Dual Language Personal Statement

For the past six years, I have had the privilege of sharing my first language, Spanish, and Spanish culture as a teacher at a small private elementary school in a small rural town where diversity is almost non-existent. It has been a pleasure to open up a window to the outside world in the classrooms of this school where the students and I get to explore Spanish culture and language without having to leave town. My experience sharing my culture as well as my bilingual skills, however, extends beyond the elementary school classroom. Prior to teaching Spanish at the elementary school level, I worked as a Spanish-English translator and interpreter at various companies, and I also taught Spanish to adults.

By providing different learning experiences in the curriculum teachers will be able to meet the needs of each student’s learning style. For ELL students, New Caney Elementary offers Bilingual programs dedicated to teach both languages, Spanish and English, that will essentially allow ELL students to learn the language. Programs like these were created to help students to thrive academically no matter their circumstance. To assess students at all times, one as a future educator must ensure that we are assessing the students in each lesson plan. The teacher must ensure that each student is grasping the content presented to them by monitoring their gained knowledge. In order implement the units from the curriculum, I will strive to provide various learning experiences to each student. I will provide visual activities for my visual learners, have hands on activities for my hands-on learning students, and provide discussions for the ones that learn through hearing and repeating things out loud. Each learning experience is crucial to the student’s academic success. By providing different types of learning experiences I will be able to make the lessons more effective and

Around 1959, bilingual education took flight in the United States. Starting in Miami and quickly making its way San Francisco, bilingual education soon led to the Bilingual Education Act which promoted “No Child Left Behind”. Only twenty years later, the act acquired the attention of high schools around the country. Nonetheless, bilingual education is not always taken to be the cure-all for acclimating immigrants to the United States. In his article “Aria: A Memoir of Bilingual Childhood”, Richard Rodriguez argues that students should not take part in bilingual education by explaining how it takes away individuality and a sense of family through use of ethos, diction, and imagery; Rodriguez also uses

Cultural Diversity has lead schools to promote dual language and bilingual programs for ELL students. However, raising bilingual children according to Marsha Rosenberg is not something that simply happens. Parents must carefully consider how they will raise their children in their new culture. Unfortunately, many parents often forget that neglecting their primary language in the process of raising their children will only hurt them in the long run. However, what they fail to understand is that our current society insists on developing diverse learners, who can speak two or more languages and are diverse (Gensee, n.d). Therefore, in order to raise bilingual students they parents must provide the children with rich experiences at home as well as in a variety of settings (Broekhuizen, n.d.). Furthermore, families need to maintain a close family unity and sense of belonging when dealing with the bilingual issue at home.

The United States is a diverse country of many cultures and languages. As diverse as the U.S. is, it is also the land were all dreams become a reality where everything is possible. That is why in recent years, bilingual education or dual-language education, has become a topic of interest and debate among the public. Some may think that bilingual education is waste of time, effort and money. However, these critics do not see the true benefits of a bilingual education. We need to focus on the positive aspects of a bilingual education and how it has benefited not only immigrant students but also American students among other matters.

In San Antonio, a number of local school districts are working to convert and improve their bilingual education models into dual language programs in an effort to fully integrate ELs’ home languages into instruction.

Since the 1960s, two-way immersion (TWI) education programs have existed in the United States and have recently seen a surge in growth in the last two decades. Consistent research results have caused many educators, administrators and parents to recognize the benefits associated for all students involved in these programs, which has encouraged the expansion and implementation of these types of programs across the US. In addition to the need to educate the vast growing minority language demographic in the US, bilingual education leads to academic achievement for all involved (Lindhold-Leary 2004). If the research clearly shows that TWI programs not only help the language-minority groups but also the language-majority groups to achieve at or above-average grade level academic success in two languages, then why aren’t all parents urging their school administrators to implement programs in their kids schools? Although the number of TWI schools has grown significantly since the first one opened in Coral Gables, FL in 1963, the lack of common knowledge of the existence and success of these programs is one of the main factors to blame for the slow evolution of our schools into TWI based schools.

The United States is a country built by immigrants who speak more than one language. Being bilingual has many benefits that vary from traveling with ease all through having a brain that can multitask faster. In the past decade many schools in California, as well as other states, have started a program called the “dual immersion” or something of that nature in which they have a class that is in another language, usually Spanish, and they teach the kids all the required material in that other language. The “Dual Immersion” program is something that should be instated into more schools, specifically in the bay area, because of the diversity seen here.

It is important in the United States to have a competitive workforce, and a great way to do that is to have a society of learners that can communicate with people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Although there are efforts for teaching school children other languages, most programs are primitive at best, left to be forgotten before the skills reach the point of relevancy. Dual language programs should be established in the US wherever feasible to give parents, at the very least, the choice to expand the minds of their children. Recent years have seen the inclusion of voluntary language immersion programs in places such as Athens, Georgia, in which students are taught from Kindergarten in two languages. These are steps in the right

In that field, the aim is to branch out, inspire and help in creating change agents that walk all different paths of life. By being bilingual, I would be able to reach out to two different worlds of people, and help build up their respective communities. Yet, being bilingual is more than just a competitive edge in my career, it is a facet of my personal identity that I cannot afford to lose. I hope to one day promote that Spanish speaking personal identity to my children, and the generation after that, and this program is the first step towards reaching that personal

English language learners (ELL) consisted of 22.3 percent of the total enrollment in California public schools (Facts about English Learners in California - CalEdFacts, 2015). Tends to be ignored or receives not quite the equality in education as their Native English speakers (NES) counter parts. Over the past few years there has been a surge in dual language immersion (DLI) programs (also known two-way immersion), which have resulted in much success (Lindholm-Leary, 2012, p. 256). It has been found that students in DLI programs show a high level of bilingualism and by biliteracy as well as academic achievement and cross-cultural competence (Lindholm-Leary, 2012, p. 256). Since the population of ELL students in California is so high it would appear that the best way for ELL students to get an education that is equal to their NES counterparts more DLI classes should be implemented. By applying more DLI programs California can benefit both their ELL and NES students in academic development and cross-cultural competence, which will help reduce prejudice and racism in the state.

In Columbus, fiscal resources and man power are limited. Left alone, the schools in Deming have somewhat honored their commitment to a cross-border responsibility by educating students from Mexico. “The school district has done a good job in its honest desire to acknowledge the realities of a regional border life that this practice has continued” (Frase & Poston, 2000) . But this is only a small part of cross-border education, one that in isolation too easily causes other crucial needs that can more richly promote bi-national cavity to developing a strong program of dual language learning. In fact, New Mexico has established a bilingual multicultural education Act in Article 23 of the state’s constitution. This has fostered institutionalizes appreciation for linguistic and cultural variety in the state and in Columbus school districts. The serious commitment to dual language learning in the state has created educational environments that actively honor the bicultural character of the students and their families and launched bilingual and English learning programs with schools in Columbus and across New Mexico. Therefore, schools such as the ones in the Deming district will require many strong leaders for dual language learning that can bring equity issue to the table. “It will take know-how, moxie, and some shaking up in a community that has its own tempo and style of making cross-border educational changes but New Mexico has done a great job on understanding their own border identity and cross border commitments” ( Flores & Murillo,

Two-way bilingual immersion programs not only create higher achieving students, but also more equipped and confident students. Academically, TWBI students receive higher grades because of the curriculum. Furthermore, 87% to 93% of past TWBI students stated they would not drop out (Lindholm-Leary). Indeed, the knowledge gained allows students to become more resilient, adapting to the new language; independent, figuring out the language themselves; and confident, taking pride in bilingualism. The TWBI program not only teaches another language, but also another culture. One of the programs goals gears students toward culture awareness by exposing other countries’ custom through songs, dances, and holidays. With this education upon the

I was initially attracted to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) because I discovered that within its English major there is a creative writing program, which appeals to my desire to continue studying literature while at the same time developing my skills and exploring my creativity as a writer. The program within the major involves multiple workshops and tutorials on both poetry and fiction, which can provide me with the independence and flexibility to learn by writing original content and develop my own portfolio of work. Furthermore, courses within the LSA’s English major are very diverse, ranging from Intro to Autobiography to Native American Literature. This diversity will help me form a strong foundation in literature through the study of works from many eras, genres, and styles. This exposure to such a diversity of literature will also help me hone in on what style of writing I like the best and want to continue to study in my future academic career as well as in personal projects.

One of the primary responsibilities of an educator is to provide the foundation for intellectual and cognitive thinking and to prepare students for lifelong learning. Garcia (2009) states that “bilingual education has the potential of being a transformative school practice, able to educate all children in ways that stimulate and expand their intellect and imagination, as they gain ways of expression and access different ways of being in the world” (p.12). Implementing a two-way Spanish and English immersion program provides students with a unique educational experience in which students have access to instruction in their primary language and a second language, with the goal of becoming bilingual and biliterate. This paper will review literature and research supporting dual language programs and provide the rational for the implementation of Lenguas Nativas.