Comments on: A “Real” Peek Into My Dual Language Classroom

By: Salvador

Salvador — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 19:57:23 +0000

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.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 18:51:13 +0000

Necesito leer esos mensajes.

By: Kelly A. Serrano

Kelly A. Serrano — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 05:44:39 +0000

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

By: AGE

AGE — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 18:22:31 +0000

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.

By: Maria Giannnini

Maria Giannnini — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 16:32:14 +0000

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.

By: Maria Giannnini

Maria Giannnini — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 16:25:37 +0000

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.

By: Kelly A. Serrano

Kelly A. Serrano — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 05:07:18 +0000

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

By: Roxana A. Soto

Roxana A. Soto — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 18:55:11 +0000

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!

By: Ana Flores

Ana Flores — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:40:22 +0000

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!,

By: Tara

Tara — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 20:02:00 +0000

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.