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America is a land of many. Many different people, many different ethnicities, many different languages, and many more different whatever’s make up this great country of ours. We all live in the same country, but with the existence of all these many differences how can we treat everyone similarly and fairly in our education system? The conservatives, like Richard Rodriguez, advocate assimilation into the English speaking society, even if it means that a significant part of a person’s heritage must be given up. On the other hand, multiculturalists, like Ferguson and Howard-Hamilton, suggest that these differences be left alone and schools adjust to their needs. I believe the answer to this problem lies somewhere in between, a point at which someone can assimilate into the English speaking society while preserving their roots. In his piece Speaking a Public Language, Richard Rodriguez described his childhood as difficult, and often scary, when he was unable to speak English. His responses to questions were often mumbled as he was resisting his teacher’s duty to teach him English, a duty to teach him a public language. His resistance persisted, making his education and more burdensome and delaying his learning of societ