Last week, I gave Spanglishbaby readers the opportunity to take a special peek into a kindergarten classroom at a dual-language school. I received many great emails from parent to teachers – THANK YOU for all your questions and comments. I also got quite a few requests asking me about dual-language in the upper grades (not just 4^th or 5^th grade, but beyond). I am excited to be able to share with all of you great insights as well as amazing images about the work that takes place in this middle school with a dual language program (6^th, 7^th, and 8^th).

First, and as it happened in the kinder classroom, images were everywhere. These images support the more sophisticated vocabulary work that takes place in the upper grades. I was pleased to see how illustrations were present in science, literature, math, as well as social studies. There is great emphasis on vocabulary instruction and this was reflected on the work that I saw posted on many of the walls.

Second, one has to remember that students are not only speaking and reading in another language but they are also writing. This is no small task as both oral and written fluency are clear expectations. As a Spanish native speaker myself, I can recall how difficult it was to write in both languages at the beginning, but these young adults do it marvelously. I captured a couple of images of a sixth grade class that had just published personal narratives (narrativas personales en español). I was really moved by many of the topics several students selected and how well developed their stories were.

Third, and as I had mentioned on previous posts, children would rather read and write in English than in any other language (here in the U.S). Here comes the balancing act that teachers educating in these types of programs have to do: How much reading and how much writing will be done in each language since resources are very hard to come by? (Spanish resources that are well-written that is).

It really takes commitment from both family members and teachers to help children continue developing their academic skills in more than one language. I am content to see that there is an increasing trend when it comes to speaking more than one language. Therefore readers: Do you have an older child attending a dual language program? Do you teach your older child/children to be biliterate/bilingual? How do you do it and what resources do you use? I love to hear from you and the great things you do.

Abrazos,

Kelly

{Photos courtesy of MLC Middle School}

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}

Editor’s note: In the next months, we’ll be bringing you interviews with those who have first-hand experience with dual language immersion schools or programs: the parents who have their kids enrolled in them. The idea is to give you a closer look at what these programs are really like, how and why they work, as well as some of the challenges they face. Thanks to our contributor Elsie for coming up with this great idea!

Today, I’m happy to share my second interview with a Jackson Elementary Spanish Immersion parent, Liliana Awori.

Jackson Elementary is located in Pasadena, California on a lovely campus which includes an outdoor classroom and school garden. As Liliana notes, the biggest challenge for this school is perception as its neighborhood is mixed socioeconomically and they have been increasing test scores. Upon my visit to the campus, the students seemed happy and the community feeling was quite warm and inviting. It was one of the schools in our district with a library and part-time librarian (many do not have librarians at all). It can also boast it’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program which sets it apart from other immersion programs.

SpanglishBaby: Many of our readers are bilingual themselves, and hope to pass this legacy on to their children. However, there are also many Spanglishbaby readers who are monolingual. When did you become interested in bilingual education and why? Is it an old or new tradition for your family?

Liliana: My oldest daughter attends Jackson ES DLIP Kindergarten. My husband is Kenyan and is bilingual (English and Swahili). I am a first generation immigrant from Honduras. My parents were bilingual (English and Spanish) but I was never taught Spanish. My mother’s mindset was along the lines of “You are in America. You speak English.” As a result I’ve always felt disconnected from my heritage. I want my children to have a connection to some portion of their heritage. I heard about Pasadena Unified School District language classes back in 2008; I was intrigued and excited. After much research and speaking to other parents participating in the program we felt like it would be a great option for our family.

SB: What is your school’s educational philosophy? (Ex. play-based, traditional, developmental, etc.)

Liliana: Jackson’s educational philosophy is traditional with a particular focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The STEM program was one of the major draws for us. The science classroom and science teacher are impressive. Half the kindergarteners go to the science lab once a week, where the focus is mostly on life science. During science the other half of the class is in our community garden. In the garden they plant seeds, weed their bed and water the rest of the garden. Our classroom has a fire-belly newt named Panchito, they’ve also raised caterpillars/butterflies and a worm farm. In addition to the STEM program, Jackson has a partnership with the Center for Arts at the Amory. My daughter is thriving and loving learning.

SB: What was the transition like for your child when they started school? How did you notice their language ability evolve over time?

Liliana: My daughter has friends who are bilingual, she was anxious to learn Spanish “so I can talk to Mateo”. We participated in the Pasadena Educational Foundation summer program, which was an introduction to kindergarten DLIP. After the first two days in the program, she cried and refused to go to class. Complaining that her head hurt and she didn’t know what the teachers were saying. However after the first week she happily went to class all summer and even taught her younger sisters some of the Spanish she was learning. When the school year began she was ready to go, there was still some talk about not understanding her teacher but it wasn’t much. As to her language ability an excellent example occurred during the class holiday/Christmas party. I and another Spanish speaking mom were serving the children, and I needed the mom to pass me a plate. My daughter saw me searching for the Spanish words and came to my rescue and translated the request. I was completely floored, I knew she was learning Spanish but I had never heard her speak naturally and spontaneously.

SB: Language is not only an intellectual skill, but also a social skill. How has learning Spanish enriched your student’s social experiences and friendships?

Liliana: My daughter has always been an outgoing person, we call her the mayor of Jackson and now with Spanish she is even more able to make friends. She has even offered her translating service to our elderly neighbor, Mrs. Harris. When she found out that Mrs. Harris had to let go of the Latino pool guy her response was “You know I can communicate with him, if Mrs. Harris needs me too.”

SB: How does your school incorporate Latino/a culture and celebrate the diverse backgrounds of its students?

Liliana: Acknowledgement of diversity has been woven throughout the curriculum by using authentic folklore, fieldtrips and special classroom guest. During Hispanic Heritage Month we had a fun slide show of our own school staff from Latino countries, the DLIP teacher, M. Tovar, was even included in the El Salvador slide. Our staff is a mirror of our student population, from diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups. The staff works to model positive interrelations so that the students will do the same. Our class also participated in the Cesar Chavez Essay and Art Contest.

SB: What is the experience like for parents at your school? How much parent involvement is encouraged?

Liliana: When the school year started, I was ready to jump into volunteering and helping anyway I could. It was obvious to me that the administration was very supportive of parent participation. There is a parent group that runs the garden and leads garden classes. The DLIP kindergarten also has “Friday Fun Day” every week, which is planned and executed solely through parent volunteers. The PTA even sponsored a volunteer challenge, the class that had the most volunteer hours would win a fieldtrip, and the participation was astounding.

SB: No school is perfect. What are some of the challenges, budgetary or otherwise that prospective parents should be aware of?

Liliana: Perception is Jackson’s greatest challenge. People assume because of the socioeconomic make up of our neighborhood and our past test scores that Jackson is a failing school. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our test scores have been on the rise the past three years. Our faculty is dedicated and innovative in their approach to teaching. Our students compete and participate in district wide programs with the support of their families. A modernization of the campus was completed in the spring of 2012. I believe if we could get more perspective parents to visit Jackson they would be pleasantly surprised with all the great things happening there.

SB: What is your child’s daily schedule?

Liliana: Our schedule is pretty straight forward we have school 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., after school she has about an hour of downtime for snack and play, then it’s homework time for 30 to 45 minutes. Once a week she has gymnastics, we also make a weekly visits to the Altadena Public Library and Altadena Farmers Market.

SB: What does your child love most about your school?

Liliana: My daughter loves recess like most kids, but academically she loves the science essaylab.org with all the live specimens.

SB: How can a prospective parent learn more about your school and enrollment?

Liliana: Please feel free to call the front office and arrange a tour (626) 396-5700.

{Photo courtesy of Liliana Awori}

When should academic centered schooling begin? This has been the question I have been grappling with for weeks. My daughter is not quite 3 and was accepted to a private dual language school for this coming fall where academics and inquiry-based learning is at the heart of what they do. This past January is also when we switched her to an “English school” where a play curriculum is at the heart of how children’s curiosity is nurtured. She is emotionally and socially thriving there and learning English fast, hence our interest to switch her to a Spanish school as soon as possible.

As I have gone to several observations at the dual language school I cannot help but compare the difference in the ways children are taught to think and socialize between the two schools. At the dual language school children are definitely being asked and taught how to be free thinkers, but at my daughters current child development center she gets to do what 2+ year olds love to do: get their hands dirty and have options of when and how they want to play no matter what time of day it is. In other words, if they want to paint all day, painting all day it is whether they are inside or out on the playground. I am not sure I am willing to give that playful and creative atmosphere up, yet. I am not sure she is either.

One of the struggles I have had on my search for the ideal foreign language school is finding one where there is both a strong foreign language program, yet flexibility in the options children have to learn. A trend I started to notice, at least in my city, was that the foreign language schools were stricter with children’s behavior. For example, it was impossible to find a Spanish immersion or dual language Montessori-based school. One has recently opened up, and I have yet to visit, although it is far from our home. In other words, the options are definitely limited.

I also started to notice how many parents seemed sold on a school based on the reputation it has and are willing to leave a hefty deposit not having visited a single classroom! Maybe I am over analyzing our school options, but what I have concluded that a parents main concern should be, how will the current school meet the needs of my child from an academic perspective, socially and emotionally?

For example, I have learned that my child learns best in a setting that offers lots of socialization and options. It is in those settings where she seems to be developing her intellectual curiosity and emotional well. That is to say, as parents we should be concerned about our children’s overall academic, social, emotional, linguistic and psychological development and in which context those elements are likely to prosper.  A challenging task but one I have decided to continue to try and fulfill even if it means deferring our acceptance to a highly sought out school until our daughter is a little older.

Have you grappled with a similar decision? If so, how did you decide on what kind of school to choose for your child? In other words, were you willing to give up a certain characteristic of a school for another?

{Image by  woodleywonderworks}

It’s time for our fourth SpanglishBaby LIVE Google+ Hangout and we’d love for you to join us tomorrow. This time around we’re discussing bilingualism and children with special needs. For those of you who’ve never joined a Google+ Hangout, you should know that it’s just like hanging out with a bunch of friends, except that you’re not all in the same room.

WHAT: In our fourth Hangout we’ll be discussing the basics of bilingual education and dual language immersion programs as part of Google’s #SpringIntoEducation movement.

WHEN: Thursday, March. 28 at 1 p.m. EST.

WHO: Joining Ana and I will be Liza Sánchez, a bilingual education specialist and founder and board chair of Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) in Oakland, California. EBI is the first independent school in California to offer a Spanish-English dual language program, extending from pre-K through 8th grade.

Melanie McGrath the coordinator of dual immersion and transitional bilingual education programs in Southern California. She provides professional development training and assistance to parents, bilingual teachers and administrators in the areas of biliteracy development, bilingual program design and English language development. She can also be found blogging on Multilingual Mania.

There are many ways for you to be part of this Google Hangout online.

1. First of all, RSVP on the event page.

2. Add the SpanglishBaby Google+ Page to your Circles.

3. On Tuesday, March 12, starting at 1 p.m. EST, the SpanglishBaby Live Hangout will go on air and you’ll be able to watch it on the event page and on our YouTube channel.

4. The hashtag for all our SpanglishBaby Live Hangouts is #BilingualKids and you can use it on Google+, Twitter or Instagram and we’ll find you!

5. Once the Hangout is over, a recording of it will be made available for all to view, share and/or embed on the SpanglishBaby YouTube channel.

If you’d like to have your question related to raising bilingual and/or bicultural kids answered by ourselves or one of our experts, please fill out this form. If you’re interested in participating in one of our SpanglishBaby Live Google+ Hangouts, you’ll be able to let us know in the form too.

If you want to learn more about Google+ Hangouts On Air, check out this page. Feel free to leave us any questions or suggestions in the comments area below, on the event page or our Google+ page and Community!

Lately, I have seen posts by our SpanglishBaby familia about whether or not a Spanish immersion program is the right fit for their child. Well, interestingly, it is a topic that has been something my little familia has also been debating.

Even before I had Sabrina I was scoping out our foreign language schools options. I got on several waiting lists and eventually got into all of them! In fact, I keep my nena on a rolling waiting list because you never know. I was so set on foreign language exposure that I did not even bother looking into English child development (aka day care options or mothers-day-out programs). I had my heart and eyes focused on the foreign language component that it, unfortunately, blurred my sense of vision. I lost sight of what was really important — my daughter’s well being, her happiness, and what she needed in school.

As I scoped out language schools I started to notice a trend. Most of them seem to have a stricter and more regimented program for teaching and taking care of children. I started to wonder if this had something to do with the ways children are taught and cared for in Latin American countries. I know that western/North American child rearing practices can be very different than other parts of the world, so surely this, too, affects the way children are regarding in Latin American day care centers and schools.

As I have mentioned in other posts, we love the little school Sabrina is enrolled in now. They value linguistic diversity and that, to me, is priceless. We have had to consider other options because it was now too far from our home, but to be honest, I was not entirely happy with the stricter and more regimented schedule they have in place. I won’t get into details, but I will say that I recently checked out an English school in town and walked into a whole new world.

The child was at the center of their “play-curriculum.” If my baby girl wants to paint, she can; if she wants to play with shaving cream in a water table, she can. The place seemed happy, the kids were happy, and most importantly, they were doing things that 2 and a half year olds should be doing—socializing and playing. In other words, they don’t have to wait for art time to happen in an organized, sitting in their chair, and waiting their turn fashion.

Read: Is Bilingual Education Right for Us?

Taking the initiative to look at English schools may have happened out of necessity, but deciding that sometimes Spanish does not come first was a process. We have been speaking in Spanish to Sabrina since the day she was born and have been really consistent about it. She probably knows about 90% Spanish and 10% English.

My heart was aching and tears were swelling up in my eyes when I was forced to take a closer look at the decisions we were making about exposing my daughter to Spanish almost 100% of the day. I realized that the decisions we had made were possibly costing her opportunities to just be a kid. All she wants to do is play, socialize with other kids, and do creative things. Sure she would stay in her seat, listen to the teacher, walk in a line with her hands behind her back, but she is too young to voice her opinion or even know that there are other schools available where being a 2 ½ year old comes first, then learning Spanish.

I’m curious, what are foreign language schools/day care centers like in your city? Have you compared English versus Spanish schools? If so, did you notice a difference like I did? How are you weighing your options?

{Photo by barnabywasson}

I would’ve loved nothing more than for Vanessa to have the opportunity to attend a dual language immersion program. Unfortunately, the options are few and far between in Denver, and after much debate and consideration, my husband and I decided our neighborhood elementary school was where our daughter belonged.

While I get a bit jealous every time I hear the amazing stories coming out dual language immersion schools, I’m convinced we made the right decision. Since Vanessa started Kindergarten last year, I have seen my daughter flourish in ways I never imagined. She has learned how to read and write. She has discovered math and science and believes both subjects are fun. Her curiosity has grown tenfold and her love of books has solidified. She has made a lot of friends and is excited to go to school every single morning.

But the one thing that has amazed me the most is to see my daughter become fully bilingual thanks to the amazing work of all the teachers she’s been lucky to have so far. You see, Spanish is the only language spoken in our house. It’s truly the only language my kids are exposed to when they’re not in school. While I like to say I’ve been raising bilingual children since they were born, I’ve been actually taking care of only one language: Spanish. And so, for all intents and purposes, my daughter owes her English — and thus, her bilingualism — to her teachers and her life at school.

Read more: My Bilingual Daughter’s First Year in an English-only School

I wholeheartedly believe that most teachers are unsung heroes. I owe some of my major accomplishments in life to a handful of exceptional teachers I was lucky to have along the way. Vanessa is only 6 years old, but she’s already been blessed with two dedicated and caring teachers at her elementary school who probably have no idea that Vanessa’s proficiency in English has been mostly their doing.

Whenever possible, I try to tell them how grateful I am for their selfless work. But in the wake of the unfathomable tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, I’m making a concerted effort to thank them for being so instrumental in my daughter’s bilingual upbringing… and so much more.

Have you thanked your child’s teacher lately? 

{Photo by  www.audio-luci-store.it}

One of my favorite cultural traditions has to be the art of storytelling. It comes in many forms. Whether it be the simple rhyme that a mother uses, a legend, or the personal stories of an individual. Many times stories are the only record of a person’s life. They are a legacy they pass down to their children. That’s what has always fascinated me about this art form, and how personal it can be.

My mom has been a storyteller of many kinds throughout the years for my siblings and I. I have fond memories of the many, many books my siblings and I read with my mother and of the stories she made up on her own. But my favorite, and the one that has stuck throughout the years are her personal stories. One story she often shared with me was about growing up in El Salvador. Her family was very poor and could not afford to send her to school after she had completed her elementary education. My mother was crushed. Even at a young age, she wasn’t willing to settle for that. So she began working to pay for her books and uniform to attend middle school. She worked picking cotton alongside her father, and really any field work that was given to her she took gladly. The story has been repeated many times, but new details always emerge and those are what I remember most. The way the heat of the sun in El Salvador is unlike any other, how the bur of the cotton plants would cut her cuticles, the bag she would drag through the fields and how it would get bigger and heavier as the day went on. Each detail made the story come alive a little more as I began to piece together what her childhood must have been like. And each detail brought the world that seemed so far away and long ago little closer.

Maybe she knows of the power that a story can have, because I understood her message without her having to give me long speeches about opportunity and responsibility. The message stuck. I’ve always loved going to school, and never questioned whether or not I would go to college. I knew it would happen, even if my parents didn’t have the means to send me. If my mother was able to send herself to school at such a young age, I could to. And really, compared to her what did I have to complain about? I talked to college counselors, sat down in front of a computer and researched about financial aid and scholarships. Sure, it was stressful. But I would think about my mother’s stories and suddenly it all became easy.  I knew that there were opportunities out there, it was just a matter of finding them.

I’m thankful I’m able to share this story, and also share a great opportunity with anyone out there who is currently looking into a higher education. Coca-Cola and the Hispanic Scholarship Found teamed up to provide Hispanic students with $300,000 in scholarships. 

For more information you can visit the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Students have to answer three essay questions that reflect how their heritage affects their career goals, the importance of education in their lives, and their community service experiences.

The deadline to apply is October 31st!

Click here to apply.

It’s only a little less than two weeks before the Destapa su Futuro or Uncap Their Future Scholarship deadline, so please hurry! Many of us SpanglishBaby readers might be years away from having to send a child to college. But we can all encourage a friend, family member, or simply spread the word. Just by spreading the word you could be sending a student the opportunity to show that they deserve this.

{Photo by wrightbrosfan on flickr}

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Latina Bloggers Connect.

Lidia Sagastume is a recent college graduate with a B.A. in Creative Writing. She lives in Los Angeles where she works as a freelance writer and editorial assistant for SpanglishBaby.com.

If there’s one bill I wished I could just pay off for once and for all, it’s my student loan. Back in 1991 when I applied for my first loan, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it was really my only option at the time because my parents hadn’t really saved or set aside any funds specifically for college.

Now that my girl has finally started Kindergarten, I’m actually starting to feel guilty that my husband and I haven’t opened a college fund for her yet and repeat the pattern. I’ve always been of the thought that I need to have my nest egg taken care of first because there are no loans for retirement, but that hasn’t really taken off either. So, I keep going back to wanting to learn more about our options for college savings.

Luckily, a couple of weeks ago I was invited to have dinner with some folks from ScholarShare, California’s 529 college savings plan, and I learned so much that I was motivated to finally open Camila a college fund using the payment she received from her appearance on the Disney Junior Hispanic Heritage Spots. We’ll start out by putting her first official paycheck to great use now, during the official College Savings Month

What I learned from ScholarShare is that there’s really not much of a loss scenario when you invest in your child’s future. It has been documented that children who know they have a college savings plan to their name are most likely to attend college, and that alone pushed me over the edge to start saving right away since all anyone really needs is $25 to open a ScholarShare account. I am definitely amongst the 93% of Latinos who believe, according to a survey conducted by Hart Research Associates, that it’s “very important” that my girl attend college, so I definitely must start planning now.

ScholarShare left it very clear that the only beneficiaries for the money are those we assign and it can only be withdrawn with no tax payments  if it’s related to college or qualified higher education expenses. If my girl decides she doesn’t want to go to college, then that money can be withdrawn by me for any use, but with income tax payments. In any case, I still regain control of who the funds are spent, since it’s not like she’ll be able to withdraw for anything other than education-related expenses.

If you’re curious to learn more info on 529 plans in general and ScholarShare in specific:

Named for the section of the IRS code under which they were created, 529 plans are highly regarded for their tax-advantaged status.  Earnings on investments grow tax-deferred, and disbursements, when used for tuition and other qualified higher education expenses, are federal and state tax-free.  ScholarShare accounts may be opened with as little as $25, or $15 when combined with regular, automatic monthly contributions of at least $15

ScholarShare accounts can be opened online at www.scholarshare.com.  For information about the SIB, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/scholarshare.  ScholarShare is on Twitter and Facebook. And make sure to visit Facebook before September 26 to enter their “Share  Your Story” sweepstakes and have a chance to win one of two $1529.00 prizes to get you going on the road of college-savings success.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored article, but all opinions and stories are completely my own.