Rpdriguez Blog - Soua

Blog #1 Rodriguez – Soua

In a way, I do identify myself with parts of Rodriguez’s experience. On page 431, Rodriguez states “….that a teacher had said I was losing all trace of a Spanish accent.” As my siblings and I started going to school, we learned a new language, the English language. We spoke more and more English and it became our primary language at home instead of speaking our native language, Hmong. As I spoke more and more English, it became harder for me to speak Hmong. I know how to speak Hmong, just that I started mispronouncing a lot of words. My parents brought us here to America so that we can go to school and get an education and live a better life, just as Rodriguez’s parents. They did not mind that we were speaking more English than Hmong because English is the language that everyone speak here in America, as long as we spoke Hmong to them.

Rodriguez referred to himself as a “scholarship boy,” a good student but troubled son. He did extremely well in school and always wanted his teachers’ attention. He spent his time at home reading books and doing homework instead of playing with other children which his parents started to question. Seems as his parents wanted him to put his family first but instead he made school his priority. His desire to learn caused him to distant himself from his family. I find this interesting because for me, it was the opposite. My parents encouraged us to read books and do our homework. They knew that hard work will pay off one day. Us going to school actually brought my family closer together. My parents always found ways to help our education. Even though they could not help us, they found ways to help, such as putting us in after school programs to help us with our homework. When I was in elementary school, I was so eager to learn. I connected with all my teachers and wanted their attention, just as Rodriguez did. I would stay after school so that they can help me with my homework. The time we spent after school was a way for us to bond. I went to a very diverse school, many students with different cultures. I believe that because the school I went to was so diverse, the student and teacher were able to connect to each other. Our teachers understood that we come from families with different backgrounds and spent a lot of time with us, making sure we understood what was going on in class and also learning new things from us, such as our cultural differences. I was a good student and a good daughter. I was able to balance school and family.