bilingual education

There we were, trapped on a rowboat in the middle of a lake in China. The man rowing the tourist boat refused to take us any further without a large bonus payment. Instead of giving in to his demand, my husband and I emphatically motioned for him to return us to shore. As we disembarked, he launched into an angry tirade that didn’t need translation. Just then, a mother and her young daughter strolled by, slowing down to watch theRead More ...

My son Secondo was diagnosed with autism in late 2008. There were unfamiliar doctors bearing clipboards, lots of tears and tissues, and I remember riding home from the hospital in a haze, feeling fragile and powerless to stop the bottom from falling out of my world. His diagnosis changed everything. My son Primo was diagnosed with autism late last year. The appointment was more of a formality with a doctor we know and like, and we all shrugged our shouldersRead More ...

I get a bit jealous when I read about other contributors’ travels to visit family in Spanish speaking countries. What a great way to not only connect with family, but also to reinforce the Spanish being taught at home in the United States. Unfortunately, I don’t have family abroad to visit, but I was convinced that my own children would greatly benefit from the experience of visiting another country and being immersed in Spanish. Back in high school I startedRead More ...

This picture is a perfect reflection of how we are trying to raise our daughter with multiple cultures and multiple languages. One foot lies on the northern side of the equator representing her North American (Mexican-American) roots while the other foot lies on the southern side of the equator representing her South American (Ecuadorian) heritage. This may be a stretch, but I think it’s an appropriate one considering our meager attempt to add a third language, but her lack ofRead More ...

Recently a question in the Ask an Expert column really grabbed my attention since the writer wanted to know if she should speak a language to her child that was not her mother tongue.  The main concern being that her daughter would not be getting much native input in this second language. This article really made me stop and think because I have been speaking to my sons exclusively in Spanish since the day they were born, and I amRead More ...