One Language One Flag (?!?) Not for Me

       
I haven't mentioned this truck I passed as we were coming home from the week of language camp we spent with my aunt recently.  We were on a rural highway to avoid traffic from the busy interstate, and were also there to enjoy a ride in the countryside (though both mis hijos ended up sleeping soundly on the way).  A small, white pick-up truck was coming from the other direction and I quickly noticed that it had writing on the top of the windshield above the driver.

In all capitals and white print (to match the truck of course), was "ONE LANGUAGE ONE FLAG". 

We do live in America, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Obviously this one is not my own. I thought it super ironic that on the way home from a week I spent away from home, just so my 5 year old could practice Spanish a bit more, that I would come across this particular vehicle, with these words posted so prominently on the windshield.

Me quede sin palabras.....

I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to learn other languages and that I can teach my own children and those in the school system, another language as well.

Both my children are consistently taught the "Pledge of Allegiance" (as soon as my mom combs their hair, she stands them up one-at-a-time on the kitchen counter to recite it enthusiastically....I may need to share a clip of this later on!).  The ESL students I teach at school are also taught from a young age to recite the Pledge with their fellow classmates each morning after the morning news, before their classes begin.  They are each "pledging" to the same flag, but have a variety of home languages besides the English they use for the Pledge of Allegiance.

There are many that hold dearly to the "windshield words".  I choose not to focus on them for very long. I feel sad for them, I really do.

Instead, I choose to think, though all do not think as I do, that is precisely what makes life interesting.  We do not all talk the same way, wear the same clothes, or even live the same way.

For me, I choose more than one language....

La Ropa Sucia...A Fotonovela

I recently came across an interesting site that I anticipate could be a meaningful tool for me to use with my ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) students in the upcoming school year.  It involves using a comic strip style of writing called fotonovela  to tell a story.

As I learned from them: "A fotonovela is a comic strip that conveys a social message through pictures and text. A popular media form in Latin American culture, the fotonovela examines human relationships and social issues as represented in the lives of a group of fictional characters.

Fotonovelas have been widely used for educational purposes, often with the goal of bringing a public health message “to the masses.”  The comic book form is easily accessible and associated with fun, the text is simple, and the lesson is embedded in a melodramatic story. All of these qualities lend fotonovelas to creative uses in the classroom as well, with applications across the curriculum and appeal to a wide range of students."
 
Here's how this particular fotonovela is described in detail on their website:
" La Ropa Sucia is a fotonovela produced by ETV and designed to target both Hispanic and non-Hispanic teenagers; the title, which means “Dirty Laundry,” is based on the Hispanic adage, “La ropa sucia se lava en casa.” (“Dirty laundry is washed at home,” or “Don’t air your dirty laundry.”).

The purpose of La Ropa Sucia is to shed light on the issues facing Hispanic teens, such as racism, assimilation, and religious and sub-cultural division, as well as more universal issues such as poverty, domestic violence, access to healthcare and low self-esteem – issues that many teens may face.  By examining and dramatizing the distinctions and the similarities between cultures, La Ropa Sucia aims to increase cross-cultural empathy and awareness.

The story was conceived by Marycruz Figueroa, a first-generation American of Mexican and Guatemalan descent. She developed the project while she was an intern at ETV from Columbia College. La Ropa Sucia was funded in part by the Humanities Council^scand was produced with the support of the Hispanic arts organization Palmetto & LUNA. "

Check it out online by episode or print the pdf to share with others! They even have a site within their site containing info for Educators.

Since the content in this particular fotonovela is a bit more mature than what Big Brother and Little Sister are ready for at present, I may adapt this idea for them instead of showing them the entire story.  I was thinking of having pictures ready, or let them choose from magazine clippings and then allow mis hijos to dictate the story to me.  In years to come, they can write their own comments in the bubbles, and think of which pictures they want to use as well.  It seems like this may be a fun idea to try for both ESL and my at-home, Spanglish bebés. I really like this approach to storytelling!

Have you used such an idea? How else would you use them? What do you think about fotonovelas?