Feature Of Course She Will Learn A Cultural Pedagogy in Bilingual Transitional Kindergarten with Newcomer Students G. T. Reyes & Bernadette Pilar Zermeño Introduction is defined as a student who has been in the and stratified economic, social, and cultural U.S. for fewer than 3 years as of January attitudes of a society (Aronowitz & Giroux, On 5-year-old Darya’s (pseudonym) 11 and speaks a language other than En- 1985; Ayers, 2004; Bowles & Gintis, 1976; second day of her new school in the United glish at home. For TK through Grade 2, the Eubanks, Parish, & Smith, 1997). Given the States, Ms. Z asked her father, “Can you tell number of years is based on the student’s way that American schools are organized, me about Darya and if she likes writing and U.S. entry date. In the 2016–2017 school inequality and inequity are predictable. The drawing? She doesn’t seem to want to get a year, approximately 2,000 students were fact that people internalize the unequal and pencil.” Darya’s father looked at Ms. Z with classified as newcomers within the district. inequitable conditions of schools as normal kind eyes and simply replied, “She is eager In Ms. Z’s class, there are 21 students, and natural is a logical by-product of the to go to school every day. She will learn, 4 of whom are classified as newcomers, social reproductive nature of ideology. because she is eager.” With an apologetic while 14 others are classified as English As a system, ideology functions by smile, Ms. Z replied, “Of course she will. language learners (ELLs) in general. transmitting beliefs and practices of how You’re right. Of course she will learn.” Ms. Z reflected on that moment when the world works through relations, lan- Darya was a 5-year-old girl who only she spoke to Darya’s father and labeled it guage, and social structures. By design, it spoke the Dari language and had recently a momentary slip of the anxiety that has is saturating and pervasive, and so those immigrated from Afghanistan to a North- resulted from the increasing pressure at beliefs and practices are taken for granted ern California sanctuary city with her her school for students to perform well and reconsidered as “the way things are.” family. Ms. Z teaches transitional kinder- academically and eventually be “reclassi- This inequitable structure continues, be- garten (TK) at a TK–8 public school. Darya fied” from their ELL status, at which time cause, just as is inherent with capitalism, entered Ms. Z’s TK class, which operates they are given a designation indicating this American ideology believes someone a 50–50 dual-immersion bilingual model, that they are “fluent” English speakers has to be on the “bottom.” with only 2 months left in the school year. (based on achieving a certain score on an Pressures such as these within the in- Interestingly enough, the school English-language achievement test). stitution of schooling are strong. It is easy follows an early-exit Spanish-bilingual Such teacher anxiety is not surprising, for a teacher to succumb to such pressures, model yet has the highest number of ele- because U.S. policy makers show great because they are viewed as the normal mentary-age students who are classified concern about the number of years and conditions in which to operate. What is as newcomers in this urban school district. level of support it takes for ELL students then most critical for teachers themselves Most children who are classified as new- to acquire the necessary English-language are ways for them to remain capable of comers within the school immigrate from skills to achieve in school and become com- being self-reflective, especially when their Honduras, Yemen, El Salvador, Mexico, petitive with their native-English-speak- actions are challenged. and Guatemala. Within the past few years, ing peers (Hakuta, 2011). The attention many families arrived from Guatemala, and urgency directed toward students is where their primary language is the Toward Five Principles to become reclassified (Valdés, 2004) as Mayan language of Mam. quickly as possible and thereby reduce Ms. Z may have been initially in- Within this school district, a newcomer the educational resources needed (Haku- fluenced by the pressures of the school ta, 2011). Educators in turn spend a lot when she asked about her new student’s G. T. Reyes is an assistant professor of their time focusing on what is going interest in writing and drawing. However, in the Department of Educational Administration “wrong” and how they can “fix” it. given Darya’s father’s response—“She will at California State University, East Bay, learn, because she is eager”—Ms. Z did not respond argumentatively nor defensively. Hayward, California. The Role of Ideology Bernadette Pilar Zermeño Based on the father’s comments, she was is a transitional kindergarten teacher Schooling in the U.S. is ideological by regrounded in a way that all educators and early childhood education coach design (Althusser, 1971; Apple, 1990; Dun- often need. The response from Darya’s fa- at the Ascend School in Oakland, California. can-Andrade & Morrell, 2008). It can justify ther reminded Ms. Z that rather than focus and further the inequitable, hierarchical, on performance on tests, teachers should © 2018 by Caddo Gap Press MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 18 Feature be stressing the sociocultural process of Ms. Z later challenged her initial down to his eye level and replied with a learning. What we learn, how we learn, and assumptions when she engaged Ana’s calm voice, “Yes, you do speak Arabic, and what motivates us to learn are very much parents in a general conversation outside it is beautiful. I do not speak Arabic, but I functions of the conditions and situations of school and learned they worked from will learn. Can you teach me Arabic, and I that surround us as learners (Gibbons, 7:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M. each night. This teach you Spanish and English?” Hassan’s 2015; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Vygotsky, 1978). difficult work schedule was the primary body language loosened, his voice softened, With that in mind, this article focuses cause of Ana being frequently late. Ms. Z’s and eventually, they both agreed with a on highlighting five principles crucial to conversation with Ana’s parents allowed handshake. building and sustaining the empowering her to question the assumptions she had Such an interaction set a tone for the cultural conditions needed for children who previously made and to consider the ways kind of positive environment through which are emergent in their bi/multilingualism that the challenges that family faced could teachers make transparent their genuine and have families who recently immigrat- become strengths. Ms. Z reflected, desire to learn from their students and ed to the U.S. We believe these principles, thereby support students’ intrinsic motiva- The families of my students who have when considered as a cohesive framework immigrated here have schedules that are tions to be a part of a learning community rather than disconnected “tips,” operate different—complex and difficult. Living (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Ms. Z paid attention to in direct rejection of educational systems next to a stadium that hires many of our Hassan’s voice, because she believed it was and practices that perpetuate oppression. families, our parents work in the day in important. She recognized Hassan’s cour- These principles offer a cultural pedagogy fast-food restaurants and at night selling age to speak his truth and openly listened that works systemically to raise conscious- hot dogs to enthusiastic sports fans and to it so that she could learn from it. ness of the cultural nature of ideas and concert goers. They clean the stadium Under the pressures of traditional all night and rush home to make sure practices concerning children and educa- policies and schools, another teacher might their child is clean, hair combed, lunch tion (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 2012). packed, and although sometimes late, have responded by saying, “You are in the This article does not instruct readers still ready to learn. United States now, and so you must also what to do. Rather, it presents a val- learn English.” Such ideological baggage ues-centered, principle-based, sociohis- Through her reflection of the material (Espósito & Favela, 2003; Martinez, 2000) torically grounded framework to catalyze conditions of Ana’s family and families reflects how teachers reproduce through readers to critically self-reflect on and like Ana’s, Ms. Z became critical of how their classroom behavior what they im- reimagine their specific educational con- the dominant ideology of schooling that is plicitly gained from their own schooling text. Additionally, while these principles based on objectivity, meritocracy, and equal experiences. Such baggage is complex, but are situated within a TK classroom, we opportunity (Yosso, 2005) had initially teachers like Ms. Z, if aware of that bag- believe that they can be adapted to all of influenced the way she thought of them. gage, can regularly and critically inspect the prekindergarten to fifth grades. Such ideology silences, ignores, and dis- it (Martinez, 2000). This in turn catalyzes torts the experiences of families who have teachers to act in ways counterhegemonic A Values-Centered, Cultural immigrated to the U.S. in such a way that to the dominant culture. Pedagogy Questions Assumptions it creates barriers to knowing each child, Ms. Z eventually learned from Hassan thus in turn limiting a child’s opportunities Each child has a unique history, a set how to say in Arabic “hello,” “good morn- for success. ing,” “thank you,” “you are doing great of current living conditions, motivation for Ms.