When I started reading "Theorizing Translanguaging for Educators" by Ofelia Garcia I started to immediately think about my father's side of the family as they are full blooded Guatemalan. I think about the times at Christmas when the entire family is gathered at my aunt Sandra's house, in my mind I can hear the different languages being spoken to different groups of people. All of my aunts and uncles are at the dining room table chatting and gossiping in Spanish while my older cousins and I are sitting at another table, eating food and talking In English about how everyone has been doing since the last time we saw each other no matter how long ago it was and the younger kids to be in front of the television playing on whatever new game system that had received as a present and chatting away in both English and Spanish about the game. After reading the article I can now recognize this as "translanguaging". Now whenever my aunts talk to each other in Spanish and then switch to talking English when they are trying to have a conversation with me about how my life is going I know why they do it and the purpose behind it.
I wouldn't necessarily say that this relates to me directly but rather to apart of me that's also part of my heritage which is being half Spanish . It also kinda inspires me to want to actually learn Spanish more and helps me understand part of the reason why it's always been so important to my father for me to learn to speak Spanish more fluently.
My cousin Alex and I from Christmas 2018
I really enjoyed reading your blog and your personal story :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you made personal connections and I think as future educators, it is important for us to realize that not everyone speaks English as their first language.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read about you experiencing this first hand in your home. I also liked how this article and your reflection gave you a new perspective to your fathers urging for more fluent Spanish from you.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher you could make a big impact on Spanish speaking children. If you use it in your classroom maybe the students that you have know it and would feel more comfortable to use it. A comfortable student is one who engages.
ReplyDeleteI love the way that you structured your blog! I liked how you related it to your personal experience! I like how you then included a personal picture and i liked how it fit the theme of what you were writing about!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you related the reading to your life. Also, liked how you linked things together about being half spanish and now you understand more about why it is important to learn both English and Spanish. Very well written and very thoughtful.
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