by GEHRY OATEY
Dame algo good to eat.
Dave Chappelle just performed 21 straight shows in Oakland to an incredibly diverse group of people. Some nights he performed 5 hours straight without a break. And you know what he said he wanted to be when he was growing up—A TEACHER!! He is of course a teacher in another sense. He helps to relieve us of the multi-cultural boundaries that exist between us.
Which brings me to the importance of multi-cultural education in schools. Youth need to identify themselves with where they came from and they also need to learn and appreciate that about others.
Regardless of where you are on the planet, food is an excellent tool for breaking down social and cultural barriers. Dave Chapelle makes a pretty good living hammering away at our insecurities around race and gender. If you visit a school cooking class, you will see that it too is an excellent space for doing the same. The other day at our school farmer’s market, I overheard a brief argument between two students and a parent about the produce in front of them.
“Squash is camote.”
“No squash is calbasa.”
“What you be calling squash? This is a sweet potato!”
It’s hard to stay quiet about what you put into your body. Like language, the food we eat influences how we identify ourselves, how we interact with others, and how we interpret different tastes and experiences.
Our school is one of many across California experimenting with dual immersion language programs to build what is referred to as “social and cultural capital.” It has been proven that such programs “help youth to successfully cross socio-cultural and linguistic borders—which allows them entry into multiple, potentially supportive community and institutional settings.” (Social Capital and the Reproduction of Inequality: Information Networks among Mexican-Origin High School Students, Stanton-Salazar and Dornbusch, 1995). For those of you in the Bay Area who want to learn more, San Jose is hosting the annual CABE (California Association for Bilingual Education) conference this coming March 10th-13th.
What better place to facilitate a dual language immersion program than the kitchen? In addition to learning the names of foods, students are in a hands-on learning environment that requires large amounts of problem solving dialogue—a classroom where speaking is encouraged in a natural and supportive way.
Propostion 227 dismantled bilingual education in California and designated English as not only the dominant language, but as the ONLY legitimate language in which academic learning is to occur. So if you want the skills to go and work in a restaurant or food service job in California, you better not speak anything but English?
Whether or not you agree with dual-immersion education, it’s hard to ignore the fact that speaking a second language in California is social and cultural capital. It’s also hard to ignore the enjoyment and excitement that takes place in the kitchen when youth and adults exchange ideas (and cultural identities) while discussing the best way to prepare squash. The exchanges that take place while cooking break down the social and cultural barriers that many times segregate school environments. Such multi-cultural interactions satisfy, at least temporarily, our need to connect with one another regardless of race and gender. I’m willing to bet that Dave Chappelle would agree.
Gehry teaches cooking and gardening to middle schoolers at Melrose Leadership Academy in East Oakland.
29 Comments
February 24, 2010 at 11:45 am
Gehry,
Thanks so much for the work you are doing… and sharing with all of us… one step at a time, one veggie, one day… whatever… progress is slow but we just need to chip away every day..
Sue
February 24, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Gehr! I love the connection you make between food and language. I agree, we identify ourselves with the food we eat as much as the languages we speak. If we are exposed to more types of food (more types of language), if we learn about them, we gain the cutural, social, and intellectual capital that is necessary to navigate this system… a system which has historically excluded particularly people of color.
We need to keep pushing forward to change the educational landscape to promote the celebration of different languages; to push for food equity in our schools, and to make sure all of our students here in Oakland are given the tools necessary to thrive.
Keep up the good work compa!
February 24, 2010 at 4:11 pm
YeAh kEeP It uP gHeRy
February 24, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Hello my name is Sebastian I am 13 years old and I go to Melrose Leadership Academy. I agree that it is better to know two languages to get a better education. It is better because in some jobs people may speak Spanish instead of English. Also, it is better to speak two languages in case you have a job to translate. An example of this is a teacher because they sometimes have a student who knows know english. What the teacher does to help the student is to make sure she translates what she is saying to English. This is why I believe that it is better to know two languages instead of knowing just one.
February 24, 2010 at 3:40 pm
I argue that it is important to have a bilingual education. I believe you have a right vto your heritage. I think that no one has the right to say you can’t speak your own language. Ghery knows how bilingual education is an important part in Calinfornia. I have Ghery as a Cooking and gardening teacher.
February 24, 2010 at 3:48 pm
It is important to teach kids about their culture because then they might be excited and want to learn more about where their ancestors came from and where their parents are really from. Food and language are the same because you can put your culture inside the food and food is a way to show your feelings too. Sometimes your food can be sad or happy.
I am a student from Melrose Leadership
February 24, 2010 at 3:49 pm
I think that it is important to have bilingual education. I believe that it is important because it helps us learn about different cultures. Being able to be bilingual can help people get better jobs. I have had Gehrys cooking class before and it is a fun class. Being able to know a second language is good in life. By being able to be bilingual i feel proud because im able to represent my culture.My name is Rosalinda and i go to Melrose Leadership Academy.
February 24, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I believe it is really good to have bilingual education in cooking classes. I believe that because it helps us learn different types of food. It helps us learn different cultures too. I had cooking class with Mr.Gehry and it was fun. We talked about different kinds of food, vegetables, and fruits. Sometimes we went to the gardens and watered the plants and picked out fruits and vegetables. We also went to the kitchen and started cooking. we mad different types of food. Food helps us learn different cultures, how they live, and how people eat. I am 12 years old and i go to MELROSE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
February 24, 2010 at 4:13 pm
I BeLiEvE tHaT TwO!
February 24, 2010 at 3:52 pm
The reason it is important for kids to learn about where they came from is so they can get a picture or visualize where they came from. They can learn where there family was from maybe even if your family struggled back then. Food can be where you came from too. For example tacos they came from Mexico. Also, if you are mexican spanish is important because that is the main language you have to learn. The same thing with chinese and asians they all like rice. Because rice is also where they came from. I am Hugo Moran and I go to Melrose Leadership Academy and I use to have Ghery for my homework class.
February 24, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I am also 12 years old.
February 24, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I think that it’s important to have bilingual education. I think that it’s important to have bilingual education because that way(we the bilinguals)we have more opportunities for jobs. I also think it’s important to have bilingual education because that way more opportunities are open in our life. This is why I think bilingual education is important. * I’m a student of Ghery’s cooking class.
February 24, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Yes I believe it’simportant to have bilingual education. Some ways is you have advantages and you can get better jobs. If you get a job and you have aclient that only speaks spanish, you can attend to them. On the contrary if you don’t speak spanish you can’t help your cients. That is why I believe it is important to have a bilingual education. My name is Juan and I’m a student at Melrose Leadership Academy.
February 24, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Hi my name is Esmeralda Vazquez and I do believe it is important to have bilingual education because having both languages makes you be equal for two. Having two languages or being bilingual is an important part of your yourself that makes you important in life. I’m bilingual and when I grow up I will be an important person in life if I finish school and get a good job. !!!!!!So being bilingual rocks!!!!!!
P.s.I’m a student of Ghery’s cooking class.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Being Bilingual R0cks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 24, 2010 at 4:10 pm
HELLO!! my name is jubrille and i am 12 years old, and i go to Melrose leadership academy.
Its important for education to teach kids about where they come from because food can reperesent where you’re from in many ways. Also languages can help your kids know were they are from because its a big part of their culture. Its important to learn more about different cultures because you might not know things about where other people come from and you might want to know.
February 24, 2010 at 4:13 pm
i gO TwO MeLrOsE AsWeLl
February 24, 2010 at 4:12 pm
It is important for education to teach kids about where they came from so ifsome one asks them”, where did your family come from?” They can say it and so they can know a little bit more about thier history and culture.In gehery’s cooking class i have learnd how to cook a torta.
My name is Billy.I am a student at Melrose Leadership Academy.I am 13 years old.
February 24, 2010 at 4:14 pm
yOu kNoW WhAt bElLy yOu aRe rIgHt……YoU Go bOy!!!!!!!!!
February 24, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Hi my name is Maya and I attend the school Melrose Leadership Academy. I am 12 years old. I believe it’s important to have bilingual education because that way you will learn new experiences. It helps you learn about different cultures about different people. For example when we cook we sometimes cook things from different cultures. Instead of cooking pizza all the time we want to cook something from a different culture. Also it helps kids kids who don’t speak Spanish learn more about a different culture. For example learned how to cook a different food that I didn’t know before. That’s why I believe it’s important to have a bilingual education.
February 24, 2010 at 4:15 pm
YoU RoCk GiRl
February 24, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I do believe that it is important to have bilingual educuation because you are equal to two. It is also important because when you get a job sometimes they want you to speak a diffrent language to speak to people that don’t speak the language. You can also get a job that pays well to get good money. Being bilingual is important because knowing how to speak more than one language makes you more successful. I also believe being bilingual teaches you to appreciate part of your culture that you have. That is why I believe bilingual education is important.
February 24, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Bilingual education is important because it helps students understand better. I walk the halls of Melrose Leadeship Academy and I participated in Gehry’s farmers market, and I argue that bilingual education is good because parents come and we could talk to them in Spanish. Kindergardener’s also talk bilingual. When my mom heard all the kids speaking in spanish she was surprised. My mom would tell me that having a bilingual education is good because when you grow up you already have that habit of speaking in both languages. When they are looking for a job they will most likely get a good job because they know both English and Spanish so when a Latino/Latina needs a translator they can help them.
*My Name Is Karina Ordonez, I Am 13 Years Old And Im Ghery’s Cooking And Gardening Class.
February 24, 2010 at 4:24 pm
I am also 13 years old and attend Melrose Leadership Academy.
February 24, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I think that is inportant that education teaches kids about were they came from because they should know more about their past history of were they came from. I think that foods and language can do this because you will learn more about youre past hystory. I think it is also important to have education about where you came from because you can feel a bond from wre you came from. I also think foods can give you tthat bond because you can taste what your ansestors tasted and ate. I am a student at Melrose leadership Academy.
February 24, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I believe that it is very important to teach kids about where they come from because they need to know about their culture, their heritage, their ancestors and the signifigant things that their people have done in the past. Food and language can help do this because maybe people from different cultures like eachothers food and heritage and that can make people come together and learn together As one and see achother for who they are and not their skin color or race.
What you eat and what you drink does influence your day because when you eat good, healthy food and good potions of it you will most likely have a good day and be happy, but when you don’t eat good and healthy it makes you grumpy which messes up your day.
MY NAME IS KENRY BAILEY IV AND AM A STUDENT OF GEHRY’s
February 24, 2010 at 4:39 pm
It’s important for education to teach kids about where they came from. It’s also important to learn about your parents culture. The students can ask their parents and lets see if they remember their main language,and where they come from. In the question,why is it important for kids about where they came from?How can food and language do this?
Food has more than taste.It has a language.Food represents your culture and we can learn about our own history.
February 24, 2010 at 4:40 pm
It is important to show youth about their roots and where they came from. Maybe a boy or a girl has part Asian of African and they don’t even now. It will be nice to see where did they came from. Also, food can show what culture is about and how to show it to others. This is what I think about showing the culture of others or yours through food and language. My name is Yessica Muniz and am 12 years old and I go to Melrose Leadership Academy.
February 24, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I believe that it’s importan to know bilingul education because i think you would want to talk more then one language beacuse they will pay you more when you know more then two language and you will get pay more
May 19, 2010 at 12:48 pm
The connections you make between bilingual education and food are so interesting! I work at an organization called Teaching the Hudson Valley, all the way on the other side of the continent, but I think about a lot of the same things you’ve talked about, especially using local resources as learning tools to help children learn with a more personal connection to what they’re learning about!
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