“Aria” by Richard Rodriguez

Reflection

        This week article “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez are hitting close to home, when I first came to this country even though I had my family with it was extremely difficult. At the age of sixteen I found myself going to a new school in a different country. I spend the first few months of school, trying to adjust, most of my classes were in English. I didn't understood the teacher or some of my classmates, not all  of my teachers were understanding but one in particular made my life a living hell, I remember one time when she asked me a question and I couldn't comprehend, she just nodded her head with disappointment, after class I asked one of my classmate who spoke Spanish to tell her that I was new to the school and that I didn't spoke English, her answer was that “this was America and that I needed to get with the program, that she was not going to slow the class for only one person” (I got an F for the class), I remembered going home crying, I couldn't understand why she was being so unreasonable, I wish she could have  known how smart I was in Spanish. When I decided to practice English, I remembered getting laughed at by my classmate. I didn't let that stop me I successfully learned to write and read  English but, there are  a lot of kids like me that  come to this country where people don’t speak their language who ended up dropping out school because they don’t feel welcome or like they belong.  I can rely with the author when he talks about how the teachers put a label on him, “slow Kid” because he wouldn't participate in class.  Even now in college I find myself feeling out of place most my classes I am the only Spanish speaking person. 

Comments; while reading the article of “Aria” I find a connection with Delpit, #2 “There are codes or rules for participating in power, that is, there is a “culture of power”. Like me Rodriguez didn't follow the teacher orders (culture of power) therefore we weren't accepted, because we violated the rules of power. I bet that Delpit would have said that in order for us to excel in this culture we needed to be taught in English.