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akademiskacademic quarterkvarterTeaching against the TideCamille AlexanderKnow Why the Caged Bird Sings. In the essay, Angelou (1997) describesher experiences as a Black female growing up in the AmericanSouth during the 1940s. The pivotal event in the text is Angelou’s(1997) graduation from junior high school, which is marred bythe actions and questionable motives of a local White politician.Angelou and her entire graduating class are Othered by thecomments of a White politician at the graduation ceremony andare told that the local White school will receive new textbooks, buttheir school will receive new sports equipment. Immediately, thechildren and their parents are reminded that although academicachievement is a great concern, limits have been set for them andtheir educational achievements are, essentially, meaningless. Manyof my students have some difficulty accepting limits being set forone person by another as they live in a historical period and societyin which race provides fewer barriers to success than it once did. Iam not suggesting that my students are blind to prejudice, but thatthey have, or believe they have had, fewer personal experienceswith prejudice than someone twenty years their senior.Essays such as Angelou’s (1997) provide introductions to the Otherwho is American, Black, and female. The historical perspective ofthe text is often eye-opening for students who may be unfamiliarwith the U.S.’s rather complex racial history. From a historical andpersonal perspective, Angelou’s (1997) essay is insightful, giving anaccount of past events through the eyes of someone who lived them.With the exception of a few students, the responses to Angelou(1997) are typically positive as readers find her style accessible.The number students enrolled in American colleges and universities,who are not American born, has grown in the past thirtyyears. This information suggests that the number of ESL studentsenrolled in composition courses has likely increased. If the coursematerials can, they should reflect those language differences. As Iteach in a state bordering Mexico and many of my students areSpanish-speaking, I include texts utilizing both English and Spanishsuch as Gloria Anzaldúa’s (1987) “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”.Including Anzaldúa’s (1987) essay serves two purposes: it introducesstudents to Hispanic writers and it places monolingual, American-bornstudents in a position of interpretation.Anzaldúa’s (1987) essay has become a constant and is incorporatedinto my reading list every semester because I believe that theVolume03 75