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Bilingual Education in the United States Out of all the American institutions that exist today, the educational system has one of the greatest impacts on the lives of people, especially for immigrants and their children who do not know how to speak English. The English language is a whole new, different perspective for people who come to America for the first time; their whole environment changes as well. The majority of the people who come to the United States are Hispanics, who are usually at the poverty level. Like everyone who come to America, they want to pursue a better quality of life, and in order to do that, you have to know how to speak the universal language, the English language. The myth of education here is that everyone can learn the same way through the English language—but that is not the case. Bilingual education is important to enforce in schools because it not only helps students but their parents as well. Since their first language is not English, bilingual education will really help them because it not only helps them succeed in mainstream classes that give instructions in English, but also aims to preserve the native language as on is mastering English; they cannot learn if they do not understand what the teacher or professor is saying. Working with the Monument Crisis Center as my community partner, I noticed that most of the people who work there speak Spanish. Working there for the past three months, I have also noticed that most of their clients are Hispanic. They usually cannot speak much English, and so the workers who speak help them out whenever they come to the Monument Crisis Center (MCC). I actually had the chance to do phone calls for MCC and had the chance to use my Spanish-speakin... ... middle of paper ... ...thousands of years. Generally, bilingual education can mean any use of two languages in school, by teachers, students, or both – for a variety of social and pedagogical purposes. It also refers to the different approaches in the classroom that use the native languages of English language learners (ELLs) for instruction. These approaches include teaching English, fostering academic achievement, acculturating immigrants to a new society, and preserving a minority group’s linguistic and cultural heritage. Building on, rather than just discarding the students’ native-language skills, create a stronger foundation for success in English and academics. Also, if students learn languages at a younger age, it will be easier to remember and learn them, rather than if they were older. It helps to learn another language for students, and can later be useful in the future.
Recently immigrated parents often learn English from their children. Over 70% of Hispanic Americans in California are English Language Learners (ELL) and are given the resour...
Just as the Native Americans had to learn English from the Pilgrims, immigrant children need bilingual education to help them learn English. Everyone expects the immigrants to be able to speak English immediately, but that is rarely the case; they need time to learn our culture. In order for immigrants to succeed in this nation it is recommended that they learn English and every American should try to help them learn it. By immigrant children learning English through bilingual education they not only get keep their culture, but also learn the language to help them become successful in America. The Encyclopedia of Education says, “In most areas of the United States approximately 70 percent of the native-born currently are adopting English as their usual language” (Glenn). This ...
Policy in the United States towards foreign languages has long been a complicated process. The nation was founded by polyglot immigrants and welcomed, to varying degrees, many subsequent waves of immigrants speaking languages familiar and foreign. Most immigrants learned English and despite efforts to maintain their mother tongue, the “permissiveness and apathy” of American society towards second languages allowed the gradual erosion of many mother tongues. English, although the common language in schools, the courts, government, and the business community in the United States, is not the official language of our country. This fact juxtaposes paradoxically with the necessity of speaking English for success in our society, and the dying out of many languages native to immigrants after the third generation. Since no official policy at the federal level governs the official language of the United States, nor the teaching of foreign languages until after the Second World War, language education in the U.S. remained a patchwork of local policies.
Richard Rodriguez, the author of Aria, develops a personal intake and personal experience on the topic of bilingual education. He uses different rhetorical devices throughout his essay, which include juxtapositions and antithesis. In paragraph 5 of the essay, Rodriguez states that “…it is not possible for a child—any child—ever to use his family’s language in school. Not to understand this is to misunderstand the public uses of schooling and to trivialize the nature of intimate life – a family’s ‘language,”( Rodriguez, Paragraph 5). Rodriguez cultivates this claim by explaining the purpose or the definition of bilingual education and what this education is meant to accomplish. The definition of bilingual education is,”…a program that seeks to permit non- English speaking children…to use their family language as the language of school,” (Rodriguez, Paragraph 5).
This only serves to create more obstacles for them to face on their quest for a better life. It is essential to know English to get anywhere in American society. As Arturo was in the process if looking for a job, he learned the English phrase “are you hiring?” to help out his prospects. Employers were able to understand this, but Arturo was unable to gain any ground, as he explained “I say it and they answer me in English and there’s nowhere to go from there [and then] they look at me like I’m stupid.” (Henriquez, 2014, p. 185) American culture revolves around the English language, so Arturo’s inability to speak it well cost him many opportunity and gave his Hispanic American experience another barrier that those already embedded in American culture would not have had to face. Furthermore, many Hispanic American immigrants do not have much to fall back on. Those that are born as American citizens often grow up with a strong support system in their family. The family unit for these mainstream Americans is a sort of emergency backup that can provide financial help or a place to stay when needed and a foundation with which to build their future upon. These Hispanic American immigrants generally had to leave behind their family when they came to America. The family unit is a privilege and means that mainstream Americans can take more risks, such as attending
From my experience, bilingual education was a disadvantage during my childhood. At the age of twelve, I was introduced into a bilingual classroom for the first time. The crowded classroom was a combination of seventh and eighth grade Spanish-speaking students, who ranged from the ages of twelve to fifteen. The idea of bilingual education was to help students who weren’t fluent in the English language. The main focus of bilingual education was to teach English and, at the same time, teach a very basic knowledge of the core curriculum subjects: Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. Unfortunately, bilingual education had academic, psychological, and social disadvantages for me.
I grew up going to a bilingual school where most of the students were Latinos. Since it was close to the border, it was reasonable that most of the kids were Latinos because a lot of them came from Tijuana, Mexico. My first speaking language was Spanish, so it was hard for me as well as the kids that cross the border to understand English. As I grew up going into junior high my classes were all English and with no Spanish. I certainly believe that we, the bilingual kids are lucky enough to know two languages. Yes, it’s America and the spoken language is English, but because it’s only English, then we shouldn’t discriminate against Spanish speaking. Many laws have passed that state that the bilingual classes should be cut, by either spending less time teaching Spanish or just offering for one or two years. Bilingual classes should stay and have more support from the federal government to fund more classes. Being bilingual has many benefits because not only do you know two languages, but you have more of a chance to get a higher position in a job because of the s...
When one thinks about Hispanics, all too often the image of a field full of migrant workers picking fruit or vegetables in the hot sun comes to mind. This has become the stereotypical picture of a people whose determination and character are as strong or stronger than that of the Polish, Jewish, Greek, or Italian who arrived in the United States in the early 1900's. Then, the center of the new beginning for each immigrant family was an education. An education was the "ladder by which the children of immigrants climbed out of poverty into the mainstream." (Calderon & Slavin, 2001, p. iv) That ideal has not changed, as the Hispanic population has grown in the United States to large numbers very quickly and with little fanfare. Now, the population of Hispanics in the United States has reached numbers that are finally drawing that attention of schools, state offices, the federal government, and the marketplace. As the new, largest minority, as well as the largest bilingual group, in the United States, Hispanics are finally being recognized as a group of people with the potential to greatly impact economic, social, and education reform. In this paper, several issues will be examined that relate to education: language barriers, poverty, cultural representation, and problem schools. Through an understanding of the Hispanic culture and the motivation behind the Hispanic population, the American education system will be able to overcome the natural hindrances of a diverse society.
Individually, when bilinguals bear in mind the fact that their ability to speak two languages helps their cognitive skills in strengthening development and function of attention, their self satisfaction should escalate. This is a blessing, not a hindrance. In America, people wrongfully look down upon foreigners as they arrive in the States, learn a second language, while also cling to their native language and cultural values. Monolingual Americans unjustifiably believe they have the advantage over these future bilinguals. What they do not know is when bilinguals master two languages and put into practice brain plasticity and cognitive development they will surpass and excel monolinguals with flying colors. It is proven through research that bilinguals outscore their monolingual peers again and again by more quicker, attentive, and accurate results. They should take pride in their hard work and consistent pressing motives to master a new language, hold onto their first, and do not compare themselves to the native monolinguals surrounding them. The Associated Press reports that up to 66 percent of the world’s children are raised bilingual (2001). Consequently, with those numbers society is humbled in understanding the bilingual advantage. It is comforting to be reminded of such an enriched advantage in bilingualism, even though monolinguist society disputes otherwise. Honestly, respect and acceptance in understanding the role of bilingualism plays an influential performance in bringing individuals and society
Being bilingual always made my life differ as if I lived two lives, speaking Spanish at home and English everywhere outside of home. On the daily basis at my house, my family speaks Spanish. When we communicate we speak very fast, at times we can not even understand one another. After this occurs we all burst out in laughter super loud, no boundaries are enforced in our lexicon. The enforcement changes when entering a different discourse community.
Bilingual is not just about advancement of knowledge, but something we use everyday. Communication, essential in an average homo sapiens(humans) life, is the one way we are able to interact with each other. When you know another language, the better it gets! Communication is the necessary element that intertwines a network of connections globally together. With another language on your tongue, you can socialize with even a larger portion of people. As a student in education, I know the importance of being a communicator. Being one makes you open-minded, and open-minded is the key to the centre of the world. How? Because the one thing that most global issues
Should they be taught using English only or should the first language be used along with the English? Many studies indicate that there are benefits to bilingualism and teaching the students in two languages. English only supporters feel that bilingual education keeps the students from learning English which they need to be successful in school and that immersion in English is the way for them to improve. However, in looking at ELLs scores five or more years after anti-bilingual legislation was passed in California (Proposition 227), Arizona and Massachusetts, there is no marked improvement; the achievement gap still exists.
Bonjour, comment aimeriez-vous apprendre une langue différente? That is french for hello,how would you like to learn a different lauguge.In most schools across America, they do not offer their students a foreign language class.With a child having a bilingual mind set, the child will be able to focus more,and have a better chance at getting a job. Most high schools do offer foreign languages classes , but studies show that a child will have a better grasp of the language at a younger age. A bilingual education in a child's life can help them in many ways such as improving the child's ability to score higher on test. In addition, when a child learnes another language, his or her options for jobs dramatically increases.
Learning another language is not always as impressive as people says. The first disadvantages in bilingual education is time. Not only is learning another language time consuming, the choice of replacing recess with learning another language may anger some parents or students. The second problem is the belief that the program would reduce the focus on a career. On the other hand, the problems of bilingual education is not as critical as it seems. Instead, by having a bilingual teacher who teaches language on the side, the students can still learn a few words at a time and gain an understanding, before they start learning another language in high school. In addition, the common belief on reducing career path is only a tall tale, since by learning another, more career opportunity would opened up not only in the US, but anywhere that the student’s words can reach. In general, bilingual education have more advantages than
In 2009, teachers of a New Jersey school banned foreign languages and stated, “any language other than English will not be tolerated" (Debaron 1). This situation was soon no longer allowed. While over ten percent of the total adolescent education systems contain emergent bilinguals, a whopping sixty percent of those students are educated in only English (Bale). Maria Estela Brisk, a Boston College Education professor, believes, “schools has wasted much energy in the search for a "perfect" model and the best way to learn English” when they could just focus on proving “quality education” to every student in the system (1). Teacher’s main priority should consist of effectively teaching their students to prepare them for the future, but currently there are a lack of certified bilingual education teachers. When students are taught more in different ways, they can educationally benefit their cognitive abilities, involving the brain with “mathematics, problem solving, logic and memory”, can be improved to create an overall better student. Even by learning another language at a earlier age can contribute to __________. Learning another language will be