Culture and Community Impact on Education Language

¶ … nation continues to grow in diversity, our education system will have to deal with problems associated with language and cultural differences. The purpose of this discussion is to analyze the impact of language, culture and community on education. The main focus of our analysis will be the importance of a common language in the classroom. We will begin our discussion by providing the definition of language.

Defining Language

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, language is defined as the "Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language) Language can be share amongst people in a particular culture, ethnic group or people that are members of the same generation. Language allows individuals to express their thoughts and feelings and is essential to success in academics.

Importance of Common Language in the Classroom

Language is one of the most important components of any society and allows individuals to communicate with one another. In the educational environment speaking a common language is essential to the learning process. When teachers and students speak and understand the same language the results can be dramatic. Students are able to learn more comprehensively and teachers are able to communicate more effectively with parents. According to a report entitled "Creating Crisis"

Claudette Leffall-Hardy, an African-American teacher in the Fresno School system, observes, "Kids need to be able to relate to the teacher they see in front of them every day." Fernando Zeladon, a third grade teacher at 66th Street Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles -- a predominantly Latino and Black neighborhood-believes that his all-Latino class benefits from having a teacher who speaks Spanish. He feels that "they can always turn to me and talk to me." (Fata et al. 2000)

Spanish speaking teachers and teachers with second language learning skills to aid students in the classroom are of particular importance. Recently Latino-Americans became the largest minority in America. This translates into a dyer need to recruit teachers that speak the language and that possess the skills to teach children how to speak English. A report published by ERASE concedes that Teachers who share their students' culture and life experiences bring to the classroom an extra knowledge about those students, which they can use to fashion teaching that works. They also serve as cultural mediators among school, parents, and community. Teachers are much more likely to reach out, and to reach out successfully, to parents with whom they feel "at home" culturally. This mediation function has special salience in communities where many parents do not speak English. A teacher who speaks the parents' language and literally knows the place "where they're coming from," can help draw them into their children's education. That parental involvement is a crucial component of academic success. (Gordon et al. 2000)

The need for increased acceptance of language and culture is also essential in early childhood education. An article entitled "Issues of Language and culture impacting the early care of Latino Children" explains that many early childhood programs have a no Spanish policy. According to the article, these policies prohibit Latino children from speaking Spanish during school. These facilities argue that encouraging children to only speak English will aid them in learning the language faster and help them later in their academic careers. Many of these facilities also suggest that parents only speak English to their children.

While some believe that an English-only policy is acceptable and necessary others argue that such policies are detrimental to parents and students. The article explains that when such policies are in place, the child's identity becomes brittle...Their sense of being and their link to family and cultural community is forever broken when made to give up their home language...Insisting that children learn a second language at the expense of their home language at a critical point during their developmental continuum interrupts their need to make sense of the world by relying on guidance from family and community members." (Sanchez 1999)

Culture and Community

Another problem that the American school system faces is the shortage of teachers of color. The importance of hiring teachers of color that share the same language and culture is especially significant for inner city schools. These schools are more likely to have students who are recent immigrants or from minority backgrounds. The report "Creating Crisis" explains,

Fewer than 23% of California's teachers are people of color (California Department of Education). Although educators generally agree that urban, community-based programs that foster the recruitment, training, certification, and retention of teachers of color are an important component in improving the quality of teaching in inner-city schools, anti-affirmative restrictions, especially California's Prop. 209, have put a major kink in recruitment and training. The small number of teachers of color has led to additional pressures on those currently teaching." (Fata et al. 2000)