American Exceptionalism
Submitted to Fried American Magazine in 2014, reposting for 2021
by Susan Wang (previously under the pseudonym “Lily Clark”)
#SpeakAmerican needs to go away
When prospective parents roll in for open house night, I continued to be stupefied by their sweet albeit naïve comments.
“This seems like a fun class! You get to learn those symbols, eat those pot stickers and enjoy watching those karate movies!”
To the parents, language is merely an elective. A class to kick back, memorize some fun songs, and watch movies of a cultural matter. In this case, karate, or should I say kung fu movies seem most appropriate. This attitude is understandable, especially when the state only requires students to study two years of a world language to graduate. I have been fortunate to work in a high school that is ranked as one of the best in the state and placing in the top ten in the nation. With the American public education system in the crosshairs of controversy, experiencing school shootings, and poor rankings compared to other countries internationally, working at my school has been heaven sent. Though I have enjoyed learning the ropes of the American school system, I have also found myself loathing how we believe that were so exceptional.
I hear the same, morale boost of ‘encouragement’ at every meeting. “We rank as one of the best schools in the State, ranked high nationally too.” My administration boasts. Albeit optimistic during sobering times, a reminder of our good fortune as educators, we are holding our students back as this attitude drowns out the faults in our system. American students are simply not ready to handle the challenges of living in a global economy especially when world language is not seen as an equal to math or science. Language is one of the keys to success in this day and age.
Again, Language courses in public schools are seen merely as an elective. In addition, the typical non-native speaker begins as late as middle school and even later; high school and college. I am witnessing the slow and painful dismantling of language programs around the district. French is being phased out, German becoming extinct and East Asian languages are hanging there by the skin of their teeth. Internationally, Students in Canada, in Japan, France, and even our biggest economic rival, China (feel scared now?) are buckling down to learn at minimum another language, even two.
In order to move up, in order to provide a globally minded education, it is important for us to recognize and have language acquisition apart of student’s core.
Recall the Coca Cola ad that ignited #SpeakAmerican and #SpeakEnglish? For a country that prides itself for its ‘multi-cultural’ background and a globally idolized culture, this campaign is a huge slap in the face.
We are better than this! Campaigning to speak American reinforces the notion that any other language, besides English, is not recognized, not equally as important, and will not be tolerated in the United States. Growing up in a bilingual household, there was the constant threat of losing our mother language. People harassed you, belittled you, thought it sounded like “ching chang chong”, or pressured you to speak more English to ‘fit in’ because you weren’t ‘normal’. As a result, you either keep it or you lose it. Campaigns like #speakamerican blatantly demonstrate that this attitude remains pervasive in our culture. And the irony is the United States does not have an official language. There is none. What now #speakAmerican?
Despite that, many people cease to keep their mother tongue, or forget it over time because English takes precedence. While learning English is important, it is simply a travesty that the mother tongue is sacrificed. Not only does this attitude neglect the diversity that defines this so called ‘great’ nation we aspire to be, but also validates our disregard to have world language as a priority, thus a product of American exceptionalism.
As cliché as it is, if we want to play with the big boys, the American education system needs to stress the importance of a globally minded education for all students K-12. Science and math are as equally important in a child’s education, but language is the most important tool they can have. And the earlier the better! Not only does it open opportunities, but it benefits us to be more receptive. Working in China, I discovered how just a little could go so far. At the World Expo 2010: Shanghai, 160 of us American college students became ambassadors of public diplomacy simply through dialogue. It was wonderful to witness culture gaps being filled, myths and stories debunked or even recognized. From that experience, it was humbling to hear the insights visitors shared, helping all of us to be more sympathetic and open, thus validating the phrase “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.’’
American schools fall short compared to the rest of the world, but things are always changing. Language immersion programs, study abroad, volunteering, and fellowships are gaining momentum. The IIE along with the State Department are campaigning “Generation Study Abroad” hoping to double the number of American students studying abroad. Right now most opportunities are found at the college level, and if you’re really lucky, high school. It’s not only encouraging, but I’d like to see more opportunities, or I should say, more equitable opportunities in secondary education. So where do we begin and how?
Lao Zi once said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If we want to campaign for language in education then it requires communities to begin the movement. There needs to be an attitude change in our society, in our school districts, and how we market it. We need to stress the importance of language learning to the parent communities, to our school districts, and eventually cast the spotlight at the state level. State and the federal government need to shift the attention onto public schools as they are constantly threatened by budget limitations, mandated testing, and overcrowded schools.
I often hear the rhetoric from parents that learning another language will confuse children, that it’s too difficult, or a waste of time. This sentiment is archaic, almost medieval to even utter. Yes I grant you language can be confusing, but the benefits are endless! Language is a work of a lifetime. It’s important to learn another language, but it takes time, patience and drive to make it work to your benefit. I have to remind my students “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Despite our pride in a multi-cultural society, our pride in how our education system is revered so highly, we should be outraged that we are not demonstrating a commitment to foster language learning. Language can hinder communication, but if we put in the effort, we can forge new ideas, bridge communities, and slowly but surely, #speakEnglish can be a relic of the past.
