Language Barriers In Texas

Spanish is a huge part of the Texan culture, and this is evident when I look around and see the translations for Spanish speakers. Translations like advertencia (warning) and baño (bathroom), or sights like the battle of San Jacinto and the Alamo are impacts from the Spanish. When I found out I had to take a foreign language class in high school, I figured Spanish would be the best. I have never even vacationed outside the state of Texas, which leaves me with a lot of Texas culture. However, I still was missing Spanish in both ways knowing the language and its influence on Texas.

born children lived in poverty in the U.S. (Camarota, 2001). “The primary reason for this is that a very large share of Mexican immigrants lack a formal education” (Camarota, 2001, p. 47). Statistics from the Center for Immigration Studies indicate that the average income for adult Mexican immigrants is less than half the income of U.S. born workers (Camarota, 2001). With the location of the Rio Grande Valley right next to the Mexican border, the school districts in this area are heavily populated with English language learners. According to Linn and Hemmer (2011), a rate of “21% of elementary and secondary students spoke a language other than English at home. Of these, approximately two million, or 75%, spoke Spanish.” (p. 1). In addition, school districts along the Texas-Mexico border are considered at-risk for having English language learners overrepresented in the special education programs. According to Artiles and Ortiz (2002), research shows that “English language learners with the least amount of language support are most likely to be referred to special education” (p. 1). Often the children with the least support are from poor families. Another problems consists of assessments methods, both diagnostic and state mandated, that are inappropriate for English language learners. Even if assessments are provided in the child’s native language, this

Ms. Tate is very fluent in Spanish and feels that knowing that language has helped her in becoming a more effective teacher the Latin Americans ELLs. She can tell if a student has some hang ups in the English language and therefore can recognize where the problem lies. She can see if they are not getting a certain language pattern and why, then she can compare the two languages and focus on how to get through the barrier by explaining the differences between the two patterns. Tate also says using the Krashen method where there is more comprehensible input and not everything is based on output produces better results than when she taught before and students had to listen for a long time before producing anything. She loves the curriculum we have: Sopris, Direct Instruction for true Spoken English. It is based on Krashen and gives comprehensible input in repetitive patterns in small doses. It runs

Rodriguez’s main point is to strongly encourage children of immigrant parents to adopt English, the “public language” as their main language in order to become assimilated in the

Speaking Spanish or any second language opens a lot of doors in life. While the little Spanish I do know is incomprehensible to most fluent Spanish-speakers, it has helped me in some situations. The article Se Habla Espanol by Tanya Maria Barrientos is the story on how she (Tanya) dealt with the tribulations of being born in Guatemala, moved to and raised in the United States, and attempting to learn her native Language once again (Barrientos 645). While many of us, including Tanya, have difficulties learning a new language and understanding others cultures, the struggle will prove to be worth it in the end.

Potowski discusses the benefits of being bilingual and the best way to educate the youth in two languages. One of the points Dr. Potowski discussed that I had not considered before watching this video was teaching elementary school in a mix of Spanish and English. Not only would this benefit the children who are trying to learn English, but it also benefits the kids that would be learning Spanish. In addition, this has also been found to be the most effective way to create bilingual students. However, there would be some issues with this which are not discussed in the video. In order to teach the class in two languages the teachers would have to be fluent speakers in both languages and right now I don’t think that America’s teachers meet that requirement on a broad scale. But, if our teachers of tomorrow can be educated in foreign languages, they will be able to effectively teach these two-way immersion classes on a larger scale. I think these programs would be the most beneficial option for Americans and the future of the American education system because studies found that kids in these programs did better in all of their classes. Something else she said that I found interesting was that the amount of immigration from the U.S. into Mexico is actually equal to the immigration from Mexico into the U.S., and that in Mexico the American students often have a very hard time adapting to the new education environment. I think this shows that America isn’t the only country that needs to work on their language education and bilingual education. And for all of these countries, it is important to update the system in order to adapt to the new global environment. Increased bilingual speakers will help break down the barriers of language that stand between monolingual people. I am glad that I am able to participate in this right now and feel that learning another language will ultimately benefit me in my college career and

“No Habla English”. “21 million people living in the United States cannot speak English. Citizens are not just speaking Spanish, but Chinese and Russian are rising fast.” (U.S. Bureau of Census, 2009) To force a citizen to speak a new language is discrimination. Non-English speaking citizens and immigrants that are without good English skills will fall academically, in the judicial system and when receiving proper medical care.

In the article, Speak Spanish, You’re in America!: El Huracan over language and Culture, Juan Gonzalez, a journalist and broadcaster of the daily show, Democracy Now, describes how bilingualism has impacted the United States’ modern education system. He describes an amendment that would constitute English as the official in the United States, which he believes can be a potential threat to the educational system. Gonzalez suggests that instead of having an amendment that constitutes English as the national language, American schools should implement Spanish to highlight the importance of being bilingualism in the American educational system. A constitutional amendment declaring English as the national language would be damaging to bilingual students because it would limit their capability of communicating in English or their native language, and therefore they have would fall behind in classes and will not succeed in the American educational system. To highlight the importance of bilingualism, even more the educational system should implement a variety of languages.

Spanish speakers benefit learning English, universally used in the United States. I have always accepted other’s life decisions. Bilingualism to me relates to both Espada and Rodriguez’s opinions. Espada believes non-English speakers should fight for the right to preserve their language and identity. Rodriguez believes language and culture diminishes the less that language is spoken. I believe in United States English should be spoken in formal settings (schools, businesses, etc.), while other languages could be spoken in appropriate situations (non-business). Espada grew up with English as his first language and later learned Spanish. Rodriguez grew up with a choice to no longer resist English or to not fit in with American society. Their differences reflect on their opinions today.

In high school I spent time in France after completing my required classes in French. Once I returned home I rarely ever spoke it again. I regret that I have lost that language. My son does attend preschool Spanish, but I will push to keep him exposed to the Spanish culture and language as he gets

“Language is power. If you cannot understand or be understood you have no power. You are at the mercy of everyone.” – (Rudat, 1994, Stow, Dodd 356) Should Americans be required to learn Spanish as a second language? The construction of our nation stands on documents written in English, however English is not our official language nor has it ever been. America is a “melting pot” in which English is the most prominent language, followed closely by Spanish. Requiring Americans to learn Spanish is a great controversy; I strongly believe that it should be a requirement, because it improves academic achievements, career success, and cultural and social understanding. The controversy has great counter arguments such as the double standard Americans are held to, and further division of the country. Regarding the counterarguments, I still firmly believe that it should be a requirement because the integration of a second language in our schools is more beneficial to our country’s success as a whole.

I am very fluent in Spanish now and I my young children are as well. So even speaking another language is helping us grow. Diversity in society helps us grow as individuals and opens our minds to different ways of life.

Texas’ government must work towards narrowing the income gap between the White and Hispanic populations, caused by the underwhelming socioeconomic status of many Latin American immigrants. This could be done by reforming the state’s educational system to better help Hispanics succeed. “…a lack of proactive efforts to address the unique needs of [Hispanics] in the educational system has untold implications for the future economic and social prosperity of the country…” (Saenz, et al,76) If Hispanics are to be the majority, the state should put more emphases on bi-lingual education. This will help reduce language barriers and make it easier for Spanish-speaking Hispanic children to succeed in the educational system. To combat statistics showing that a Hispanic student with poor socioeconomic status is heavily prone to taking drugs, committing crime, joining a gang, and going to prison, the state should invest in mentor programs. A 2008 study on the effects mentor programs have on Hispanic children showed that: “…having a mentor translated into positive academic outcomes, including greater expectancy of success, higher educational expectations, fewer absences, and a greater sense of school belonging.” (Saenz, et al, 80) These efforts will result in Hispanics having greater preparedness for higher education. The state would also benefit from investing in vocational

English should not be declared Texas' official language. If English were to be declared as the official state language, I feel that it would be very limiting for the state. Although some argue that by declaring it official it will be an incentive for all the non-english speakers to learn English at a faster pace. Even though that might be true, it could also become detrimental for English speaker's education. Therefore people not only need to learn English, but also learn other languages that would help the state grow as a whole. The state of Texas has a very diverse population that for the most part speaks English, therefore, Texas' unofficial language is English, there is no need to make it law. We are told that in a few years the population's

Children gain great academics from learning Spanish in school. Many people are to limit what young non graduated students learn and impede them from being capable of learning Spanish. Why would they stop them from learning? Parents think that America should be an English only speaking country and wouldn’t appreciate a foreign language to be involved. I believe it makes you more intelligent in various ways. I say that for the sake of children learning Spanish at such a young age gives them a huge advantage in college. “ Studies on language development, however, show that the more exposure young children have to all languages actually gives them a distinct