read, writing it in a different way. They can often be repetitive, perhaps to fill up more space. This is what I call 'fluff.' Thus, a question arises. Should ESL students take classes designed just for them, or should they be in mainstream composition and literary classes? When do these differences in writing styles become deviances? Are they potentially harmful, and in which contexts? Teachers need to give attention to process and product, as well as strategic and textual concerns.
According to Kubota's article "Unfinished Knowledge," the view on culture in teaching ESL reflects the teacher's good intentions to respect cultural difference instead of denying it." Another interesting point I found in this article was how many teachers, such as in the story about Barbara, are quick to assume something must be wrong with the student if they are not being successful in writing. However, I wonder if it is just because we are comparing their writing to the standards of which we were taught here in the US? I imagine it to be like money exchange. You can't expect people in Morocco, Africa to accept US dollars because they are not worth the same- they carry a different amount and value. We are so fast to judge others with our own cultural frame of reference. In the United States, we write with so much emphasis on self-expression and critical thinking. In Japanese, they write much more vaguely. You don't say what you mean the first time, or that would be too harsh. What an interesting distinction! In Chinese, presenting the self in writing too obviously would give people the impression of being boastful in scholarly writing. It is insights like this that allow me to understand why the US often gets the stereotype of being self-indulged and self-centered! Perhaps writing portrays and reflects more than we think...and perhaps we are getting to accustomed to our writing style and failing to see other ways it can be interpreted...One important aspect to remember is that students need not abandon their own culture in writing. They simply need to acquire new cultural conventions in order to succeed in the academic opportunity. It's hard for English speakers to understand Japanese written texts because we lack cultural and linguistic knowledge, not because the text is organizd in a culturally specific way. A strategy teachers can use is engaging the class in topics that are relevant to their lives. Also, the teacher should familiarize themselves with other cultures so we are better able to defend and expand student knowledge! By showing in interest in our students' lives and what they have to offer, we build their confidence and self-concept! Essentialism is when culture is objective, a fixed category that can be discovered scientifically (it is born!). Constructionism is when culture is produced, as implicated in politics and ideology and employed to exercise power.
         One of my favorite parts of the readings this week was seeing how activities teachers plan in the classroom may backfire and have an undesired effect. This is important to know for any teacher! We must always be aware and attentive to how our students are responding to activities. We can't assume things will go as planned. For example, having students compare and contrast target bersus native language and culture might reinforce fixed, polarized views of cultures. Discussing stereotypes may reinforce colonial dichotonomy. Encourage students to be critical thinkers! This is such an important lifeskill that definitely pays off! Ask students about perceptions they have of cultures and when such characteristics apply. Find videos and readings that question stereotypical assumptions. Encourage your students not to listen and accept everything they hear but to challenge and think about it themselves. Students need to learn to advocate for themselves! Raise critical consciousness of how social justice is concealed behind commonly accepted glorious images of culture. Challenge yourself to account for cultural differences in the classroom while still avoiding stereotyping.
Overall, I really enjoyed the readings this week. I gained a lot new ideas and thoughts about how I can be the best teacher I can be. It is important that we take into consideration a student's culture and writing style associated with this culture in order to best serve the student and allow them to be all they can be. We must be careful not to judge the student by their writing style. This is unfair to them, since we all come from different places and educational backgrounds. Just like money used in different countries, so does the writing style drastically change and have more worth with how it is interpreted, or exchanged, in different countries.

An Inside Look at Korean Immigrants

My reflection on the article by Dr. Kang from this week follows my notes from the book. (very end!)

 

A Step from Heaven

While I was reading this book, I took note of the page numbers and ideas that stood out to me. This is how I effectively read and analyze a book J

·         9. Going through the ritual- goes to church but without feeling.  This emptiness cannot lead to anything good.

·         11. Image of Mi Gook, big houses, pretty girls, etc. This seems like an illusion- no country can be so perfect, and they are in for a surprise!

·         12. Jealous friend Ju Mi.

·         13. Illusion that it is heaven, must be magic word.

·         17. You, little one, are my hope. This reminds me of my Pastor and how he said that while he was in another country someone wanted him to take their baby back to America to give it a future. They were willing to entrust their child into the arms of a stranger, thinking that just reaching America would solve all problems.

·         18. “I am too old to change.” Illusion of America and how she WILL be successful. Already conforming with hairstyle and hasn’t even landed in America.

·         21. Culture shock- this is an airplane, not a bus. “Mi gook is only for young people to have a new start, Halmoni said. Not for old people who are used-up dry fish bones.” I thought everyone could go to heaven! (America).

·         22. Legend of Mi Gook being heaven continues.

·         23. Misconception: “In Mi Gook, everyone will be happy and filled with love.” Assumption.

·         25. Linguistic difference. “He makes our words with a big floppy tongue.” I found this humorous because I can imagine that speakers of such an articulate language such as Korean would find it hard to understand an America who talks so fast and slurs so many words!

·         26. Mi Gook is a step from heaven! She tries coke and doesn’t like it but can’t say her true opinion of it. Just because everyone else likes it doesn’t mean you should like it. Apa is so desperate for her to fit in already.

·         28. Feeding into the lies of the future. How can school be in the future if it is so soon? Compared to my first day of school here in America, I realize that our experiences are so different! I was worried about being away from my mom for so long, but I was fortunate enough to know the culture and language already!

·         29- begins to lose identity with only the first name being pronounced (simplified). Vanity comparisons, not all have curly hair (hope I’m not a boy). Lots of different hair colors! Interesting to hear how she interprets words (Tees es Yung).

·         30-32 Major culture shock! Language miscommunication, I can feel the frustration of both characters! Color sticks, repeating lunch, goldfish, what are they?!? So much fear- of teacher, of lunch and eating, of wanting to touch shirt, of not having anything to bring home to family to show what she learned.

·         34-35 Abuse. So sad. Looks like Mi Gook has done nothing but cause problems- should we save money? Rent? It’s not forever.

·         38 “Maybe his hair will be curly because he was born in Mi Gook.”

·         38-39 Apa laughs at the thought of her being president. This crushes her, but Uncle Tim says that in America, women can do almost anything men can do. She interprets the fact that Apa never held her as a baby as the fact that he did not want to. She wonders if her brother, Park Joon Ho, will have the birthmark and he does! Heritage > residence. Baby status has been replaced.

·         41-43 Wants more attention, lies about her family. Gets flowers, kind cards and words.  She keeps “name like boy Park now.”  We can see the status associated with genders here.

·         43-44 Gomo wants her to speak Korean because Uncle Tim only wants to learn English. Reminds me of Chong family and how the children lost communication with their parents because they only wanted to learn English. English makes Gomo’s head hurt.

·         44 Value conflict- in Korea, lies are terrible!

·         45 “I listen to Uhmma and think, I cannot be the great son, but I can do important things. Then I will be the famous Park in the family. Maybe even better than first son.” Competition.  She feels the need to prove herself worthy.

·         46 Motivation to study for spelling test now that she lied about flowers!

·         47 She prefers the balloon over the elephant, but in America I would think the opposite! Interesting how different items are more appealing to some than to others.

·         48 Welcome to the land of surplus, if only at a carnival.

·         50 “Apa still says that someday we will buy a house of our own. For now we are renting. For now has been a long time.” Glass ceiling effect.

·         51 BREAKTHROUGH! She accepts her position as the older sibling and uses her English. Gives crying baby her elephant. This shows a lot of maturity.

·         52 Social barriers due to miscommunication, “going with someone” does not have dictionary definition. This is challenge I am sure many of my students will face.

·         53 BILINGUAL EDUCATION! “I do not understand why I have to speak Korean at home so I will not forget where I came from. Why did we move to America if I am to speak English only at school?” I can understand why this would be confusing and misleading. Children at this age are vulnerable and want to fit in and feel welcomed.

·         54 “I wish I could be the tall one. Tall as Amanda and not worry about what cider tastes like or what going means.” Joon pees outside but is not disciplined, but rather encouraged.  This must be confusing and hard for Young.

·         59 “Because when the Blob comes and wraps us tight in his arms, holds us so close we can hardly breathe, that is when we can finally put our arms around him.”

·         63 “this was a different Uhmma. Not a sad, tired Uhmma who cooked and cleaned and sometimes yelled, but a stranger who had a friend and a secret language all her own. Not my Uhmma. A Suna.” Being in a safer environment brings about a different Uhmma.

·         65 Joon shows defiance. Effect of Mi Gook.

·         68 Joon pressured to be a man and not cry like a girl. Only the strong can make a future.

·         70 Brochure that says you are the next billionaire can be misleading in America- we know it can’t be true, but to foreigners they may not know this!

·         88- Immigration office visit is so draining!

·         94. She comforts Apa and he reaches for her hand.

·         95-97 Uhmma takes the place of Apa in the checkbook- he has left her.

·         103. It is interesting that Uhmma and Apa don’t want her to hang out with an American girl because she can influence her. Yet, they wanted her hair curled so she would look very American. Stereotypes.

·         104. Big disgrace to borrow money from others. “We are Korean. Do not forget.” “Then why did we move to America?” I think this is a big question that many students may wonder. It makes me think back to class with the activity with culture shock situations. Many people from other cultures and countries may wonder why someone has not paid them back in America. However, people don’t always pay others back here, which may be considered rude or disrespectful!

·         109. Not allowed to see Amanda anymore. “The only person who lets me ask questions and be someone other than a good Korean daughter.” Young is being tested and tested and this could be a breaking point. She is trying hard to fit in, but is facing a lot of opposition.

·         116. Even Apa rebels by driving when he shouldn’t be. Does not return for 3 days, worries everyone.

·         120 In Korea, the police are not “friendly” officers.

·         129. “Your life can be different, Young Ju. Study and be strong. In America, women have choices. I stand up. Stare straight at Uhmma. YOU have choices, Uhmma.” They are believing that America is going to make problems disappear, but really it is an individual choice and perspective.

·         133. Joon has been skipping class, trying to escape the sad reality in which they live. “Get out of here and mind your own stupid nerdy business. You’re probably jealous that I even have friends at school Who are you friend, Uhn-nee? Who do you eat lunch with? The books at the library?” If he had grown up in Korea, would he talk like this to her?

·         143. Finally, Young receives affirming words. “You are my strong girl.” They have the choice to move to Korea again, but they decline it. Even though Young didn’t want to move to America in the first place, now she really doesn’t want to move back. She is stuck in between two worlds for now. Soon Mi Gook will become her true home.

·         151. Hands tell a lot about our identities and how we have been raised. They often literally show our experiences in life- especially the callouses and scars. We must never forget our past, just as it is carried in our hands.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave me another opportunity to see the devastating realities that many immigrants face. It is easy to try and picture a happy transition to America, but this is not reality. As we discussed in class, older immigrant stories seemed to paint a nice picture, but as more and more stories came about, we began to see the truth behind moving to America. Throughout this book, I enjoyed taking notes and seeing the social, academic, emotional, and certain other struggles that Young, along with her family, faced and tried to overcome to ensure the best futures they could for themselves. Mi Gook seemed like the answer to so many problems, but it also became the root for many challenges.

 

I really enjoyed reading the article by Dr. Kang on the effects of family involvement on bilingualism. It became even more evident to me upon reading that parents must be very consistent and supportive in their use of the home language, or minority language. Bilingualism proved to be most successful when at most one parent spoke in the majority language. Support is clearly needed both at home and at school. As a future bilingual educator, I want to be able to encourage the parents of my students to support their children in further developing their native languages. After all, these native languages are assets that equip students with more life knowledge.

 I found it interesting that parents rely on popular parenting books and personal experiences in determining how and if their children should be bilingual. I hope that as a teacher, I can be a reliable and trustworthy resource for these parents as they form their decisions as well. The article stated that the language barrier is perhaps the greatest barrier keeping Korean parents from involving themselves in the school.

When students focus just on the acquisition of English, research shows that these learners often have weak literacy skills and their production skills lag behind their comprehension skills. I currently help run a Reader’s Theater program where I can help bilingual students further develop literacy skills in their native languages.

When I lived in Spain, my Spanish host parents would only speak to me in Spanish. I know that they knew a little English, but they knew it was in my best interest to speak to me in my minority language, Spanish. This was a tremendous help because I could really value and see the importance of speaking Spanish. I became that much more of an effective communicator in Spanish.

Another part of the article that I found interesting was why Korean parents want their children to keep Korean. The fact that they want them to made me very happy because it is a tragedy when children forget their native language and lose this meaningful communication with their parents, who may not be able to speak English yet. The reasons for keeping Korean as well are as follows: languages are identity markers, the parents want to avoid language barriers in the host country, and there is always a chance of possible return to Korea for familial obligations and economic opportunities.

Overall, this article allowed me to see the true advantages to family support in being bilingualism. If parents are consistent in speaking and using the minority language (native language), their children will benefit immensely. A parental code-switch to English almost always leads to a child’s use of English. That is why parents must use their home language consistently! I really enjoyed reading this article. It definitely pertains to how I want to be as a future educator!