-
Macaulay Honors College
at Baruch, Spring 2013Professor Els de Graauw
ITF Benjamin Miller Log in
Not finding what you need? Search here:
When Your Children Speak English Better Than You Do
[I spoke] very little English and then little by little, listening to the TV or to the, or to the radio or listening other people speak or taking a book and reading a book is how you pick up more the language. And I’m still not, eh, as good as I like to, but I can defend myself.
Schooling and Employment: Introduction
Amongst the many reasons why immigrants come to America, the opportunity to climb the socio-economic ladder has been the motive for hundreds of years. Some arrive with set skills that they then apply to an occupation, but many come with the dreams of acquiring skills in the American education system towards a high-paying job. American schools are unique in that anyone can take advantage of it and anyone can do well in it, and immigrants are often surprised by how liberal and encouraging the environment can be. However, immigrants also often face challenges in education and employment. Like learning English, education is a necessary stepping stone for attaining employment, and yet there are those who face the legal and financial issues of not having citizenship regardless of how hard they have worked.
Language and Norms: Introduction
Although the United States does not have an official language, learning English is arguably the most important component of integration for immigrants. Being able to communicate with other Americans is practical socio-economically, and yet it is not always so easy. Many struggle with learning the language, let alone its unusual idioms, the slang that is so pervasive on New York City streets, and feel even more alienated as a result. To add another level of complexity, immigrants must often communicate with other immigrants who also lack English proficiency! While some use television, books, and music to learn English, others manage to fit English classes into their busy city schedules. Younger immigrants can learn English in the American education system, and yet many immigrants also view learning English crucial to doing well in school so that they can find higher-paying jobs. Learning English is undoubtedly a stepping stone for immigrants, whether it is for themselves or for their children.
Introduction
Although New York City has been a major point of entry for immigration for hundreds of years, immigrants still experience a culture shock. The different smells, incredibly novel and unusual sights, and vast multiracial population can be both captivating and intimidating. For some, the chaos can be disenchanting from the city that has been immortalized in global popular culture. One thing is certain: there is no place like New York City elsewhere in the world.
Born and Raised to Sit Down and Keep Quiet
Beatrice, a 20-year-old Italian immigrant, speaks about individualism and having a voice in America:
Here, I feel like its less disciplined, like, in comparison to schools in Italy, here, I think people speak up more. For example, if students have a problem with the test, they will be more open to the teacher, saying like, oh, but you didn’t say this was on it….people speak up more, and they were taught that what you have to say matter, everyone has a voice. And I’ve never really been like that because I was taught to keep quiet and stay in my place. I feel like the ideology here is that you’re an individual and it’s very foreign to me that people fight back and say, ‘I’m an adult, I’m an individual, you can’t tell me what to do…’
A Colorful Culture Shock
Beatrice, a 20-year-old Italian immigrant, discusses her impressions of the American school system and issues of safety after experiencing the 2001 terrorist attacks on NYC:
Everyone was just white. In my class there were no Blacks, no Chinese. All my friends were just white. I mean I’m not prejudiced or anything, but here people integrate more. There, I mean everyone is Italian. There’s no one from England or France or anything. It was very—it’s just, I don’t know, it was a culture shock. Oh, and it was right after 9/11 too. 9/11 happened on my third day of school, and I didn’t speak any English. My mom sat next to me and had to translate everything because I didn’t know what was going on. And it was just, it was very scary, that’s all. I didn’t feel safe here, I didn’t like where I was, I didn’t like the people at school… I stuck out. Like I was just used to a different kind of life.
Undocumented and Less Worthy
Fernando talks about his knowledge of the United States prior to immigrating.
I knew, is that if someone is here illegally and they do something, the first thing that happens is that they get deported—I knew I wasn’t going to have any right—Like hospitals, I wasn’t going to be able to go to one and receive medical care. I thought that if something happened to you, no one was going to help you, not even the police.
Learning English and Making Friends
Fernando talks about going to night school and how that expanded his social circle:
I went to night school in order to learn how to speak English. I speak it well, or so I think, but it is really difficult for me to read it and write it. [And] I met people; I met some of the people who I consider my closest friends. I also met my fiancée.
Learning English
Eliza, a 48-year-old immigrant from Belarus, describes her difficult but rewarding procoess with learning English:
I can say for sure that the language, I mean, English, improved a lot since I came here. There is no doubt, especially when you interact with people. Most of the time, I speak Russian at home, but when it comes to work or communicating with people even outside the home, you speak and practice your language skills. Also, when you watching TV, or you’re reading…I don’t know. I only read English books, I don’t read that much Russian language. Especially when you practice, it helps you a lot to improve your language skills. […] I wanted and I needed to because without knowing English – everyone speaks English in this country, so it’s necessary for you to learn to be able to, as I mentioned before, to be able to communicate with people, to find your job, to do the other stuff.
American Life
Eliza, a 48-year-old immigrant from Belarus, talks of her experiences adjusting to life in America:
Basically, it was… in the beginning, it was very hard and difficult process to get used to all the new surrounding in terms of cultures, customs, and without knowing of language, it was hard to land any job, and we went to…we started to study language to the extent that we can communicate freely to…go to different places, to communicate with people, and finally we went to college to some…to get some kind of degree and majors that we can utilize in this country.
Surprisingly Politically Active
Neville, a 63-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, remembers that college jumpstarted his political activism in the United States:
In college, you know, I was very, very involved. Very involved. Did some fundraising for, you know, like drought areas in the Sahel Desert. Sahel is a region that goes across, uhm, Africa and the Sahara – Chad, Mauritania, uhm it’s like a dry belt and it’s had bad situations with drought. So you get involved with that at that level and on the college level, you had struggles with English department, uhm, dominating the African Studies department. Things like that… and it’s not just the, uhm you know, race or anyting like that. I did a lot of stuff: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch…
Shocking Street Language
Neville, a 63-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, reveals a light-hearted anecdote on his introduction to American slang:
Uhm, a part of it is that culture thing, that language, the jargon, the street-language. I heard for the first time the word “MF.” Right? How I heard “MF” was that one young man introduced me to, uhm, his friend. And uhm, he said to the — in the course of talking, he said “You are a MF” and I took it literally!… And I-I-I just couldn’t even look at the guy, you know?… When the person left and the next person came up, another person called him the same word. I noticed that when they were using the word, they were smiling! Then I-I asked what that meant, and they said no it’s just an expression, you know. It was one of the things I had to go through, you know. It doesn’t necessarily mean how it sounds.
The Jailhouse Lawyer
Neville, a 63-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, discusses how he combats discrimination, not only for himself but also for those who cannot stand up for themselves:
Well I’ve experienced discrimination on the job. You experience it back in the 60’s, 70’s yeah… What happened to me was that I had a good sense of self. On the job, wherever I worked, I was the jailhouse lawyer, you know. What that meant was individuals who were not treated fairly and needed formalize their grievances with the company, I would write their letters, when nobody knew. You know, so individuals– sometimes people are about to be terminated, and uh, we’d just talk and I would write the letter personally with them and they could put their letter in the file and they’re still on the job.
Missing the Homeland
Jenny, a 20-year-old woman from South Korea, speaks about why she misses home:
I want to go back to Korea. No offense but I don’t like it here. I don’t like the way everything is set up. In Korea you can go anywhere by walking. On every street there are little stores. Where I live now you have to drive a car, I’m 30 minutes from the nearest store. Also the subways are much cleaner than here. There are also glass doors. The train arrives and there are glass doors to prevent people from falling into the tracks. Here it’s so dirty, and smelly, and there are cockroaches, and rats.
Accepted
During his time of assimilation, he has been treated like an equal.
…I will say I think I have ever feel discriminated but I have seen that on other people. At work, on tv, people that I know. But I will say to me, not really. I don’t really remember that I hear anything racial or I got any problem like that. But I hear it. You know, when I go to work, on the train, I see some people shouting to the other people either from my country or other Latin people. And yeah, probably one time. Probably one time. I was listening to Christian music and there was this guy. He was not a Christian and he was like oh why don’t you take off that music. He was saying bad words. I just calmed down and I didn’t want to get into problems. So I said if it bothers you I’ll just turn it off. But I’d say that is a religion problem, not racial.
If We Win the Families, We Win the World
Ralph, a 29-year-old Mexican immigrant, came to the United States nearly 12 years ago. Now, as an appointed and certified minister, Ralph seeks to help bring about social change in America through his ministries:
And as a church or as a minister, as a member of the church, one of the goals, one of the dreams that I had is helping the families to grow together. If we win the families, we win the world. If we rescue the families, we rescue the country, our world. As an immigrant, it was a challenge to learn all these things because my only goal when I came here was to work. Just to get money. But it all has changed. It all has changed. So I will say my contribution as an immigrant, even though it is a big challenge, I am learning and even though it is in English language, I want to become a teacher. Teaching the Bible and helping these families to stay together and keeping families together. At this time, it is very easy when families start and they just broke up. All the kids are without parents. Many kids. We don’t want that in our church. We want families to keep to continue together and grow together. I think it’s a big contribution to society
Learning English Can Be Fun Too
Ralph, a 29-year-old entrepreneurial immigrant, came to the United States from Mexico nearly 12 years ago. His undocumented status did not hinder his attempts to learn English:
Yeah because I tried school. First thing I want to do was try school. I went to the English school and I start learning, but I thought it was too slow. Like what is your name. all these things. A lot of these students, this will take a while. I just went two times. Because I love listening to music. I went to the record store, and I bought music. I read the songs as I was listening. So I was listening so I learned the pronunciation . I was reading at the same time. Then I got the dictionary to translate all the words. All the songs. So translate it, I listen to it, and I repeat it. And I was doing that for almost every day. And I listen to the songs going to my work, coming back. Translating the songs. I learned a lot in a single year. I was already speaking English. Then I just stopped doing it. That was my problem. I shouldn’t stop doing that. I thought okay I can defend myself. But it was that way. It really worked, I just learned real quick.
Difficulties of the English Language
Jenny, a 20-year-old woman from South Korea, speaks of her difficulties with learning English:
I didn’t even have friends. When I first came here English was my biggest problem. I did not understand a single word they said. And the kids made fun of me because I didn’t know English, I feel like they were talking about me but I didn’t get it. […] My mom tried so many things on me. She tried phonics, she tried vocab words, she tried movies, she tried TV shows, making me read newspapers, none of that worked. […] I was a total failure though. I started understanding English from school. I started talking to the teacher one-on-one. That kind of worked.
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
Although Lilya learned English back in high school in the Ukraine, she hadn’t used it until she came here at the age of 42:
When you start life all over again, at 42 years old, it’s not easy. But I think you know, some people think that my English is not good, I understand that my English is not good, but in some way I understand that I accomplish a lot.
It’s Not Your Fault
Throughout Lilya’s 17 years in New York she never felt discriminated against by America or it’s people:
You know, I like this country. And I like to live here. Despite, you know, to be an immigrant, it’s not an easy (chuckles) it’s not an easy process. And through these 17 years, I went through many difficults. I went through many problems, but you know, I whatsoever happened to me here, I never ever blamed the country, I never ever blamed the United States.
Becoming American
Not only when you speak the language because you can speak the language in any other place, in different countries. You can speak two, three, four different languages. That is not the case. Its when you are already so many years in, in the United States, that you forget that you were born in a different country. And everything here is, for me, is perfect… [Its about]the time that you already spent in some place that you don’t think anymore about your past, you think about your future.
The Center of the Universe
James, a German immigrant, talks about why he loves New York City:
It is the center of the universe! It’s so… the variety of people, of languages, of customs, of traditions, of… you have access to so many things. It is a city, although so big, so organized. The subway system and all the planning of the roads and being done by somebody that was very smart. I don’t know if it has something to do with Robert Moses or one of those outstanding New Yorkers. The planning of the city, the way the streets and avenues are, it’s amazing how they planned that. They are now using tunnels that were built a hundred years ago. I think that was extremely clever.
Beer Before Milk
James, a German immigrant who has been living in the United States for 45 years, talks about what he finds strange in the United States:
Then it wasn’t a law but they were already trying to push as a law… the drinking. The drinking age should be twenty-one… In Europe we always had beer and wine at home. It was like… I always say that my mother gave me beer before she gave me milk!
Coming to America for Education
Lucy describes why American education makes America so great, and the opportunities it creates that Guyana lacks:
This country like I said, have educated all my children. Made me get houses, and cars, I couldn’t- I didn’t even have a bicycle in Guyana. I have my money- you can work over here- once you work you can buy anything you want. Like dey se the sky is the limit. You can do anything you want. You educate yourself until you are 80 years old. In Guyana there’s no way you can go to school after a certain age. You don’t have the money, the means the nothing. And after that you don’t have a job, even. But this country- God bless this country. I love- I will not trade it for anything.
Coming to America For Education
James, a German immigrant, talks about why he came to the United States:
I was always in the American school system. I said, well I’m studying all this [including learning English]… it’s something I would like to do. So I said, ‘Let’s begin giving it a try by going to the university there.’ And of course, once I got here… it was like I was finally home!
