Kuma Ch. 11

In education today, there is a greate amount of debate over whether standardized English should be taught in school.  Kuma brings up the very questions that feed this debate.  How is a high status determined? Who determines it?  How do we define "educated" people?  Is there a right or wrong answer to these questions, it depends on who you ask.  In bilingual education, we are constantly talking about how important it is to incorporate the students' L1 in the classroom because then they feel appreciated and more comfortable.  But at the same time they do need to learn some standard variety "for personal growth and professional opportunitites" (p. 258).  The key is to have some sort of equal balance between the 2 languages/  Unfortunately, with the English Movement, specifically Proposition 227 in California, students are being forced to ignore the most valuable learning resource that they naturally possess: their native language.
As educators, we have a responsibility to help our students excel and shine.  As Kuma states, and I whole-heartedly agree, "the least teachers can do is to recognize the rich linguistic and cultural heritage the learners bring with them and use them as resources" (p. 249)  Studies show that if this is done, students can achieve the standard variety as well as be more involved in the classroom and more motivated.  If the students feel comfortable enough in the classroom setting to use their L1 with fear of judgment, this can do wonders on their progress as English Language Learners.  Students need to feel that their native language and culture is being respected and utilized because every single student has so much to bring to the table of learning; teachers just need to be willing to allow them to do this.  And as Kuma says, this will help them reach their goals for their L2.