“Mommy, when Mrs. [Teacher] was talking to us about the Southwest region, she called the Rio Grande, Rio Grand. I told her it’s pronounced Rio Gran-de, not Grand, and she said, ‘Well, yes, if you were Mexican or Spanish, you’d say it like that, but if you’re American, we say Grand.’ I didn’t say anything more to her, but did say it again out loud…to myself.”
It took all of my being to not visibly show my outrage for the teacher as my baby girl told me the above. I listened. I asked her about the responses, other classmates’ reactions, and how she felt. I told her I was proud of her for speaking up and correcting the pronunciation. I confirmed that she was correct and reinforced that she should feel free to correct any teacher in the future, because teachers are human and also make mistakes. I reminded her to be respectful about it.
I also was honest with my girl and told her that what the teacher told her, and subsequently the entire class, was incorrect. “You are American and know how to pronounce it correctly, don’t you?” I continued by reminding her that many Mexicans and people of other cultural backgrounds are also American. The two are not always separate, as the teacher made it seem.
As a teacher, there was a huge opportunity for her to not only learn from her own student, but use it as a teachable moment for the rest of the class. There could have been a myriad of other responses. How great would it have been for her to simply hear my daughter out and respond in a manner similar to “Thanks for sharing with us the correct Spanish pronunciation!” There really was no need for the response she chose to give.
See, the thing is that by saying what she did, the teacher excluded many multicultural American people, including my daughter. Being multicultural and being American are not mutually exclusive. Neither is being bilingual. Yet, with one ignorant statement, a group of young, impressionable minds were told to believe that being of another culture means you’re not American and that Americans are free to ignore cultural sensitivities. With one statement, my daughter’s voice was shut down.
Despite how things happened, this incident gave my daughter a chance to learn and even gain some strength. She understands that not everyone will always hear her story, but feels confident that speaking up is the right thing to do. She’s even done so again.
My daughter’s voice may have been temporarily shut down, but her will was not.
I love how you explained this situation, even though it was difficult for you. Sad that anyone would say that, and I’m glad you took this opportunity to share so that others can learn. Your kids have a great mom to guide them through this often cruel world!
It’s about validation. The teacher should have validated your daughter and like you said, she could have said “yes, thank you for the spanish pronunciation!” instead of undermining her and making her feel insecure and not appreciated. I know this feeling and my son, had a similar issue. At school they have Spanish class, and the teacher came in on the first day and asked if anyone spoke Spanish. My son raised his hand along with a few other “latino looking” kids and she overlooked him and spoke with the others. He didn’t know what happened, but I do. She saw his blonde hair, white skin and thought “Watching Dora doesn’t count.” Which even if he didn’t know Spanish and only did know a few words, she could have VALIDATED him by asking him what he did know and make him feel a sense of pride. Anyway, I am very very passionate about the importance of bicultural and bilingual upbringings and I know my kids will have a reverse struggle because no one will think they are hispanic enough or overlook them when they say they speak the language. You handled it well and its wonderful to see kids and other like-minded parents taking a stand! 🙂
Love your point about VALIDATION… very true!!!! Assumptions and stereotypes is something we all should work on, but particularly someone who works with kids. because prejudices and stereotypical behaviors are learned…
This is an uphill battle our children will have to face for the rest of their lives. But I command you for taking the time to spin it into a moment of teaching.
Ademas, la maestra perdio la oportunidad de dar un excelente ejemplo de humildad, que tanta falta hace hoy dia.
Unfortunately, many people in the US are the most insular people around, even though it’s a country built on the power of the immigrant.
Americans are people from the Americas – North America, Central America, South America and even the Caribbean. People from the US have taken the adjective AMERICAN all to themselves, when it’s an adjective shared by people who like on 2 entire continents. In Spanish, we have a word for people from the US – estodounidenses. Just like Canadians, Mexicans, Argentinians, Peruvians, Puerto Ricans, have their specific gentilic but also we are all AMERICANS because we belong to the Americas… people from the US should have their own too. In English… mind you because the Spanish language already provides for it.
The fact that something is “by use and custom” said wrong, does not make it right. The Rio Grande had it’s name WELL BEFORE the institution of the US, therefore it should be pronounced correctly, not a bastardized version invented by lazy people who do not care to learn the right way something is named. This teacher should know better. For some reason it’s called Rio Grande and not The Big River… just sayin’.
I applaud you and your daughter… and your emphasis that any future comment/correction should be done with the uttmost respect. Because after all, we must also teach our kids that teachers/adults are people who need to be treated with respect, regardless if they’re right or wrong in any specific situation. Treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated… the truth will always prevail.
Wow! That teacher have so much to learn. BUT loved the way your girl and you used the opportunity to learn from it.