English: Rubik’s Cube

A Rubik’s Cube is a colorful multi-faceted puzzle that can only be solved by manipulating the puzzle to make every face have all solid colors. When learning English there are times when it feels like a puzzle but what makes me think most about Rubik’s Cube is after you decipher the language you start to realize that there are different ways to speak to different crowds. My journey of learning is one that may not be as complex compared to some who did not start in an English-speaking place but basic English was one of the first languages. Although in my house Hebrew was spoken more my parents never lacked when it came to teaching their kids how to speak English eloquent enough to show manners and couth. It wasn’t until later in school that I started to step back and recognize English as I know it today. And much like Amy Tan, I was able to recognize that in different settings you may need to address someone differently and found the need to code-switch. Code-switching is, “the practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation” (google.com). Growing up I went to school needing to know how to differentiate between an A on a paper while staying up with all the changes in “street talk.” For many parts of my academic career, I had teachers that taught with the thought in mind, my students are like empty bank accounts and it’s my duty as a teacher to deposit facts, and this was beneficial in my opinion. It was the differences in my teacher’s age, race, attitudes, and teaching methods that allowed me to grow my own knowledge and apply it to certain situations. The way they spoke from the time they greeted me to the time they send me off was all a part of my identification of the various facets of the English language, and although they may have thought they were pouring in nothing but facts it was my rationalization of the information that allowed me to learn. Knowledge is only as powerful as the understanding behind it and when you are taught by someone who teaches with their own understandings and experiences that’s when you can truly begin to learn for yourself.