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From: Paul Rogers <englishtoday2002@yahoo.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8746] teachers' rights and "ostichlike tendencies"
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The sentiments expressed below represent an
ideal which cannot be realized until teachers and
students have some basic rights. If teachers have to
worry about being unjustly fired, then it is also
naive to expect anyone to "talk Freire." If students
can be insulted and worse for talking in their native
language (which is a violation of the first
amendment), then how can we establish an environment
of trust so as to begin discussions about larger
issues? If English Only is the "law" - then how can
there be discussions of anything, especially in
classes for beginning students?
Paul Rogers
> How people can imagine that all they do is teach a
> language without the
> context of politics, given our population, is either
> an expression of
> naiveté or an expression of their ostrichlike
> tendencies. We talk Freire and
> do something entirely different in our practice. We
> critique academics for
> not being in touch with reality, and then turn
> around and do exactly the
> same thing. We are not teaching high school students
> English as a subject,
> as one does Spanish or French. We're teaching adults
> to speak the language
> of power, the language that will help them negotiate
> this new culture, which
> especially in today's world, is rife with political
> innuendo. Or are we
> teaching discrete, isolated skills sans context?
> Language teaching is not
> some sanitised K-12 scenario where we teach grammar,
> history in sequences,
> with no connection to the reality of learners'
> lives.
>
> regards
> Ujwala Samant
>
>
>
>
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