I enjoyed reading Cioè-Peña’s article. One quote stood out to me: “Rather, their subjectivity is rooted not in the body but in the way systems interact with their bodies” (19). The theoretical framework section was interesting, as it helped me understand the phenomenons we’ve been studying in class but theoretically. The texts we’ve been reading for the past weeks, or at least the ones I’ve been writing responses on, shared the idea that oftentimes multilingual learners and multilingual learners with disabilities’ performance is viewed as an issue deriving from the individual. The child isn’t picking up English quickly enough? The issue must be in the child, or the family of the child. This is the sentiment that is often pushed on multilingual learners. But, as Cioè-Peña highlights in her breakdown of the intersectionality CST framework, Latinx mothers of multilingual learners and their experiences result from their interactions with systems “not from their individual choices and behaviors” (19). The idea I was alluding to earlier boils down to a monoglossic, monolithic idea of multilingual learners. But as she articulates so eloquently: “to fully see and understand these women as multidimensional, agentive people with complicated narratives, one must consider the multiple social, political, and personal positions they are placed in by the systems they interact with" (19). As someone who’s writing their political science thesis on multilingual learners, I love this framework. It makes so much sense to me, that multilingual learners and mothers of multilingual learners should be understood in regards to how the system impacts them and the fact that they are multidimensional figures with various aspects and identities that encompass them.
Another point in this article that I found intriguing was when Cioè-Peña noted that support for Latinx mothers of multilingual learners (who fit into the audience Cioè-Peña was looking into) looks different from what schools and school districts view as “appropriate support.” As she mentions, these mothers often feel as their words are filtered through the translators and that their voices aren’t welcomed or constitute agency. Another point is that when considering what kinds of support multilingual learners’ families need, additional ways to have them participate directly with the school is considered. But for mothers who are already incredibly busy with their occupation and/or taking care of their family, to expect them to carve out additional time to make these events or connections is difficult. In addition there’s important cultural context to consider. MoEBLADS support their children that are not always visible and involvement looks different from mainstream cultural understandings.