You are probably wondering what happens inside a dual-language classroom and how similar or different it is from an all-English classroom.
In every school that I have had the pleasure of working at, the first few days go in a predictable manner: excited and nervous students walking through the doors of new classrooms, parents worried about what the new school year may bring, and teachers wondering what his/her new class will be like. Teachers prepare for weeks by brainstorming ways to present new material and writing lesson plans. As a matter of fact, I spent countless hours trying to cover all areas before diving into my dual-language adventure. I survived my first week and I am both happy and excited for the days to come.
While many of my posts have been geared towards what parents can do at home to support their children in their bilingual and bicultural adventure, I thought it would be interesting to share something that happened in my classroom this week. I call it confirmation of an “a-ha moment.”
Coming back from lunch on Wednesday last week, my class was getting ready to work on science. Since I am a fourth grade teacher, I teach 60% of the day in Spanish and the remaining 40% in English. I have divided my schedule so that English instruction takes place after lunch.
After all my students settled in, I told them in English what our next hour would look like. All of a sudden, one of my students raised her hand and shared how relieved she felt about switching to English. While I did not ask my student to elaborate, her comment was definitely something that stuck in my head. Once school was over, and my students were getting ready to go home, I chatted with my student and asked what she meant by being relieved of receiving instruction in English. She did not hesitate for a second and replied, “Well, when we are learning in Spanish I just feel that my brain needs to work twice as hard… it is hard to explain, but I just feel like I am working really, really hard.” I asked a few more questions and our conversation ended.
However, I could not stop thinking about the way she felt and how she described her ‘brain’ being in overdrive. Honestly — I loved it. If learning in two languages means her brain is working harder than it would just learning in one, then I have confirmed once again that dual-language is the way to go. Which takes me to my next couple of questions:
Have you thought for a moment what it is like to learn in a two-way immersion program?
Has your child shared with you how she/he feels about learning in this type of environment?
I would love to hear from parents/guardians/other family members about this. I am really curious about your experiences and conversations with your child.
Much love,
Kelly
{Photo by departmentofed}
My son just started Kindergarten at a dual immersion program. Since he’s five, getting reliable information can be trying, but he did mention that school is “a little bit hard” because it’s nearly all in Spanish. I asked how much he understood (he previously went to a Spanish language preschool) and he thought for a moment and said, “Most, but not all” and then just shrugged his shoulders. The kids are definitely capable of it, but I think it is exhausting for them, just like your student said!
Thank you for your feedback Stacy. I feel that as adults we are always demanding a lot from our kids – which is great, yet at times is it helpful to stop for a second and think about “how” they feel.
Best wishes on your son’s kinder adventure!
Abrazos,
Kelly
My daughter just started 1st grade an immersion program, but hers is in French (so she is trilingual). During the summer our babysitter spent 1.5 hr a week working with her only in French because I was afraid she was going to “loose” her French from Kindergarten. So, on the first day I asked her if it was hard to understand the teacher (who is a native French speaker and only speaks French to the kids in class). My daughter said no and didn’t elaborate, so I didn’t press her on it. On the 2nd day, I asked her again and this time I said, “is it hard to understand the French again?” to what she responded, “no because Mme. Legrand speaks in English.” I of course was stumped by the answer, so I asked the teacher if she had been using English and she said no. So, I think that my daughter “hasn’t realized” she’s doing school work in French, which means she understands what she’s been told/taught. I think that is a wonderful sign.
At my son’s school each classroom is really two classrooms with two teachers joined by a door between. Each class alternates an entire week at a time with the English-speaking teacher or the Spanish-speaking teacher.
As he was learning to read my son often had light-bulb moments when he spontaneously told me things like “in Spanish the vowels always sound the same but in English it depends what mood they’re in.” I really think the comparison helps him deeply comprehend and master reading.
The kids are hearing about “el ciclo de vidas de los insectos” and then hearing about “the life cycle of insects”. I know that my stepson understood percents a lot more when I explained it to him in Spanish (“por ciento” sounds like “por 100″ ) whereas he understood multiplication a lot more when I explained it to him in English (3 times 12 is like a baking sheet that holds 12 cookies and we use it 3 times) It makes sense to me that hearing the same material re-stated in different words helps it sink in and stick, or even understand it better in the first place because of language cognates. Remembering the differenct between carnivorous and herbivorous animals is simple when you know the words “carne” and “hierba”.
P.S. I can’t answer specifically how our kids feel about doing schoolwork in two languages but I do know that I overhear them telling their cousins how great the school is. So I guess that’s the answer.
I have two daughters in a Spanish immersion program, 1st and 3rd. My older daughter did not start kinder in the immersion program but was a late entry in 1st grade. She found it to be exhausting and often complained that it was too much Spanish during the first two months (they are in a 90/10 program). It was quite a change as she was not used to the challenge; in kindergarten she was often bored in her previous school (traditional) and suddenly switching to an immersion program when she knew very little Spanish was a shock. But we persevered and by the end of the year she was doing great and enjoying school. She loves the immersion program and enjoys telling people about how she started late and had to learn Spanish so she could understand her teacher! Her younger sister started in Kinder last year and while she was also exhausted by the end of the long day, she claims that preschool in English was just not very fun and she prefers Spanish. I think it is important to remember that the language can be challenging but this is also what makes it so valuable.
I’m loving the stories you’re all sharing. I never thought it would be “exhausting” for them, but now I see it’s obvious. My girl just started 1st grade in DL Spanish and I feel she’s a lot more relaxed now with using Spanish in school. It does feel like her brain has made that switch. I do believe she will always be processing in both languages, just like I do!,
Hola Roxana- Have you thought about advocating for a dual immersion program in your neighborhood? It’s a lot of work, but if you can get a group of parents together that are as passionate as you are- anything is possible. It certainly takes time and it may be too late for your children, but the impact it will have on your community would be tremendous. If anyone can do it, you can.
Great stories! Too bad we don’t have a DL program in our community! I would love nothing more than for my daughter’s brain “to work twice as hard,” as your student so aptly said, Kelly.
On another note, I love reading about the differences in DL programs. I had always thought the teacher that taught in Spanish was not the same as the one who taught in English… It’ also interesting to read about alternating languages each week. Maybe it’s time for me to work on a series of posts that explores the different DL programs that exist around the country!
Dear Readers,
I am delighted to read all your posts/comments. Learning from your comments is wonderful as it is always GREAT to hear from parents and how they see their children grow as bilingual speakers.
Just like Roxana mentioned – so much variety among dual language programs. Millón gracias por todos sus comentarios.
Abrazos,
Kelly
I have one daughter in 1st and one daughter in 3rd Spanish dual immersion. My 1st grader seems to struggle more with the language acquisition, but she is doing very well. My older daughter seems to flow freely between the two languages and I don’t think it’s much of an effort for her anymore (yeah!). Dual immersion is certainly more of an effort than a monolingual program, but our children can and should be learning at least two languages.
My daughter is in her first year of transitional kindergarten. I was raised in a home where only Spanish was spoken, school was English only. I maintained my bilingualism by going to Mexico every summer to visit family. Once I got into Junior High and High School, my literacy in Spanish increased after taking classes like “Spanish for Spanish Speakers” and AP Spanish Lang and Lit. My husband is Creole and only learned some Spanish in school. While I attempted to speak Spanish to my daughter in the beginning, I felt like I was leaving my husband out of the conversation. My daughter entered TK knowing minimal Spanish, but she did know that there are other languages people speak and that some people speak both. She had toys that said things in English, Spanish and French. Dora, Diego and Ki Lan also helped her see that there are other people that speak more than one language. Her school keeps English Language instruction and Math in English, and Spanish Language, Social Science and Science is taught in Spanish. I’m very comfortable with this because I know she won’t be “behind” when it comes to the core test subjects as well as her future with SATs. What I struggle with is that I want her to be “ahead” in English and also be at grade level with Spanish. There is definitely a lot of pressure on the child as well as the parents. It definitely feels like they’re doing double work or working twice as hard. Her Spanish teacher said just talking to her 15 minutes a day in Spanish only can help her build up her skills. I think our childrens’ mastery will come with time, patience and love.
Dear Age,
Your concerns are SO valid and many-many parents with children in dual-language programs feel this way.
The problem with many standardized test is that they test their ‘English only’ skills. How fair is it for a little one to be assessed on a language he/she is learning half of the time?
Just as you stated it in your comment, his/her mastery WILL come with time. I can tell from your post that you are both committed and aware of what your child needs to become successful in both languages. Patience and tons of love just like you mentioned.
Kelly
Necesito leer esos mensajes.
No lo es. El cuerpo de una mujer es exageradamente sensible
a las señales de hambruna y puede ponerse en modo alerta si detecta estas señales.