Bilingual Education

My husband and I don’t speak Spanish, but we still wanted our three kids to speak it. After years of searching for a good option (babysitters, playgroups, learning groups, etc.) we finally settled on having them learn Spanish through tutoring. We searched nearby cities (our town is tiny: only 1,141 people) and tried several teachers, but we were not satisfied with the return: after long hours of driving to the lessons, our son did not progress beyond the point of basic countingRead More ...

I have always believed that it takes a ‘special’ kind of heart to be a kindergarten teacher – sugar maybe? As an upper elementary educator, I often take for granted that children come to me already knowing how to hold a pencil or writing words with spaces between them. This week, I had the rare opportunity to visit a kindergarten classroom at my school and I was fascinated with what I saw…I just had to share the wonders that takeRead More ...

  As I continue to navigate the waters of ‘Dual Immersion,’ I learn more about what happens with students in this type of program as they get older. And as many may suspect, it becomes a ‘battle’ between having them keep up with both languages at a somehow equal (close) pace. However, I do not mean battle in a terrible way, just that children will try to constantly shift to the language they feel more comfortable with and here inRead More ...

I am amazed at how many children have a deep love for writing. They are the ones who take their writing journals to recess, lunch, and even home to record their experiences – they want to make sure they ‘capture’ that special moment that will inspire them to write even more. However, we all know that NOT all children have an innate passion for the written word. After years of trying strategy after strategy, I believe I have compiled aRead More ...

Autumn is here, and that means it’s time to look at some of the issues facing parents of school-age bilingual children. Our kids are in school, and every day we ask the usual question: “How was school today?” Their unchanging reply: “Good.” Keeping the Bilingual Focus Like most parents raising their children bilingually, we always want them to talk more in the minority language. Unless your children attend a bilingual or immersion school, their minority language probably isn’t used duringRead More ...

  As another great week of school is near its end, I sit down and reflect on all the amazing things my students have taught me. Yes, I am the teacher, but they teach me new things everyday as well. This may not be news for many out there, but it was just so amazing that I had to share it with all of you, especially if you are raising bilingual and bicultural children.   “My class was listening toRead More ...

  There is nothing that makes a teacher happier than really involved parents and I have to say that I feel really lucky to have parents that are not only involved, but also really supportive. I am confident to say that many teachers feel the same way. Having parents that are well informed about their child’s academics and day-to-day schooling is crucial in order to have a successful school year. This week, I held my back-to-school night at the dualRead More ...

A few weeks ago I received an email from a ‘Spanglish mami’ asking me a great question I thought I would address on a specific post. The question had to do with Spanish ‘outside’ school hours – specifically playgroups designed to help children continue developing their Spanish-speaking skills. She was wondering if I knew of any particular playgroups she could reach out to. At the time I not only thought it was a great question, but it also sparked myRead More ...