Thoughts on Bilingualism

Thoughts on Bilingualism

While I don’t completely recall what type of bilingual program I was in during my elementary years, I do remember being in a class where my kindergarten teacher spoke Spanish to the class. Growing up, my first language was Spanish since that was my parents’ native language. As a result, I learned to speak and read in English in school because my parents were unable to teach me the language at home. The learning process was not easy, but every year I got better and became more fluent in English.

I think that bilingual programs are crucial for non-English speakers and also beneficial for English speakers, however it all depends on the type of program and how it is implemented at the school. Based on my own experiences, I truly believe that dual bilingual programs are the most effective. Having dual bilingual educational programs where students learn from each other, creates mutually beneficial relationships between non-English and English speakers. Last year, I was a tutor/mentor for an English learner student at a public elementary school and I was amazed by the dual bilingual program they had. The class was mixed with students who spoke Spanish and students who only spoke English. After lunch time they had a Spanish section in which only Spanish was allowed in the classroom. It was interesting to see the English students struggle to talk Spanish, but it was refreshing to see their effort and how the students helped each other learn. This type of dual bilingual program enables students to engage in true learning where they can actually learn more than one language and become bilingual.