The effects of poor schooling are very apparent in these two children’s lives. Rodriguez attended a school of religious sorts that was taught by nuns without the least bit of knowledge on how to teach English as a second language.

What they understood was that I needed to speak a public language. So their voices would search me out, asking me questions. Each time I’d hear them, I’d look up to see a nun’s face frowning at me. I’d mumble, not really meaning

to answer. The nun would persist, “Richard, stand up. Don’t look at the floor. Speak up. Speak to the entire class, not just me!”

The nuns badgered Rodriguez with questions in English that he felt were too difficult for him to decipher, think about, and come to a decisive conclusion. These teachers did not understand that his apprehensiveness towards the questions was a result of failure to connect with Rodriguez. If there was a level of comfortability between the nuns and Rodriguez, he may have felt comfortable with attempting to make complete answers, therefore, progressing his English skills greatly. Rodriguez explains this situation: “Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease.” (LS pg. 282) If the teachers had made a small effort to connect, Richard’s apprehensiveness to learn would have dwindled. Kingston also experienced the the lack of connection to her teachers that would have allowed more learning. She didn’t completely understand English!

free. The difference in these homes affected the speed and the comfort ability in which these separate children learned English.

These teachers made the same mistake that Rodriguez’s teachers had, they failed to connect, or gain comfortability that would have allowed the children to talk openly, correctly or not. This would

Some topics in this essay:
Rodriguez LS, Kingston LS, Rodriguez Kingston, Influence Kingston, Speak Speak, family sphere, spheres influence, rodriguez ls, ls pg, learned english, english home, english family, kingston ls pg, kingston ls, schooling children, english schooling, english family sphere,