The most difficult part of the writing process is the beginning, which accurately describes my life. I am Mexican, born to two very Hispanic parents, who believed it was of major importance to teach me Spanish before learning English. They didn’t want to be the kind of parents who didn’t teach their children Spanish, letting the language lineage die. So, Spanish is my first language; which looking back at, this was a smart decision on my parents’ behalf— because my little brother who learned English first, can’t speak Spanish very well. For the first couple of years of my life Spanish was all I knew, until pre-k came around. I was very excited to have friends and learn all the things a pre-k’er can learn, but not knowing English seemed to be a small problem—at least in my eye. However, my teacher told my parents that I was slacking on my English skills and they felt that it would be best if I got held back one year, to reach the level other students were at. But my parents said no, so onto kindergarten I went with my broken English. …show more content…
In second grade we had to take the AIMS test, with a writing portion, which did not end well for me. I remember sitting in the classroom constantly asking my teacher for help with my grammar, spelling and overall idea flow. She couldn’t just give me the correct way to write the essay, because then that wouldn’t accurately reflect my ability. It was a very frustrating test and I didn’t understand any of the concepts. I ended up being the last person to finish, but that day I learned what it was to fail but failing whilst still tying your very
Language development is very important, and these programs use the students’ native language as a tool to develop their second language. The time spent on each language and the quality of the language input play an important role in students’ language development. Tier one, two and three language strategies can be used to help the students meet their individual and group needs. Irby, Lara-Alecio, Mathes and Tong (2011) found out that students make the most progress in the language they are exposed to the most. When students were exposed to their native language for a greater amount of time (especially in the early years), they developed it and were able to transfer the skills and strategies as they learn their second language. They also found that language tier one, two, and three interventions are very effective when teaching. If these interventions are used appropriately and constantly, students will greatly benefit from them. Many studies agree that using the first language to begin the readiness process will allow students to develop their second language in a faster and more efficient way. According to Castro, Dickinson, Frede and Páez (2011), children have to be exposed to literacy and readiness skills from an early age. They believe that starting in preschool teachers should begin preparing children to learn English using their primary language. This will allow students
All students begin school with different levels of literacy development; English-speaking natives have obtained oral language proficiency in English which helps t...
38 percent of all Hispanic parents only speak Spanish according to Pew Research center. In many cases this is why parents teach their children to speak Spanish for their first language. My parents learned English at a young age because they moved to the united states and were expected to know it. That was not the case for me. Growing up my family expected me to know English well. We lived in a small town called Fort Hancock, Texas with my grandparents. Everyone just spoke Spanish in that town and for that reason, I learned to just speak Spanish first. When we moved to Oklahoma City I was five. I had to transition to English, which was hard. I got made fun of, but luckily improved later on my literacy journey.
In recent years, the total population of Spanish speakers in the US has doubled. According to Census 2001 of the estimated 284 million residents in the USA, 36 million are of Hispanic origin, Five million more than the entire population of Canada. In 1960 people of Hispanic origin only equaled 6% of the US population. Since increased to 13%. 332 million people in the world speak Spanish. Second to Chinese Mandarin: 885 million. The continual growth of the Hispanic population increases everyday, but the number of Americans not of Hispanic descent who speak Spanish fluently, is a mere 3%, according to studies done by Florida State University, Relevant because of area of high Hispanic concentration.
Many people immigrate to the United States from different countries to begin a better life. Once in the American territory, the first step for success is to learn the English language. Richard Rodriguez, the writer of "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood" describes the language decisions he faced as a child: "Outside the house was public society; inside the house was private" (16). The English language is the primary language in the United States, and it must be learned to be able to communicate with the public world. The language that we speak at home is considered to be private because it is only used in the presence of the people we feel comfortable with, our family. Families immigrate to the United States from Mexico to find and give their children a better opportunity to succeed. The children of immigrants who have been raised or born in the United States were able to adapt much faster to the English language. The Spanish language, in the case of Mexicans, is part of our origin that most of us inherit from our ancestors although in the United States many, including me, seem to add a new language, which gives us better opportunities.
Typically children begin speaking by twenty-four months and first enter the school system at the age of six. In a society where English is expected as a first language and children are expected to have a firm grasp of comprehension and conversation by kindergarten, children with non-English home languages are at a distinct disadvantage. The focus of traditional classrooms is on English as medium of instruction as opposed to an introductory subject, this means that children without English as a first language are burdened with the task of learning both English in an environment not geared towards teaching it and traditional coursework. The added strain of working to learn a new language and the possibility of having parents unable to help master new English skills can lead to a performance divide in
For as long as I can remember learning how to read and write was a real challenge for me. When I first arrived in the United States I was enrolled at the nearby elementary school. Being from another country I was scared and embarrassed because I was different then the other children in my class. Talking and communicating with others was something that wasn't in the interest of what I wanted to do. I sat far away from others depriving myself of what they were doing or learning. Coming from Mexico and going to a school where no other children would speak the same language that I would or even play the way I did made me believe that I was some sort of thing that didn't belong. All these contributed to a low esteemed child that was unable to communicate. The world I was in suddenly became a place that I didn't know. To the kids and others in my class I was an illiterate person.
I clearly remember my first day in an American school— a little thirteen-year-old boy, who was shy to speak and tried to avoid any questions. Some of my classmates understood that English was my third language and tried to support and encourage me. However, others
I ripped open the SAT test booklet as the elderly women creaked “Okay, you may start now.” This was thee single thing I had to ace. I completely bombed the writing section on my first attempt, there was no way I was going down that route again. Part of the reason why I absolutely hate standardized tests is because the time constraints in no way, shape or form coincide with my writing style. One look at the question and I blanked. This in no way was a topic I could even mutter a sentence about. I sat there as time sped by and contemplated just making up random stories yet, I could not piece any of them together in my head. Brain lapse, brain fart, whatever you want to call it, I had it. In the end, I barely mustered to write a paragraph then walked away knowing I had again, failed the writing section.
Writing poses as a great challenge for me; I can barely speak coherently with a person one-on-one. Ironically, though I have not mastered the English language, I’m minoring in Spanish. I was not gifted with the greatest linguistic skills, however, I nonetheless still pursue Spanish because I appreciate the Spanish culture and enjoy attempting to perform the accent authentically. I took AP Spanish in high school, received 7 credits by taking the exam, and want to improve my speaking skills and eventually reach a level of fluency.
Leaving your home and integrating into a foreign country can be terrifying and it is even more terrifying when you don’t know the language. As a ten year old, I had difficulty interacting with other people, whether it be my peers or my teachers. I knew from then that I had to work as hard as I could in order to succeed. With the help of my sister who was also struggling in the same way as I was, I slowly familiarized myself with the english language and soon found myself reading books, writing literature, and even winning multiple spelling bees. This experience truly has defined me as it has taught me how much perseverance and effort can make a person.
My parents bought me whatever resources they could afford from after-school bilingual clubs, personal tutors, flashcards, and the most valuable asset they could afford, their own time. I appreciated their time because I knew how they didn’t let the language barrier deter them from speaking to other people. Their accents didn’t connect to myself that they were immigrants, but that I was one of them. I had been working so hard to advance in my educational pursuit while unconsciously realizing that my self-identity would always be found in the way I spoke, and most importantly my own parents. While most kids were out playing and going to the park when school finished I headed straight home to start on my homework and there wasn’t a day that passed that I wasn’t offered help from one of my parents even though most of the time I could just barely understand a little bit better than them. Every passing day was used to strengthen my English language as I my foundation for self-identity was always in the living room eager to help in any form they could. I could have strayed off the “scholarship boy” path by enjoying my youth, but my youth was my self-identity and more importantly it was the two people who had given me life. The need to become acquainted with the English language prompted me to look upon education more seriously than any of the other kids in class. I didn’t want to be helpless and always be looked upon as the silent kid who was always by himself in the corner. When most kids complained about homework I didn’t mind it as I knew homework wasn’t a punishment but a means of changing my helplessness to
When I first started school, I really didn’t know any English. It was hard because none of the kids knew what I was saying, and sometimes the teachers didn’t understand what I was saying. I was put in those ELL classes where they teach you English. The room they would take us to was full of pictures to teach us English, and they would make us sit on a red carpet and teach us how to read and write. When I would go back to regular class, I would have to try harder than the other students. I would have to study a little more and work a little harder with reading and writing if I wanted to be in the same level as the other kids in my class. when I got to third grade I took a test for my English and past it I didn’t have to go to does ELL classes anymore because I passed the test, and it felt great knowing that I wouldn’t have to take those classes no more.
Growing up in a household that didn’t speak fluent English hindered my ability to start learning at home before heading into elementary school. It later obstructed my ability to communicate with teachers and students whenever I needed help or when being anti-social for such a long time made me dread school every day just because
Live in America without knowing English, life is still deadlocked. On the first day of school, I realized how important it is to know English. It was hard to survive in America if I was having trouble speaking English at the age I supposed go to school. Feeling the contempt of others because of my lack of English, I did not hesitate to make myself better so people hardly look at me with eyes of despise. Here, at middle school, I met Mr. Davidson. He was the kindest teacher that I have ever know. He teaches English Language Development class, I felt lucky that I was in his