Empowering the Individual

After reading all of our responses to the Discussion Board question pertaining to A.M. Baggs’ short film, “In My Language,” I am a quite bit disheartened by our lack of knowledge of “others.” And when I use this term “others,” I am referring to anyone who displays any characteristic, trait, or action that is different from our individual self and what we, individually or uniquely, view as “normal,” “accepted,” “mainstream,” or “natural.” This could include anyone who: speaks a different language, has learning difficulties, has a different skin color, has a religion other than ours, has a physical disability, etc. Simply put, I am speaking of any one “other” than us. When someone is “other’ than us, it is our responsibility to learn about them- learn of our differences and our similarities. Learn about accommodations that must be made on both ends in order to participate together in a common world. Learn how to coexist.

I believe that, perhaps, many of us(classmates, including myself, and other members of society) do not have insight about diversity because we are products of “old-school,” exclusive education. Many of us may have participated in tracked-style education where we were placed with people like ourselves, and not afforded the opportunity to learn with “others.” Because of this, as is evidenced by Baggs’ assertions, we fail to accept and recognize her language as a language, let alone her form of communication as containing anything intelligible. We tend to oversimplify and make assumptions that, “because someone doesn’t have anything to say, they don’t have anything important/intelligent to say.” In doing so, not only do we alienate, invalidate, and disempower complete sectors of society, but we also close ourselves off from the learning process.

In this day and age, when Autism affects 1 in 110 children, 1 in 70 boys (www.autismspeaks.org), our failure to recognize the manifestation of this disorder, directly correlates to our society’s lack of inclusive education for all students. Even though Autism is such a common disorder, many of us lack first-hand knowledge and experience with it. And when we come face to face with Autism, we are uncomfortable and unsure of how to act.

In “Becoming Literate in a Second Language: Connecting Home, Community, and School Practices,” Haneda explores the notion of multiples literacies(p.338). Here, she suggests that not only do ELLs(English language learners) participate in a formal literacy(school), but they also take part in a multitude of literacies outside of school. Haneda further asserts that, “while success with academic literacy in English is important with respect to the construction of a viable academic identity, out-of-school literacy practices in multiple languages must be considered equally consequential in the overall development of students’ identities” (p. 338). These “out-of-school literacy” practices that she speaks of can include, but are not limited to: creative writing, blogging, journaling, attending community-based classes, oral story-telling, etc. Unfortunately, these practices, that most ELLs excel in, are either overlooked or deemed as nonacademic practices.

The bond that ties A.M. Baggs to most ELLs is the fact that we(society) overlook their modes of communication, their languages. Current pedagogical practices force educators to “teach to the test.” This allows no deviation from what has been set forth as the standard, yet archaic notion of “reading, writing, and arithmetic.” These practices do not permit ELLs and the A.M. Baggs’ of the world an opportunity to fully participate in our educational systems. It is imperative to each and every individual student’s success to begin discussions of and the use of a variety of learning modalities. As seen in “In My Language,” not every human communicates best with spoken language or paper and pen. There are numerous forms of self-expression. Some include music, art, dance, and acting. And for some, these are the only ways in which they know how to communicate effectively. To dismiss these methods, we dismiss entire populations of people.

The world is diverse. We speak different, we look different, we act different, we LEARN different. When we not only recognize, but also embrace and encourage these multiple literacies, especially in school-settings, all students can be empowered to achieve success. It is key “that educators reexamine their own assumptions of what being literate means in order to create opportunities that enable students to master a wide range of literacy practices with which they can shape their futures in a rewarding and responsible manner”(Haneda, 343). In order for this to be fully effective, we must really be dedicated to inclusive education- an educational setting that includes A.M. Baggs and ELLs. It is here that we can learn from one another. Learn about our differing learning styles, our varying cultures, our vastly different languages. After all, it is “only when people with differences come together will they learn to understand each other, appreciate each other, and live in harmony” (Aguilar, Fu, & Jago, 115).