Foundations Final Project

Interview #3
Female, 46 years old
“Irais”

Socio-Affective:
 What is your country of origin? Is it the same as your parents’?
Mexico, Yes Mexico

 What was your attitude regarding learning English?

Irais was not happy to learn English. Her parents made her learn English and quickly so
that she could help them and the rest of her family communicate.

 Did you feel self-conscious about using your English inside the classroom?
Outside the classroom?
She remembers speaking Spanish at home just like her friends did but speaking English
with her friends at school and while playing. Her mom wanted her to speak English
when she went out with her parents to translate and she was embarrassed.

 What are some of the more memorable moments during your English language
learning?
Irais enjoyed the Nuns at Catholic School. She said they would use puppets, hats, poems,
songs and toys to help with their lessons. She said it was hysterical and made it
enjoyable. She said they would do the lessons in Spanish and English. Her teacher in
public school would give her extra help after school. Her teachers spoke “Spanglish”
and then she and her friends started talking like that. She thought that was fun.

 Can you recall any negative experiences as a second language learner?

She said that there were American kids that would tease and make fun of the non-English
speakers. They would speak quickly in English so they couldn’t understand.

Cultural Identity:
 Was your family supportive?
Definitely, Irais was the one to help the others learn English at home. Some older
brothers and sister never learned English very well. They never adapted to the American
way of life. They kept traditional ways of Mexican thinking and foods. As Irais got older
they would argue about her not being Mexican anymore. They didn’t like her becoming
American and forgetting her culture.

 Do you feel as though learning English had an impact on your cultural identity?
“Lots” Because of learning English she grew up differently from some brothers and
sisters. They have difficulty relating now. Several Mexican, cultural traditions have
been upheld by her sister and brothers. Irais has more American ideas. Her brother
complains that she is not being loyal to their heritage and culture. Some of her brothers
and sisters talk about retiring and moving back to Mexico someday. Irais and her closest
sister do not feel the same as the others. Irais says that her brother watched a lot of
American gangster movies growing up and learned a funny sounding English. Very
mobster like.
  Do your parents speak English? If not, has this created any communication
problems?
Her mother eventually learned English, got her drivers license at age 43. Her father still
has not learned English. Got his Driver’s license at 45. Irais continues to speak to them
in Spanish.

 Do you think you will ever forget your native language? How does that make you
feel?
Never! But is concerned about her daughters losing the language. Sometimes they are
hesitant to speak Spanish. They never speak Spanish in school and most kids have no
idea that they are bilingual. It makes Irais sad to think that unless her daughters take it
upon themselves to keep up with Spanish, most likely they will not teach their children
Spanish. Both girls want to take French as their foreign language option at school.

 What languages do your children speak?

Her daughters, ages 15 and 11 both speak English at school and at home. They both
know how to speak and write in Spanish and communicate with their grandparents in
Spanish.

Instructional Programs:
 Did you learn English in another country or in the US?
Irais did not know any English when she came to the United States. She was literate in
Spanish when she arrived in the US.

 What type of school did you go to? What was the type of program, method, and
structure of the program you experienced while learning English? Was your
native language reinforced?
Irais first went to a Catholic school in Wicker Park. She spent one year there. The nuns
there said they spoke Spanish but Irais had no idea what they were saying. It was a
different type of Spanish than what she was taught. She was kind of scared and nervous.
After one year, her parents moved her to public school due to financial reasons. At he
public school she was put in a program for Spanish speakers learning English. 1-2
hours a day was spent learning content areas like Science and Language Arts in Spanish.
This was for reinforcement. The rest of the day was in English. She remembers her
mother being upset about Irais being in the Spanish classes. Her mother wanted her to
speak and learn English. She was in this program for 2 years and then her mother took
her out of it.

 Was your teacher bilingual? If yes, what languages did he/she speak? Was this
helpful?
In Catholic School, The nuns “pretended” to speak Spanish. They did not help much in
translating. In the public school her teacher spoke Spanish and English. Irais said this
was very helpful although she said they spoke “Spanglish”. (There was quite a bit of
context switching.) She said it was easier to throw in a Spanish word when speaking
English to help the kids understand. Irais said the teacher speaking English and Spanish
was a clear advantage because many of the kids, learning English, were Polish and
Italian. They didn’t have someone to translate like she did. She said the teacher
definitely favored the Spanish kids.
  What were your teachers’ attitudes toward you as an English learner in the
classroom?
Very positive…most people in the neighborhood were all learning English as well. The
teachers were great with the Spanish students. They were challenged and encouraged to
work hard and keep up. The teachers were harder on the Polish and Italian kids.
Teachers didn’t seem as understanding and patient.

 What were some of the memorable/successful strategies used to help you learn
English?
She enjoyed songs and poems in English and Spanish.

 What were some of the methods you did not enjoy or find useful?

 Would you change anything about the way in which you were taught English?

Theory:
 How old were you when you began to learn English?
“I was 7 when I came to the United States from Mexico. I was the youngest of 7 brothers
and sisters.”

 While learning English, was there a time when you were hesitant to speak in
English?
She cannot recall a time when she did not want to speak in English. She remembers
speaking Spanish at home just like her friends did but speaking English with her friends
at school and while playing.

 How quickly did you learn English? How long did it take before you reached a
comfort level or proficiency?
Irais said she felt like a proficient speaker within 2 years of learning.

Practice:
 What challenges has learning English created for you?
There was friction among family members due to some family members learning English
and others not. Issues regarding cultural identity were at the forefront of discussions.

 Did learning English impact your schoolwork or work positively or negatively?

Learning English helped her feel more comfortable in school. She didn’t feel like she
had to hide from the teacher when she asked students for answers. She said by the
middle of second grade she wasn’t hiding anymore.

 Did learning English help or hurt your literacy or reading skills?

Irais feels that learning English helped her reading and writing skills. She is proficient
in both languages and is able to read a wide variety of print materials because of this.

 When it comes to English proficiency, which area do you feel is your strongest
listening, understanding, speaking, reading, or writing? Why do you think that is?
Irais feels she is strongest in writing English. She said she has always enjoyed writing in
English and Spanish.