...I agree with the plan aimed at making all Puerto Rican children bilingual by 2022 because it could potentailly increase the student's chances at landing jobs and, Puerto Ricans can communucate more with english speaking people . As you read the my essay I will further explain how it is better to make children bilingual. First is that it could potentailly increase the student's chances at landing jobs because stated from the text " ...being bilingual could potentially increase students' chances of landing good jobs when they enter the marketplace. " Though some teachers may know the grammar the spoken language is still not their strong point. Puerto Rican are running behind many Europeans in second-language skills because " According to one...
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...One of the most baffling things I’ve encountered is also a well observed issue just never addressed; communication. The way people communicate among one another is truly one of the most fascinating things I encounter daily. Growing up in a culturally diverse town I noted that the main language is Spanish. I always wanted to be a member of this ever-growing culture so I began taking Spanish classes and studying the language on my own. Possibly the greatest ability I developed was learning to speak and communicate with native Spanish speakers. I decided long ago that when I went to college I would minor in Spanish despite my future. I plan on going into the medical field and having a diverse tongue will aid me on my journey. I understand that...
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...I never put a large thought, as to how race affected the way that I interact with other people and how other people interact with me until I made a list of things, regarding things that I do because of my race. Overall after writing many of things down, I found rather difficult to compile a list of things because I was mixing some of things that I do because of my ethnicity. For example, my family eats Pinto beans quiet often. However, I do not believe that has to do with being Hispanic, but rather with more of coming from my Mexican roots where most of my relatives eat Pinto beans Considering this setback, I was still able create a list of things I do solely because of my race. Some things like language were easier to accredit to race based...
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...Adversity is something everyone has to overcome at some point in their lifetime. As a young boy, I knew there was something about me different from the other kids. I realized that I was, in lamest terms, “gay”. I tried to keep it away from everyone. Although it was very hard to try and hide it from everyone, it was better than being ridiculed and made a fool in front of everyone. As my middle school years passed, I tried my hardest to fit in with the rest of my class. This was the most pivotal point in my life because the constant developments my body and my behaviors were going through made me question a lot about myself, but I always knew that I was interested in the same sex. So my seventh grade year I decided to embrace my sexuality and be the person I was meant to be. At first everyone took it as a surprise and constantly made fun of me calling me names and always the butt of the joke. This killed my self esteem for the longest time until one day I realized that I’m always going to have to fight and be a stronger person because of my sexual preference. I decided to build off of those things that people were saying to me and I became the bigger person. My classmates eventually saw this and started to respect me even more and became even curious about this “uncommon” trait in me. Therefore, I started to educate my fellow classmates and tell them my backstory and inspire them to be whoever they want to be. This raised a lot happiness and hope throughout my school. People...
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...communication and understanding in the classroom. Many developing countries are characterized by individual as well as societal multilingualism, yet continue to allow a single foreign language to dominate the education sector. Instruction through a language that learners do not speak has been called “submersion” (Skutnabb-Kangas 2000) because it is analogous to holding learners under water without teaching them how to swim. Compounded by chronic difficulties such as low levels of teacher education, poorly designed, inappropriate curricula and lack of adequate school facilities, submersion makes both learning and teaching extremely difficult, particularly when the language of instruction is also foreign to the teacher. Mother tongue-based bilingual...
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...I grew up in a household that where religion took a big role in our lives including my mom and I. Growing up, I was one of those church kids, that would attend every Sunday service with their mom, go during the week. Yup, I was that girl low key didn’t like it, some services were fun especially if it was arranged for my age group. In some way, the church makes you become homophobic, all I kept hearing from a young age is that being gay is sin, you don’t go to heaven and etc. The way some pastors would speak about the gay community, made you either fear gay people or simply judge them. When in reality we are no one to judge but God. In my previous semester, I took philosophy and it focused on world religions. It has opened my eyes in a different...
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...Bilingual Education and the Success of Boston’s Latino Youth The success of Latino students in the Boston Public School system is undoubtedly and inextricably linked to the success of the district, in partnership with state government, combining both proven and innovative strategies in delivering English language instruction to the city’s students. At 43% of total enrollment, Latino students are the largest and fastest-growing demographic in Boston Public Schools (Handy). And while a majority of Latino students speak English proficiently, census records show that in the City of Boston half of all Latinos were born outside of the United States; 30% of Latinos in the Boston Public School system are English Language Learners (Uriarte, Chen, and Kala 9), and, not surprisingly, the majority (57% in 2012) of Boston’s students classified as Limited English Proficient, speak Spanish (Uriarte). Simply put, there is no way to ensure that schools are working to the best capacity for the district’s largest ethnic group without also ensuring that proper systems are in place to educate English Language Learners, who are disproportionately Latino. Unfortunately, this has not always been the easiest of tasks, and a ballot initiative of over a decade ago would come to undermine much of the needed progress in the Boston Public Schools. November 5, 2002 may seem like a distant memory for some, but on that day, the result of that year’s election would come to have a resounding impact on Massachusetts’...
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...been debated and voted on in five voter driven states. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Oregon. The voters have been asked to make decisions about the education of the English language learners (Mora, 2009). But only three states, California (1998), Massachusetts (2002), and Arizona (2000) passed the laws for English-only learners to be put in programs, and Colorado (2002) and Oregon (2008) rejected the initiatives of the ballot (Mora, 2009). The voters were in English only groups that were against having bilingual education for the students’ (Mora, 2009). The teachers were having a hard time in learning how to teach the English language learners. But in the 1960s, the federal and state governments have created new laws and policies that give the English language students’ the rights to a meaningful and equitable education (Mora, 2009). The government also provided funds and guidelines for a transitional bilingual education program for the English language learners to help them to become educated (Mora, 2009). In the Lau v. Nichols (1974), the courts decided to take affirmative steps to protect the civil rights of the English language learners in the school districts (Mora, 2009). Because the districts were not providing them with the right programs to teach them the English that they needed to learn. On the other hand, most schools in the United States use English for their content area instructions. They also use a mixture of sound programs...
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...Chicago’s School Having bilingual education in nursery school across Illinois is a valuable practice for children because it is important to acquire two languages with eloquence. Bilingualism is often related to immigration, and this element has developed particular views of approaches to bilingual education in the Chicagoland area. The most important is the distension of the young non-Native English speakers in the early learning. When the children are 3-5 years old going to preschool, Chicago public school places them into bilingual classes because they are identified as dual language learning. By using different theories from the sociological perspective, the set of interrelation of social and pedagogical purposes can be understand from the bilingual classes of preschool in Chicago. First, functionalist perspective emphasizes the interconnection between the different parts that are involved in bilingual education, and how they work together to produce a negative or positive influence. Second, the home culture as the standard focuses its viewpoint by criticizing the value of foreign culture by using the home culture inside the bilingual language and its benefits. Finally, conflict perspective focuses how society presents itself by using power and conflict over the resources and rules of the bilingual classes. Therefore, the sociology perspective can explain the increased demand concerning the bilingual movement. The request of the expansion of the bilingual programs in preschool...
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...Bilingual Education By C. Mori When I started my investigation about bilingual education I never thought the debate about it would be as controversial and passionate as it is. But considering the numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S. public school, approximately 5.5 million, which represent about 11% of total number of students, and the percentage of drop outs, about 30% of ELLs, it is understandable that public opinion puts some pressure on the U.S. public school system to adopt the most efficient and adequate system for this growing minority group. The number of ELLs abandoning school has remained high for a long period of time generating serious doubts about the functionality and effectiveness of bilingual education and other programs. Two have been the main reasons attributed for this desertion from classes: the low socioeconomic level of ELLs and language differences. In this context, dual language, one modality of bilingual education, is showing to be able to make students excel in their academic performance and revert negative statistics Currently, in the United States there are two major approaches about how to teach English to those children whose primary language is different from English. The first approach is by immersing them in English only classes. This program was first implemented in California with proposition 227 in 1998 and continued to other states like Arizona and Massachusetts where bilingual education was...
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...controversy over bilingual education. “The ultimate goal of any approach is for students to become proficient in the English Language” is agreed upon by opponents and proponents of bilingual education. The proponents state “that bilingual education is simply the most effective method for fostering the acquisition of English.” In describing many bilingual programs the Center for Equal Opportunity states that “students who don’t speak English are locked away in special programs that try to maintain native languages rather that teach English, often without their parents consent.” 2) This article discusses the public policy questions and the history of bilingualism in education in America. Most people do not realize the complexity and the history of bilingualism in America. The use of more than one language by a community has been part of the American social and political landscape for more than two centuries (Kloss, 1977). According to the wishes of parents in Ohio in 1839, the law allowed for instruction in German, English, or both in the public schools. There are probably less students receiving Spanish-English instruction than at the turn of the century when six hundred thousand elementary students were receiving all or part of their education in German, according to Kloss, 1977. The article proceeds to further discuss the political issues surrounding bilingual education. 3) From an NBC correspondent Miguel Almaguer is an article discussing bilingual education in a school...
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...the most volatile states when considering how best to instruct English language learners (ELLs). There has been regular discussion about the best way to educate ELLs. In 1968, the door to funding was officially opened for bilingual education. According to Purcell (2002), the Bilingual Education Act authorized federal funding for programs that addressed the needs of students who had limited English skills. With more cases of disgruntled students and parents, it was clear that the education of English language learners was not going to come easily. While the concept of bilingual education is admirable, the fact is that the delivery of the education left much to be desired. With the level of dissatisfaction, the need for reform had arrived. According to Purcell (2002), businessman Ron Unz funded a large portion of Proposition 227. Under Proposition 227, Limited English Proficient (LEP) students would be given instruction in “sheltered English immersion” classrooms for a period not to exceed one year (Purcell, 2002). The instruction would be in English not the native language of the student. After the initial transition time, the student would be placed in a mainstream classroom. The California voters voiced their opinion and the proposition passed in 1998. Bilingual education was at an end. Often, voters are not able to see all that is accomplished within the walls of the...
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...Bilingual Education in the US For this activity I would like you to examine your own preconceptions of bilingual education. Please answer the following questions: 1) Do you view bilingual education in a positive light or negative light or both (please be honest)? Why do you think you have this view? Bilingual education is positive for student education because it uses the learning tools students already have as the basis for building new skills and acquiring new knowledge. Most children enter school with basic language skills in English or other languages, which are already in place. If teachers are able to use the native language skills of the student, the native language will help students develop the academic competence they need to succeed in education. Children learn more effectively if they learn English through the use of their native language, which provides a contextual basis for learning and allows them to keep pace with their peer group while acquiring the language they will need to learn in order to interact effectively in today's society. There are several other distinct benefits to the use of bilingual education, besides its basic effectiveness. First, it preserves children's sense of pride in the language of their parents, allowing them to move freely in an English-language dominant society while retaining an important link to their cultural and linguistic heritage. It helps protect their sense of identity, which is also strongly linked to the language and...
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...Voter-Driven Initiatives/Laws Christy Stewart Grand Canyon University: ESL-223N September 19, 2012 English Only Voter-Driven Initiatives/Laws There has been heavy debate over the best way to educate students whose first language is not English. Historically, past federal laws and court decisions protected the rights of non-English speaking children. One federal law established during the 1960s was the Bilingual Education Act (Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1968). This law provided legal guidelines and funding for transitional bilingual education programs. In the Lau v. Nichols, case, the Supreme Court ruled that school districts were required to take affirmative steps to protect the civil rights of limited-English-proficient students (Mora, 2009). Due to the increase of non-English speaking students in the schools, several states asked the voters to make policy decisions regarding the education of English language learners. Voters in California, Arizona and Massachusetts by large percentages voted to pass the anti-bilingual education initiatives. However, other states like Colorado and Oregon rejected the initiatives. California’s Proposition 227, Arizona’s Proposition 203 and Massachusetts’s 603 CMR 14.00, state that all English language learners be educated for one year through a sheltered (or structured) English immersion program. This program would provide all instruction in English for the year; students must then transfer...
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...Bilingual Education: Voter Driven Initiatives XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Grand Canyon University: ESL 523N February 27, 2013 Bilingual education is a very important topic in education. Classrooms are filled with diverse populations, including those that are learning English as a second language. Learning a new language and having to adapt to a new culture can prove to be detrimental for a student’s academic progress. English language learners struggle in the classroom and are in need of teachers that will work relentlessly in helping them be academically successful. To regulate bilingual/ESL education, there have been various state and federal decisions made. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed on the heels of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The purpose of ESEA was focused mainly on eradicating poverty, providing equal education services to all students, and implementing high standards for students and teachers. The ESEA also provided funds for state established educational programs and low income students ("Elementary and secondary,"). Although the ESEA benefited many deserving students in bad economic areas, it did not specifically benefit English language learners. Making matters worse, ESEA was reauthorized as The No Child Left Behind in 2002. NCLB required states to align their standards/requirements with the federal NCLB standards/requirements. Although it looked good on paper, requiring schools to meet what is known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) forced...
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