America Benefits Greatly from Bilingual Education

When I first started school, I remember how difficult it was for me to make the transition from Spanish to English. My Mom left me at the door of the school in the morning, but since I was placed in an English-only classroom, the next time I opened my mouth to speak to anyone was when she picked me up again that afternoon. I didn't know what anyone was saying around me, and to make matters worse, my teacher didn't speak a single word of Spanish. That day, like every other day, I came home crying because I felt like an outsider. That year was very difficult for me because I ended up in the back corner of the classroom not participating. As a result, I had to take several years of summer school in order to catch up, something that could have been avoided if I had been placed in a bilingual program. Several key advantages to bilingual education are that it allows for an emotionally safe transition, students don't fall behind in their lessons, and parents are not alienated from their children's education. Bilingual education allows for an emotionally safe transition. This program lets children communicate in their native tongue, while being exposed to a new language. It's hard enough to be "the new kid" in school. It is easy to imagine the difficulty children have not being able to communicate with anyone and not understanding what is going on around them. Many argue that children will use the bilingual classroom as a crutch and will never learn English because of it. In actuality, it has been proven that children learn English faster if they are taught in their native language first. The goal of bilingual education is for students to learn while not falling behind. Without bilingual education programs, children come i... ... middle of paper ... ...er than breadth of knowledge. Without Bilingual Education many children will be sitting in the back of classrooms all across America being ignored. WORKS CITED Amselle, Jorge. "Ingles Si!" Natinal Review. September 30, 1996. Page 52 (1). Hancock, LynNell and Katel, Peter. "The Bilingual Bog." Newsweek. October 23, 1995. Page 89 (1). Headden, Susan. "Tongue-tied in the Schools." U.S. News&World Report. September 25, 1995. Page 44 (4). Hooks, Bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-96. Hornblower, Margot. "Putting Tongues in Check." TIME. October 9, 1995. Page 40 (5). Rose, Mike. "Lives on the Boundary." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 97-111.