Coconut or Wetback? ¿Coco o Mojado?
As a child, I lived in two worlds – one geographical and the other grounded in language and cultura. Physically, I lived in El Paso, Texas, but on weekends, I crossed the bridge hovering above the Río Grande and spent weekends in Juárez, México. At home and across el río, I spoke español, while at school, all instruction was provided in English. This language/culture divide, created two different environments that I was forced to navigate. Today, I still find myself wandering, sometimes aimlessly, about in both worlds.
I can feel the joy, remembering those lived experiences in Juárez, when we visited my Abuelita Juanita. It was wonderful to play mamaleche with my cousins, and to hear the laughter of my aunts and uncles telling stories, or my Mamá screaming “¡buenas!” when she won a game of loteria. But, I also felt the pain of being scrutinized and taunted by some family members, for living on the American side of the bridge.
Present anti-immigrant sentiment at the highest levels of government has the potential to fuel subtractive ideologies that will further negatively impact students whose first language is not English.
¿Te crees muy gringo? You think you are White?
¿Piensas que eres mejor que nosotros por hablar inglés? Do you think you are better than us because you speak English?
¡Eres un pinche coco – negro por afuera, pero blanco por adentro! You are a fuckin’ coconut – dark on the outside, but white on the inside!
At school, six years old, I was a child that could not speak inglés. Although it was difficult, I tried hard to quickly learn this mysterious new language, especially because my teacher seemed pleased when I was willing to answer in English. It didn’t matter that at that age, I was already able to read and write en español, or that I loved to write long letters to my favorite singer Juan Gabriel. The truth is that no one ever asked what I could or could not do in Spanish, my first language. The students in my class were not always kind and followed my teacher’s lead in disapproving of the Spanish words that sometimes escaped from my mouth.
Please continue reading to hear more of Dr. José Medina’s insights..
La educación dual is the only additive educational program for students who speak a language or languages other than English at home. But, even in many dual language programs, equity and social justice are not the norm.
We are in the United States! Speak English! ¡Estamos en los Estados Unidos! ¡Habla inglés!
Why are you in this school? This is a school for smart kids. ¿Por qué estás en esta escuela? Esta escuela es para estudiantes inteligentes.
You swam across the river to come to school and that is why you are a wetback! ¡Cruzastes el río y por eso eres un mojado!
Sadly, even today, as a dual language leader and advocate in the field, especially when confronted with bias and prejudice based on my first language and culture, whether overt or disguised as a microaggression, I revert back to childhood and ask myself, what is it they see? ¿Coco o mojado?
La educación dual is the only additive educational program for students who speak a language or languages other than English at home. But, even in many dual language programs, equity and social justice are not the norm. Los estudiantes are expected to suppress native language and culture as a means to “fit in.”
In some dual language programs, an English-dominant and mono-cultural lens still drives educational decisions. Curriculum, instructional, and assessment choices are often made based solely on the needs of native English-speaking students or the educators who facilitate instruction in English. Family and community meetings/messages are facilitated/available only in the language of prestige. And more importantly, some students are still being marginalized for not fully aligning with antiquated notions of what it means to be a successful student in U.S. schools. Present anti-immigrant sentiment at the highest levels of government has the potential to fuel subtractive ideologies that will further negatively impact students whose first language is not English.
Please continue reading to hear more of Dr. José Medina’s insights..
In the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, the three goals of dual language are identified. One goal specifically targets the importance of sociocultural competence and highlights the urgency of equity as an integral component of any dual language program. The authors explain that while equity for all stakeholders in any educational setting is important, in dual language programs, it is the only way in which all students, families, community members, and staff can fully be integrated into the school community in terms of “different ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds (2017).”
As an adulto, I still carry the scars born in childhood, and I wonder why I will never be American or mexicano enough, in the eyes of some. Many of the students we serve en programas duales are also living this reality, attempting to balance that which we they are, with what others expect them to be.
I, like them, am many things. I am a tapestry of language, culture, and experience. I am not a coco or a mojado. I am both. I am neither.
