Well, this is a post of a different nature. Many moons ago, an old friend Steve Leveen asked if I would do a podcast where he interviewed me for his site and project: America the Bilingual. I did but promptly forgot about the initiative until he just completed a podcast called Buds of Bilingualism and there I am speaking Icelandic. It brought back memories, reminding me of my own tradition where I give the introduction to my remarks in the language of the nation where I am speaking. I had recently been in the Yakama Nation and started my remarks at Heritage University in Yakama. So, you are interested in how to use foreign language to develop cultural competency, this podcast's for you. Link's below. But, for me, the podcast also raises a deeply troubling question in American education. We seem to look down at our non- or beginning English speaking students. Because they do not speak our language, we assume them to be "lesser." Yet, they speak more languages than most Americans -- they speak their native language plus at least some English. So why do we denigrate others who speak a non-English language well and are learning English rapidly? Can you explain that? Here's the podcast link:
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