Cognitive Engagement determines success or failure

Although I am physically unable to attend class, I wanted to share my opinions on the reading and the thoughts it sparked. 

"Language choices and practices determine who has access to resources, power, and control and who does not. Foreing language alienates children." Again, we talk in terms of accessibility and how important of a role in plays into individual's choices to be aware of their environment before they can even become a part of it. This reading brings up an important issue, how do we wish to spread environmental awareness and knowledge if we can't expand our ways of doing so? A lot of the times people underestimate the abilties and knowledge capabilties of minorities because they don't believe WE are able to obtain the importance of issues like environmental studies. WILD, a program dedicated to reaching out to those who aren't as accessible to educational resources, is a program that all other organizations and programs should learn from.

Speaking from my own personal experience, english was my second language. A language I had to learn and take time to understand and didn't know how to read and understand fully until the 2nd grade. I am from Texas, and like the reading mention, a lot of the population in texas is made up of hispanic families. Hispanics have become such a big part of the Texas community that they've blended into one. It's an hispanic friendly welcoming place and it doesn't surprise me that they have programs like WILD that reach out to students and families who don't neccesarily have access to learning about issues of the environment in their own language.

What does suprise me, os that others haven't picked up on it. It's something that bothers me. The whole purpose of teaching about the environment, like the reading mentioned, is about first learning to appreciate nature, to learn about your sorroundings and the ecosystem it holds. We should be doing our best to share our knowledge to those whom are less accessible. We need to expand and become flexible rather than rigid.