JK Rowling delivers perfect takedown of anti-immigration tweet

People


JK Rowling delivers perfect takedown of anti-immigration tweet

By Susan Devaney

8 years ago

JK Rowling may be better known as the brains behind the Harry Potter saga, but her social media takedowns on Twitter are becoming stuff of legend.

From Piers Morgan and Theresa May to Donald Trump, the undisputed queen of Twitter has never been one to shy away from calling people out on their prejudices and spreading of misinformation.

Read more: 19 tweets that prove JK Rowling is the undeniable queen of social media


So when Daily Mail columnist and Brexiteer, Andrew Pierce, claimed British schools are under “strain” because of children who speak English as a second or third language, Rowling bit back. 

And as a former English teacher (Rowling taught English in Portugal before penning Harry Potter) the author knows a thing or two about learning a second language. Pointing out that if a child’s first language isn’t English doesn’t mean they aren’t fluent.

And, of course, social media users were quick to comment. One teacher pointed out that children who learn a second language often have a stronger grasp of it because they “learn it from the roots up”.

And Rowling backed them up by saying she found that to be true when she taught English as a second language.

Some users pointed out that it’s not unusual for children to speak English better than native speakers:

And then Sam Freeman, executive director of Teach First, stepped up to the plate with a lot of winning statistics in hand.

And as if we needed any more evidence, but a report published in 2014 found for the first time ever that primary school pupils whose first language wasn’t English outperformed native speakers in central London.



Furthermore in 2016 a report from the Education Policy Institute found that pupils who speak English as an additional language were making “significant strides” throughout school.

Freedman concluded: 

Yeah, they’re pretty aspirational indeed. And, once again, Rowling rules the internet. 

Images: Rex Features

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