Karla Hernandez-Wood Ms.

Patroni English 111 10/30/2013 Bilingual Education Assimilation or the state of being assimilated is defined as people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family. To someone who has just uprooted their entire family and moved them to an unknown place, that sounds fantastic. It sounds fantastic up until they find out that it means isolating their children and turning them into confused and cultureless shells of who they once were. This happens every day in American schools, Hispanic children are pulled from their classes and dropped is ESL to better grasp American culture while their classmates are getting ahead and leaving them behind. There is a solution to this problem, Bilingual Education. Bilingual education ensures that while learning English in class they are also taught in their native language. Raquel Yiengst, vice chairwoman for the state Human Relations Commission, said that a cycle of challenges persists among Latinos, due to a lack of effective bilingual education in the school district. Learning this way will allow Hispanic students to balance the culture they were born into with American culture without falling behind anyone else. I am a Mexican-American student and I was raised in the American school system. I had no need for ESL because, even though Spanish was my first language, I was fluent in English. As of today I am not fluent in Spanish at all, I understand a lot and can put a few words together, but thats it. Its very embarrassing to be from Mexico and have no cultural ties whatsoever. Looking back, if I had been emerged in Spanish as I was in

English I would be bilingual with so many doors open to me and an even brighter future. Bilingual Education isnt just for Hispanic families to be comfortable; it is for children who deserve the same opportunities as American students. There are 53 million Hispanic immigrants in America, as of July 1, 2012. Only Mexico has a higher Hispanic population with 112 million. Around 60% of the Hispanic population has children in the home under the age of 18. 74% of those children 5 and older speak Spanish at home as of 2011. With all these numbers why do you think it is that only 14% of Hispanic students enrolled in college? It isnt because they are stupid, or that they dont care about their education. For many years, children with limited English skills were forced to "sink or swim" in public schools, with no special help. Troubled by the high dropout rates among these students, and in keeping with the civil rights movement, the U.S. Congress passed the Bilingual Education Act in 1968, to give them an equal opportunity in education. When being asked a question and not knowing what was being said rather than not knowing the answer some might think you stupid or ignorant. Eventually you might begin to think that about yourself, you may be embarrassed to ask for help and give up the fight to learn. Bilingual Education would give Hispanic students opportunities to learn alongside American students without separating them completely. With normal ESL classes Hispanic students are taken out of core classes to be taught and tested in English. While learning the language of the country they are in is important, it is more important to educate these children academically alongside American students. Grades will go up and the so will the graduation rate if these students have a way to balance their education. There is a school in Miami, Florida where bilingual education is used and celebrated. In a time where the immigration of Hispanics was great they embraced this method of teaching and their students thrive. Claudio Sanchez says, Most of the 1,500 students at the school Coral Way are

low-income, but their test scores are among the highest in the city. After eighth grade, many go on to Miami's top private and public high schools. Some take up a third and fourth language. In this school not only are Hispanic children taught in Spanish, but so are American students. The parents find that this program gives their children an edge up in society in a way that normal schools do not. Allen Miller, a parent of a student at Coral Way Elementary School, says, Were an English-speaking household. Our son now is becoming fluent in Spanish. He loves it, and that's skills that he would not get normally under a traditional school system. A new language is often difficult to learn, but studies show that languages are more easily absorbed at a younger age. English is among one of the most difficult languages to learn because of all its contradicting rules that most other languages do not acknowledge, this is also why it is harder for an English speaker to convert to another language. 1 out of 4 of the worlds population speaks English, whether as a primary or secondary language. People speak English all over the world, so having it under your belt would be more of an advantage than not. Bilingual education is not demeaning English as a language, but instead, emphasizes the birth language to its true importance. With bilingual education students will become fluent in English with the preexisting comprehension of their native language. While learning English the students will also learn in Spanish to expand the horizons of their minds. If this is done properly each student will become bilingual. Being bilingual is something to be celebrated and acknowledged; it gives you a step up in life and opens more opportunities for individuals. "It leaves students more open to other cultures ... and they learn how people have different perspectives and ways of looking at the world, which enriches their understanding of the human condition," says Susan Markle, director of admissions at Toronto French School, an independent school in Toronto for children in nursery to Grade 12. Research shows bilingualism can improve executive functioning, which

controls cognitive abilities such as focusing, planning, remembering things and multi-tasking. A study from York University found that bilingual children are better at solving problems than their monolingual peers. Bilingualism can also be used as a benefit when looking for employment. Anyone who speaks more than just English will have the ability to communicate with new clients in America, or even abroad. There are so many things that can be achieved through communication with another person, information can be traded, relationships can be built and partnerships can be created. It all depends on how much one is willing to learn. In Canada schools offer English-French classes so that the students there are fluent in both. French, being a national language there, is spoken in homes all across Canada just like Spanish is done in America. Canada has embraced the differences in languages spoken across their country and made a change to benefit everyone. Is America going to be left behind again? I know a lot about feeling alone, I am Mexican-American but no one can really see the American, not until I open my mouth, at least. I was raised in an English speaking home and taught in an English speaking school with a whole lot of English speaking peers. I was fluent in English before I went to school so I had no need for ESL classes, I wasnt separated and moved to another special class to learn, anyone who spoke Spanish but not English was separated from me. I was alone with all the other white kids who saw me differently, so I tried really hard to be just like them, I was ashamed of being different and ashamed of who I was. It didnt take long before English took over and Spanish was forgotten almost completely. Now I am nineteen years old, I speak better English than almost everyone I know, but I have no ties to my Spanish side. I didnt realize until high school how important speaking Spanish was to some people, I didnt know that I would be so embarrassed that I would actually fake knowing just to be a part of something bigger than myself. If I had known what I do now, I would have faked not knowing

English all those years ago, just to hold on and be a part of my culture. I shouldnt have to make that choice, though; no one should. I should have been able to speak both English and Spanish in class with people just like me. There are hundreds of children and parents who feel that way now, they want to speak both but are forced to make a choice and balance learning on their own. Learning is very important to some people, but to others there are things much more important, like: being accepted, feeling whole, having people to talk to, and having a place to belong. Students are forced to sacrifice one thing for another and it isnt fair to anyone. No one should be able to take away your culture. There are a lot of arguments against bilingual language. There is the argument that this is America where we speak English, theres the one about Spanish speaking people not being legal or American, and the one that says that there just isnt a place for Spanish speakers in America. Lets start with the first one, shall we? America was built off of immigration, everyone here now is an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant, unless you are Native American. If you are Native American then lets take a look down memory lane, you were enslaved, beaten, and broken until you were moved from reservation to reservation where your children were assimilated into American society and you lived happily ever after. Theres that word again, assimilation, for the Native Americans that meant that there children were taken and put into schools where they werent allowed to speak their native language and learned only what the immigrants taught them. Its like history is repeating itself, only less violently. It is an individuals rights whether they want to leave behind their heritage for something new, no one should be forced. There are a lot of immigrants coming from Mexico these days, legally and otherwise. I do not believe that illegal immigrants should be rewarded for their crime and catered to by the school system. I do believe that everyone in America has a right to an education and a

right to learn. I believe that the actions of some should not bring down punishment for all and that those who deserve better should receive it. I believe that the children deserve to have a choice and options that will benefit them to the utmost degree. The only other argument that I have left is about there being a place for Spanish speakers in America. For this argument you simply have to take a good look around. There are Mexican stores and shops everywhere, there are places who serve only Spanish speaking people run by Spanish speaking people and everywhere you go there are opportunities for those who speak Spanish. This isnt a right or wrong kind of argument; you just need to have the right perspective to see the logical choice. This argument is important for Hispanic children everywhere, whether they know about it or not. This whole idea could change the outcome of their entire lives, it could give them a brighter future, they could learn more information faster, or it could remain the same as its always been and not change anything. Grades could stay as they are and graduation rates make little to no change unless its going down. People can continue to feel stupid because they dont understand the basics and cant keep up with everyone else. Children can feel isolated either because they can or cannot speak English well. Things could stay entirely the same, or they could change. Persuading you that bilingual education is a good idea is the first step to that change.

Works Cited RENEE, MONTAGNE. "In Miami, School Aims For 'Bi-Literate' Education." Morning Edition (NPR) (n.d.): Points of View Reference Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2013 Clouthier, Kris. "Point: English Immersion: Creating Equal Opportunity For Immigrant Students." Points Of View: Bilingual Education (2013): 5. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Orozco, Anthony. "Education's role in success aired by Reading Latino leaders." Reading Eagle (PA) 03 Oct. 2013: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.