Must Reads

We’re on our third day of our series on bilingual education, but before we get into today’s case study, I’d like to remind you the topics we have explored so far. On Monday, we started the series with a post about the difference between bilingual education and dual immersion programs. On Tuesday, we gave you a more detailed description of dual immersion models. Today, we present you with an example of how one school district in Glendale, California has beenRead More ...

Although I believe I already was a supporter of dual language immersion programs prior to the extensive research I’ve done to put together this education series, now that I’ve learned more of its intricacies I can definitely say I have become one of its fervent advocates. Allow me to  tell you why. A well-designed dual immersion program encompasses the “best of both worlds,” as I was told repeatedly by the educators I interviewed in the last couple of weeks. ExtensiveRead More ...

  As promised, today begins a series of entries related to the complex subject of bilingual education. Ana and I have spent the last two weeks researching this topic, interviewing some of those involved in this area of education including parents and teachers, and even visiting a few schools which offer this option to their communities. In the days to come, we will share what we’ve learned with you, but I’d like to preface this whole series by telling youRead More ...

Playgroups. We’ve mentioned them in prior posts, the Multilingual Children’s Association recommends it as do our experts. Plus, the truth is they’re really fun. In an effort to show you just how important they really are, I’ve decided to use the playgroup Vanessa and I belong to as case study. I hope you enjoy reading about it… ...

I hate to use the word “mistakes” because I think the journey can be difficult enough without adding any more pressure. Mostly I just wanted to compile a list of some of the things that parents have been known to do which have hindered the process of raising a bilingual child. They’re really meant more as reference than as a list of “thou shalt not” dos. While I was researching this topic, ...

One of the biggest challenges we face in our bilingual journey is being consistent and finding ways to nurture the minority language outside the home. No matter which method your family chooses to use–OPOL (One Parent, One Language) or mL@H (Minority Language at Home)–it’s important to have resources and strategies to immerse your child in the second language in fun and playful ways. ...

¡Hola y bienvenidos! Thanks a million for coming to visit. We hope you take a few minutes to check out SpanglishBaby so you can see for yourselves what we are all about… As two Latina, first-time mothers, Ana and I found ourselves with lots of questions about how to raise our daughters bilingual in a monolingual society. SpanglishBaby is the answer to all those doubts…and more! We hope to become the online community to go to when anyone (not onlyRead More ...

Before Vanessa started preschool a couple of months after she turned two, I often wondered how she was going to survive for four hours surrounded solely by English.  I worried that others would think she had no manners because even though she already understood the concept of “gracias” and “por favor,” she knew nothing about “thanks” and “please.” I explained the situation to her teachers and they reassured me everything would be fine. You see, up until then, her lifeRead More ...