I woke up this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see a "positive" article about what a wonderful thing it is to be bilingual . I am used to the "not so great" tales about how bilingualism will ruin this country. I am also used to the "English as a national language", some feel the need to use as their daily mantra. Never mind that at least in half of the countries on this planet, folks speak more than one language.....
More than one language? What is this world coming to? Oh my stars in heaven........We may one day feel.....Oh dare I say it?......more connected to other human beings, culturally rich and thus more knowledgeable?..........Hush..
Back to the article. The journalist discusses how bilingual students need better options. The reporter goes on to speak about a particular student (which may very well represent thousands), who speaks English and Spanish fluently but cannot read/write in the latter. As a result the student struggles in class and many believe that he/she will not have a very bright future?....And here is where I come in................
Confession: Only in North America would a person who speaks two languages be considered as someone who has no future! This young person has the potential of being anything he/she wants to be. Moreover we need classes that offer, already fluent Spanish speakers the "formal/academic" side of the language.
Hmmm?.......Now where is it that students receive a lot of the "academic" side of Spanish and very little in the way of acquiring language?.........Hmmmmmmm?...
When our monolingual students enter "foreign language classes" which is usually around the 6th grade; they receive plenty of the formal part of language and not too much else. By this I mean that by the end of the years they have spent in foreign language classes they will be able to tell you: the many tenses, accents and lots and lots of grammar.
In a foreign language classroom the curriculum (here we will use the Spanish language as an example) goes something like this: how to conjugate an "IR", "ER, "AR" verb, what is the difference between past/present progressive? What isolated words mean, what is "Cinco de Mayo?" Then perhaps where Mexico is, maybe a list of other Latin American countries (very little if any of the contributions Latin Americans have made to our society), days of the week, names of the months, colors, numbers, contractions, the Spanish alphabet and of course the ever popular "International Food Day".....
When our monolingual students finish these "foreign language" courses they may even be able to teach a grammar class; after all they have spent a monumental amount of time in this area alone.........P.S.They will only be able to teach Spanish language grammar to those who speak English..........Let's not get crazy and think and they will be able to teach native speakers of Spanish language.........I mean did you think they were taking "language acquisition classes?" or Spanish as a foreign language 101? I love those words "foreign language".......It's like I am from Mars for being able to speak a "different" tongue........But I digress.........
Now I realize that some of you were not raised bilingual or bi-cultural and for this I am truly sorry. So let me help you see this narrative via the lenses of a "monolingual" individual.
Your English speaking son/daughter comes home and tells you she/he had English today; that is to say grammar and so on. He/she proceeds to tell you what she/he has "learned" about language/grammar: "Well I learned the names of colors, verbs, tenses, some holidays and numbers" ...........you get the idea.....
Then you ask him/her to elaborate (in this newly acquired language) about things he/she has learned. What you end up finding out is that your son/daughter can't string two coherent sentences together...........
Side bar: Now before we go any further we must stretch out imaginations and open our minds just a bit. This is really not a fair comparison at all. As the students we are talking about in this example are well acquainted with the "target" language (English). Never the less we send our students to learn how to better "acquire" language and thus prepare them for their future careers/lives.
Now, it may take you a bit to absorb what your child is trying to tell you and by this time you are pretty upset. "How is it?", you wonder, "That my child is supposed to be acquiring language and the best that she/he can do is to recite the days of the week?".....So then you: A) Hire a tutor B) Talk to the teacher C) Talk to the Principal or D) Do nothing?...I am willing to bet that if you are anything like me you would raise the biggest stink imaginable and hold everyone in the school accountable.
Friends this is indeed what is happening in "language" classes all across this country today. It happens to monolingual students when they enter a "foreign language class". It happens to "bilingual" students when they enter our schools.
The biggest difference however, in the case of bilingual students, is that their parents are not of this country and tend to feel that they do not have any rights to speak up about this or many other issues. The difference is that most of the folks we are talking about have neither the tools nor education to advocate for their children. The similarity is that this feeling of helplessness is felt by those families from this country as well.Regardless of your educational background/cultural status many of us don't know how to access the tools needed to become the best advocates for our children. Trust me I have done the math..........
So it would seem that in the area of education we ALL have something to loose and much to gain..............
So how can we change this so that ALL students are receiving what they need in terms of language?...Hmmm?..
How about having Spanish speaking students who already know how to SPEAK the language assist those who don't? Oh wait....I am on a roll...How about partnering our fluent Spanish speakers with fluent English speakers who are well versed in Spanish/English grammar? These students would not only teach/help one another but..........Oh dear I say it.......Become.............. Friends?.....begin to narrow that awful racism gap that ONLY exist to keep people down?.......
What if the relationship that these students build in the classroom actually spilled over into the real world?..........Like having lunch together and spending time together?.......Oh no!...........Could it be possible?............... Okay, okay, you get the idea.
Having said this, I do know that there are many wonderful teachers, staff, specialist and members of our own communities (regular folks like you and me), who work tirelessly and countless hours for the benefit of all students. These people, these unsung heroes, work to ensure that all students (monolingual as well as bilingual) receive what is "equitable" for them. Let me say this again: They insure that ALL students receive what is EQUITABLE for them. However we need to do more and can't keep moving forward until we are ALL in this together.Until we make sure that we are all in it to WIN!
Children are born a blank slate and it is up to us to enrich their lives......... Yes I am sure I read that somewhere....In both languages..........
More than one language? What is this world coming to? Oh my stars in heaven........We may one day feel.....Oh dare I say it?......more connected to other human beings, culturally rich and thus more knowledgeable?..........Hush..
Back to the article. The journalist discusses how bilingual students need better options. The reporter goes on to speak about a particular student (which may very well represent thousands), who speaks English and Spanish fluently but cannot read/write in the latter. As a result the student struggles in class and many believe that he/she will not have a very bright future?....And here is where I come in................
Confession: Only in North America would a person who speaks two languages be considered as someone who has no future! This young person has the potential of being anything he/she wants to be. Moreover we need classes that offer, already fluent Spanish speakers the "formal/academic" side of the language.
Hmmm?.......Now where is it that students receive a lot of the "academic" side of Spanish and very little in the way of acquiring language?.........Hmmmmmmm?...
When our monolingual students enter "foreign language classes" which is usually around the 6th grade; they receive plenty of the formal part of language and not too much else. By this I mean that by the end of the years they have spent in foreign language classes they will be able to tell you: the many tenses, accents and lots and lots of grammar.
In a foreign language classroom the curriculum (here we will use the Spanish language as an example) goes something like this: how to conjugate an "IR", "ER, "AR" verb, what is the difference between past/present progressive? What isolated words mean, what is "Cinco de Mayo?" Then perhaps where Mexico is, maybe a list of other Latin American countries (very little if any of the contributions Latin Americans have made to our society), days of the week, names of the months, colors, numbers, contractions, the Spanish alphabet and of course the ever popular "International Food Day".....
When our monolingual students finish these "foreign language" courses they may even be able to teach a grammar class; after all they have spent a monumental amount of time in this area alone.........P.S.They will only be able to teach Spanish language grammar to those who speak English..........Let's not get crazy and think and they will be able to teach native speakers of Spanish language.........I mean did you think they were taking "language acquisition classes?" or Spanish as a foreign language 101? I love those words "foreign language".......It's like I am from Mars for being able to speak a "different" tongue........But I digress.........
Now I realize that some of you were not raised bilingual or bi-cultural and for this I am truly sorry. So let me help you see this narrative via the lenses of a "monolingual" individual.
Your English speaking son/daughter comes home and tells you she/he had English today; that is to say grammar and so on. He/she proceeds to tell you what she/he has "learned" about language/grammar: "Well I learned the names of colors, verbs, tenses, some holidays and numbers" ...........you get the idea.....
Then you ask him/her to elaborate (in this newly acquired language) about things he/she has learned. What you end up finding out is that your son/daughter can't string two coherent sentences together...........
Side bar: Now before we go any further we must stretch out imaginations and open our minds just a bit. This is really not a fair comparison at all. As the students we are talking about in this example are well acquainted with the "target" language (English). Never the less we send our students to learn how to better "acquire" language and thus prepare them for their future careers/lives.
Now, it may take you a bit to absorb what your child is trying to tell you and by this time you are pretty upset. "How is it?", you wonder, "That my child is supposed to be acquiring language and the best that she/he can do is to recite the days of the week?".....So then you: A) Hire a tutor B) Talk to the teacher C) Talk to the Principal or D) Do nothing?...I am willing to bet that if you are anything like me you would raise the biggest stink imaginable and hold everyone in the school accountable.
Friends this is indeed what is happening in "language" classes all across this country today. It happens to monolingual students when they enter a "foreign language class". It happens to "bilingual" students when they enter our schools.
The biggest difference however, in the case of bilingual students, is that their parents are not of this country and tend to feel that they do not have any rights to speak up about this or many other issues. The difference is that most of the folks we are talking about have neither the tools nor education to advocate for their children. The similarity is that this feeling of helplessness is felt by those families from this country as well.Regardless of your educational background/cultural status many of us don't know how to access the tools needed to become the best advocates for our children. Trust me I have done the math..........
So it would seem that in the area of education we ALL have something to loose and much to gain..............
So how can we change this so that ALL students are receiving what they need in terms of language?...Hmmm?..
How about having Spanish speaking students who already know how to SPEAK the language assist those who don't? Oh wait....I am on a roll...How about partnering our fluent Spanish speakers with fluent English speakers who are well versed in Spanish/English grammar? These students would not only teach/help one another but..........Oh dear I say it.......Become.............. Friends?.....begin to narrow that awful racism gap that ONLY exist to keep people down?.......
What if the relationship that these students build in the classroom actually spilled over into the real world?..........Like having lunch together and spending time together?.......Oh no!...........Could it be possible?............... Okay, okay, you get the idea.
Having said this, I do know that there are many wonderful teachers, staff, specialist and members of our own communities (regular folks like you and me), who work tirelessly and countless hours for the benefit of all students. These people, these unsung heroes, work to ensure that all students (monolingual as well as bilingual) receive what is "equitable" for them. Let me say this again: They insure that ALL students receive what is EQUITABLE for them. However we need to do more and can't keep moving forward until we are ALL in this together.Until we make sure that we are all in it to WIN!
Children are born a blank slate and it is up to us to enrich their lives......... Yes I am sure I read that somewhere....In both languages..........
