Qualitative measures
Teacher codes
- This is another apathetic viewpoint that is making people lose their sense of pride about America.
What is another apathetic viewpoint? Which viewpoint? Define what you mean by "This."
I will make these points: English is NOT the language in danger of being lost. It is the Tyrannosaurus rex of languages and it eats all other languages
for breakfast. Remember on the first day? The recording we heard was on dying and endangered languages and what a loss to humanity this is. They talked about
a mass extinction of languages happening right now. English is among the most dominant at the moment.
Also, learning about languages in general or even learning languages in particular is NOT apathetic. It takes a world of dedication, motivation, perseverance,
and time to learn these things well.
With regard to the idea about people losing their sense of pride for this country- that is not what is happening. The studies I have seen actually say that
children of immigrants are assimilating to this culture much faster than in generations past. This doesn't surprise me. Our technology is giving us
communication abilities beyond compare!
But just because they are assimilating doesn't necessarily mean that they are getting that sense of pride for our country either. To get that, teachers must
present themselves as ambassadors for our culture and our language. Ambassadors must be well versed in the best ways of their own culture as well as
the cultures and languages of others. If we do not present ourselves in the best light with our best values intact, our students are liable to reject
everything about us especially the pride that you and I feel so greatly for this country.
Thanks for writing,
Lisa