Chameleon Chaos

Figure 1 Carl the Chameleon

Carl the chameleon (Figure 1) has many friends. They enjoy playing in the park with all different kinds of rocks, sticks, and dirt! I don't know about you, but when I was your age I loved the same things that Carl and his friends do. Carl and his friends love to talk too! They always have a great time with each other. Normally, all of Carl's friends are able to play, but on one summer day, Carl tried calling all of his friends, but they all had appointments they had to go to. Carl decided to go to the park anyways. When Carl was playing at the park, he noticed another chameleon on the other side of the playground. Carl was lonely and wanted someone to play with, so he decided to go over and ask the chameleon if he wanted to play. Carl introduced himself to the chameleon who's name was Cooper. Cooper was much different from all of Carl's other friends. He was much quieter and did not have as much energy. Even though he was different, Carl enjoyed his time with Cooper. The next day, Carl called all of his friends and told them he met another chameleon named Cooper. All of Carl's friends were excited to have another chameleon coming to the park. When all of the chameleons got to the park, Carl introduced Cooper to everyone. Cooper sprung up and hugged all of Carl's friends. Cooper started running all over the place, chasing Carl's friends as they all laughed in happiness. Cooper wouldn't stop talking and was having a great time with Carl and his friends. Later that day, after the chameleons left the park, Carl was at home thinking about how different Cooper acted today compared to yesterday. Carl was very confused. A couple weeks later, Carl called up his friends like usual, and once again all of them had appointments and couldn't meet at the park. Cooper told Carl he was free and the two of them met at the park. When Carl made it to the park, he saw Cooper on a bench, crying. Carl rushed over and asked Cooper what was wrong and he didn't answer. Carl asked him over and over again. Cooper never answered. That night, Carl called Cooper. When Cooper answered, Carl asked him why he acts so differently when it is just Carl and him at the park. Cooper said he doesn't know. The next day, everything was back to normal between Carl and all of his friends, including Cooper. Although Carl, was confused by Cooper's strange behavior, he continued inviting him to the park and loved being around Cooper.

No two people are the same
As we heard in the Carl's situation, not all of his friends acted the same way all the time. The same can be said for our classmates. Sometimes, some of your friends may seem to be acting differently on the playground than when you go on a playdate with them. Everyone is different (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Everyone is Different

Code-switching
The way that Cooper acted is called code-switching. Code-switching is a “phenomenon of alternation between languages” (1). This means that sometimes, people change the way in which they talk during different situations. Some of the reasons people code-switch can be found in the following link: reasons for code-switching.

Acceptance
We need to accept those who code-switch. It is okay that we are not all the same. We may like our best friend more than others, but we cannot exclude those whom we do not perfectly get along with. Today, “African Americans are frequently relegated to lower status positions in school and society” (2). This means that black people are given an unequal chance at a good life. We need to make sure that this kind of thing stops. We really need to love everyone and treat them fairly.

Figure 3 Love Everyone

References

(1) Bhatti, A., Shamsudin, S., & Said, S. (2018). Code switching: a useful foreign language tool in

EFL classrooms. English Language Teaching 11.

(2) Bouette, G.S., & Johnson, G.L. (2013). Funga Alafia: Toward welcoming, understanding, and

respecting African American speakers’ bilingualism and biliteracy. EQUITY AND

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION, 46(3), 300-314.

Carl the Chameleon [Photograph]. (2018). Retrieved from: https://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Clipart/Animals/Reptile_Clipart/Chameleon_Clipart.htm

Everyone is Different [Photograph]. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-special-people-crowd-different-colors-everyone-unique-group-talking-speech-bubbles-word-to-illustrate-image31478351 

Love Everyone [Photograph].  (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.123rf.com/photo_68980190_cute-heart-emoji-smiling-face-icon-smiley.html