Assimilation, Xenophobia, and Teachers’ Rhetoric in ESL Classrooms

Undocumented students and students of immigrant families are constantly faced with the pressure of assimilation by fellow students, teachers, and educational institutions. For students of color, whose first language isn’t english, the intersection of xenophobia, racism, and assimilation, causes degradation of their culture, language, and identity, affecting their relationships with teachers and peers, their self-worth, and therefore, their academic success. Many immigrant families live in low-income communities, where there are less educational opportunities and resources. Public schools that are not well funded often have a narrow learning approach that bases a student’s intelligence on standardized tests. Students who are non-native english speakers have an unfair disadvantage because they are segregated from their peers and put into English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, which are often taught by underqualified teachers who cannot speak the students’ home language. These teachers delay English Language Learners’ (ELL) growth and their “drive to “fix” children too often sends the message that what these children’s families and communities have offered them so far is not good enough” (Adair) .

Teachers who only speak english cannot fully communicate and connect with ELL students and their parents, and by not promoting bilingualism in the classroom, teachers are devaluing and erasing the student’s language, culture, and identity. These xenophobic sentiments are embedded in educational institutions and cause many ELL students to internalize it. Ramón Antonio Martínez did a study of sixth graders, which found that they believed switching between Spanish and English meant they had a lack of proficiency in one or both languages, instead of seeing it as a skill and evidence of their intelligence. Lack of love and confidence in their intelligence, home language, culture, and race, affects students’ academic performance and mental wellbeing.

Undocumented students and students of immigrant families constantly experience discrimination through lack of accessibility to basic human rights, the threat of deportation, and xenophobic rhetoric. Schools, where children spend the majority of their days, is the one place that has the ability to be a safe haven for undocumented students, but ends up being one of the key perpetrators of students’ lack of self-worth, security, and academic success. If students were not segregated from their peers and categorized as being “other” and “inferior”, and bilingualism and appreciation for all cultures were embraced, students would be able to thrive, feel empowered, and benefit from a rich and diverse array of knowledge and resources.

Teachers’ rhetoric in the classroom can have a very harmful effect on ELL students if their goal is to “fix” the children and make them assimilate. Many teachers have prejudices towards immigrant students and their families; some teachers blatantly discriminate against them, while other teachers discriminate in more subtle, but just as destructive ways. Some teachers “correct” students when they speak in their home language and discourage the embracement of any languages and cultures that do not fit within the white, hegemonic structure.

Teachers’ who are ignorant of the experiences of immigrant parents, often under communicate with them. For example, teachers assume that immigrant parents don’t reach out to them because they’re not interested in their children’s education, unaware of or disregarding the fact that language barriers, the risk of their status as an undocumented immigrant being made known, and fear of further discrimination, makes it difficult for parents. Due to their ignorance of immigrant communities, teachers don’t build a connection with students’ parents, and instead, take on the rhetoric of rescue, assuming that they are bad parents who aren’t capable of taking care of their own children. The rhetoric of rescue is directly connected to assimilation and xenophobia because teachers are “fixing” and/or “saving” children from their supposedly, backwards and illegitimate language, culture, and family. Of course, this is anything but helpful for ELL students, whose identities’ are being demeaned and erased by the very people who should be encouraging them to expand and thrive. Especially in early education, when parents are most involved in their children’s development, having a strong teacher-parent relationship is crucial to the child’s success.

Even if teachers have good intentions, they can damage students just as easily. For example, teachers will use a “colorblind” approach, assuming that all students have the same needs, strengths, and ways of learning, which causes them to ignore immigrant students’ cultural differences and experiences of racist and xenophobic discrimination that white students never have to face. In order for ELL students to have the best chance of academic success, teachers need to be bilingual, have to be trained in early childhood pedagogy that encourages creative and diverse learning strategies, be able to connect with immigrant families and students on an equal level, and have to welcome and incorporate cultural and ethnic communities into the class curriculum and discussions.

Are ESL classrooms the most effective way for students to learn English while feeling included in their school? ESL classrooms can isolate ELL students from the rest of their peers, creating both a physical and psychological divide, making it easy for them to feel excluded by their peers. At the same time, ESL classrooms can provide a sanctuary and safe space for ELL students to share their experiences with one another, but often that is not the case and is even quite the opposite. If the general classroom and curriculum welcomed all languages, cultures, and communities, not only would immigrant students feel more valued, and therefore able to thrive, but their fellow peers would have less xenophobic and racist prejudices, therefore lowering the amount of discrimination and pressure to sacrifice one’s true identity in order to assimilate.