This week, my daily news surfing brought me to this article from NPR about the unclear future of the Spanish language in the U.S. The author, Luis Clemens, challenges the idea that the growing number of Latinos in America automatically means there will be more Spanish speakers going forward. Those of us in the middle of child rearing in more than one language are familiar with how much work and conscious planning it takes to achieve the end of producing not just bilingual, but also biliterate, members of the next generation. Thus, it makes perfect sense to me, and probably to many of you, that there is not necessarily a direct connection between ethnicity and language.

More importantly than pointing to this disconnect, Clemens questions what it means when a U.S.-born Latino American isn’t truly fluent in Spanish. What does it mean for the young Latino culture when public figures (he mentions Sonia Sotomayor and Vin Diesel) can’t conduct a proper Spanish conversation in public?

This reminds me of the critique of reggaeton music and the constant battle in my state (Florida) between the Puerto Ricans, with their slang-laden Spanish, and all other Spanish speakers. Is it true that butchering a language will ultimately cause other cultural elements to go by the wayside? I’m not sure that any of us can definitively answer this question because we all cling to culture to an individual degree.

I am somewhat on the outside of this dilemma, since I’m a non-Latina white American. However, because of the way that I learned Spanish and the beautiful array of dialects to which I’ve been exposed, I must admit that I have a bit of a preference for “real” Spanish. Although my son hears slang all around him, I find it essential to read to him in Spanish and try to preserve some semblance of grammatical accuracy in his mind. I tend to agree with Clemens that the level of Spanish fluency presented by supposed native speakers in this country is sometimes deplorable, but I also agree with his encouraging point that this may change for the better with our children.

In the article, Clemens does note the current efforts of some U.S.-born Latinos to raise bilingual children, even citing SpanglishBaby as part of the solution to the potential for language disappearance. While it seems that Spanish is all around us, we forget that the older immigrants for whom our businesses and government now translate everything into Spanish may not have prepared their children well enough to carry on the language for good. It is rather fascinating to think that Spanish could have been virtually erased by the third or fourth generation of Latino Americans if it weren’t for active and passionate parents, many of whom weren’t gifted with the greatest Spanish skills.

Though the news may sound a bit grim and critical, this kind of reality check makes me all the more committed to keeping Spanish alive in my household. Ironically, sometimes we need a national snapshot to understand how significant our personal efforts can be.

Check out the comments on the NPR article for a pretty fascinating discussion.

{photo by exoticabooks}

Before I share “Facundo the Great” with you, let me tell you a little about StoryCorps – because what they do is pretty amazing. StoryCorps is an independent non-profit and since 2003 they have been collecting true stories, oral histories, from Americans of all backgrounds. The stories are recorded during interviews, and each participant (80,000 so far!) receives a free CD to keep and pass down to future generations. Each of these stories is also preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and many are broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition.

What is the point of recording these stories? StoryCorps explains, “We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.”

I’ve known about this project for a few years and really love it. When I listen to the stories, I have a tendency to become completely absorbed in them because the recordings are so intimate and special each in their own way.

This one I’m going to share with you was animated and while it talks about the very serious topic of how Latinos were once forced to Anglicize their names here in the United States, it turns out to be really humorous as well. The story is about Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez who was “raised in a small farming community in southern California in the 1950s. As was common practice at that time, teachers at his local elementary school Anglicized the Mexican American students’ names. Here, Chunky remembers a new classmate who proved to be the exception to the rule.”

StoryCorps is looking to create their first full-length animation special for TV – If you want to help make that happen, you can check out their Kickstarter page.

In the meantime, you can find many more stories on StoryCorps.org, or perhaps you or a family member have a story to tell? (Maybe your parents or your abuela?) Find out how you can be a part of the project.

What story would you tell?

{Photo by: cdsessums}

I lived in Miami for almost 19 years before moving to Denver five years ago. While I had heard of several bilingual immersion schools in the area, Coral Way K-8 Center was not one of them. I guess some stuff only becomes important once you become a mom.

It turns out Coral Way is the oldest bilingual immersion school in the country, or so I was recently told by NPR’s education correspondent Claudio Sanchez, whose report about the school airs today. Sanchez’ story is part of a special series titled: Two Languages, Many Voices, which has been looking at what it’s like to be a bilingual and bicultural Latino.

I must say that if there’s one thing I miss about Miami is that it’s a truly bicultural and bilingual city. It may sound crazy, but it’s virtually impossible to go places and not be surrounded by Spanish and the Latino culture all the time: from the movie theaters to government offices. (I’ve always believed this is the reason why the culture shock wasn’t as strong when I arrived there from Peru as a teenager.)

And Sanchez wastes no time letting the listener get a feel for that. Soon after his story starts, you can clearly hear the principal of Coral Way go seamlessly from Spanish to English as she’s talking to her students.

Sanchez goes on to talk to a father whose family is monolingual, but whose child is in the bilingual immersion program. His reasoning is simple: academic enrichment. To him, the importance of Spanish is right up there with reading and math. If only more parents could think that way…

The report also includes the story of a bilingual and bicultural family whose three children attend Coral Way. Sanchez visits with them and one of the highlights of the interview is when he asks the three children how they see themselves. Their answers are the perfect example of what it’s like to grow up bilingual and bicultural in the United States today.

I had a chance to speak to Sanchez at length about this story in particular and the topic of bilingual education in general and I’ll be brining you more of that very soon.

Once you listen to the story, we’d love to hear what you thought of it. Did you know about Coral Way? Do you have anything similar in your area?

Image source: Speculum Mundi

Editor’s note: We continue our coverage of NPR’s special series “Two Languages, Many Voices” with a preview of today’s story, which will air on Morning Edition, related to bilingual families and technology. 

Access to the internet and being able to afford a computer doesn’t necessarily mean one can make use of either. This is the case for many Latino immigrants in the United States.

The Bilingual Families and Technology report in the NPR series, “Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S.” gives us a glimpse into what it’s like to live in today’s world without being able to access things that are now increasingly available online.

The problem for the immigrant parents is two-fold; Often times not only do they not know how to use the technology, but lack of English skills plays an equal role — That’s where the children come in.

Without the help of their bilingual children, many parents would not be able to use online bill pay, get driving directions, assist with homework research, or find local businesses. The bilingual children of immigrants, with a foot in each world, have traditionally always shouldered a lot of responsibility in helping non-English speaking parents, but that is even more so today.

I love this report by NPR because I’ve seen this same scenario play out in my own home. While I’m a native English speaker and I can cruise the internet with ease, my husband, a native Spanish speaker from El Salvador who had very little experience with computers upon arriving in the United States, has often needed assistance.

Over the years my husband, intelligent and determined as he is, has learned a lot. He speaks English proficiently enough that he is now attending a college level class for the first time, and he now knows his way around the world wide web. However he would be the first to admit that he didn’t get to where he’s at without the help of our bilingual children clicking the mouse for him every now and then.

{Photo by: cliff1066™}

As I mentioned last week, NPR is dedicating the next few days to a series entitled Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S. about bicultural Latinos and their impact on education, technology, religion and entertainment.

The first part in the series about the town of West Liberty in Iowa and how the majority of its population is Latino aired earlier today in Morning Edition. The story, along with an interactive map of how Latinos are reshaping communities are both available on NPR’s website. (Be forewarned, as usual, not all the comments are pleasant or even informed.)

By the way, I must say I was astounded on Friday when NPR teased the series on their Facebook fan page saying it would be exploring bilingual life in the U.S. and asked how English and Spanish affected the lives of its fans. The prompt got over 1,000 comments. My surprise was not with the racist and ignorant comments – sadly, I’ve become used to those already – but with the many, many people who supported bilingualism and shared their own stories of growing up or raising kids with two languages. Bravo!

The fact that NPR is dedicating a whole week to this series speaks volumes of what it means to be the largest minority in this country, 50.5 million and counting. It should also serve as a reminder that Latinos have been here since before this country officially became the United States and that regardless of the broken immigration system, we’re here to stay.

My first reaction after listening to today’s story was that West Liberty sounds like an oasis at a time when anti-immigrant laws – the toughest of which were just passed in Alabama – have become the “in” thing to do.

I know there are Latinos pretty much anywhere in the United States, but prior to listening to this story, I had no idea they were in Iowa, and much less that many of them have been there for generations. In fact, the first Latino immigrants arrived in the 1930s to work in the town’s turkey plant (I guess little has changed since then) and apparently many never left.

My favorite character in the story was the mayor, Chad Thomas, who moved to West Liberty 11 years ago because of its diversity AND… dual language school which is in its 14th year.

“A big factor for us since we were thinking about kids was the dual language school program, so the thought of our children being able to go through the school system and come out speaking Spanish relatively fluently,” Thomas gave as an explanation. If only more people could be open enough to the benefits of bilingualism, dual language programs would be the norm around the country.

On another note, I was introduced to professor Rubén G. Rumbaut a sociologist who’s been studying children of immigrants since the 1990s. I think I might have heard his name before, but it reminded me that this is someone I’d really like to read more about because his research sounds invaluable to someone like me who is raising children of immigrants.

“To be bicultural, to be bilingual, means to feel comfortable in two cultural worlds, to feel comfortable and proficient in two languages,” Rumbaut said, describing exactly what I, and many of you who read this blog, can identify with easily.

In the next few days we plan to bring you previews of some of the other stories in NPR’s series and hopefully an exclusive interview with Claudio Sanchez, the station’s education correspondent who spent some time in Coral Way Elementary School in Miami, the nation’s oldest bilingual immersion program in the country.

{Photo by: makdune}

I’ve been a fan of NPR for a very long time for a lot of reasons, but mainly because, as a journalist, I feel there’s little quality news programming left out there. If you listen to NPR, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then this would be a great time for you to check it out.

Starting next week, NPR will begin a series entitled Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S. on Morning Edition. The series will run from Monday, Oct. 10 through Monday, Oct. 17. As soon as we found out, we knew we wanted to share this with you because many of the topics to be covered in the series are not only of utmost interest, but relevant to many of the conversations we have in this space.

Check for yourself what will be covered in Two Languages, Many Voices:

Dual Language Public Schools in Iowa – Mon. 10/10

Really? Yes! There’s a place in the state that’s the first majority minority town where, over the last 30 to 40 years, Mexican immigrants have moved to work in a meat processing plant. Many of them have stayed and made West Liberty their home. The town has a strong Latino culture, including dual language programs in its public schools, and now others (read: non-Latinos) want to take advantage of this.

I’m really looking forward to this story because, while I know Latinos are pretty much anywhere in the country, I find it fascinating that given the anti-immigrant sentiment we currently live, some people are able to appreciate the contribution of immigrants and the value of the Latino culture and everything that comes with it. Along with the on-air story, NPR tells us there’ll be all sorts of multimedia content online, including photos and maps.

Bilingual Families & Technology – Wed. 10/12

This report will look at how access to technology differs depending on the language you speak. In other words, while you might be able to access the internet, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to find all the useful information it has to offer if English is not your dominant language.

The part I’m interested in is the reporter’s visit with a three-generational bilingual family where everyone has the same technology, but not the same access to the internet. 

Oldest Bilingual Immersion School – Friday 10/14

NPR’s education correspondent Claudio Sanchez reports on Coral Way Elementary School, which is in Miami and has the oldest bilingual immersion program in the nation. While it started with a bilingual program to help English language learners – in this case Cuban exiles in the 60s –assimilate to their new environment, it is now a dual language immersion school. (Oh, how I miss Miami!)

As you can imagine, this is right up our alley – especially because Sanchez will explore what we all want to know: why haven’t more schools adopted this immersion model? Plus, we’re super excited to announce that we’ll be interviewing him about this story and the topic as a whole some time next week, so be sure to come back for that.

In fact, we’re working with NPR to bring you not only that interview, but also previews of some of the programming they’ll have starting next week. By the way, besides the stories mentioned above, there will also be others on marketing, religion and Hollywood – definitely something for everyone.

What do you think about NPR dedicating a whole week to topics related to Latinos in the U.S. Which story sounds the most interesting to you? Why?

Photo by Aaron Escobar

Not lots to share with you this first Sunday of June… Although both Ana and I are very excited about a new website related to bilingualism and reading. It’s called Bilingual Readers and it’s actually a “publishing company which provides bilingual resources for families and communities.” Go over there whenever you get a chance and check it out! We can’t tell you how happy we are that more and more sites related to bilingualism are appearing all the time…

1) From LBBC–Father’s Day: Celebrate Dads and Reading – Links to different book lists that celebrate fathers and grandfathers and includes a number of heartwarming books from different cultures and ethnic traditions, including some bilingual English/Spanish books. All these are definitely worth checking out!

2) From Time Magazine: Study: TV May Inhibit Babies’ Language Development – “As most parents of small children will reluctantly admit, nothing can occupy a child quite like television. Unfortunately, the scientific evidence suggests that using the boob tube as a babysitter has its price: the more time babies spend sitting in front of the screen, the more their social, cognitive and language development may suffer. Recent studies show that TV-viewing tends to decrease babies’ likelihood of learning new words, talking, playing and otherwise interacting with others.” Vanessa doesn’t really watch a lot of TV. We don’t have cable and apart from V-me and PBS, there’s not a lot of “quality” programming out there anyway. However, she does watch movies and I often feel guilty about that because she truly loves them and it keeps her entertained for at least a good hour… Now I feel even more guilty. Great.

3) From Bilingual Readers: Want to Help Your Baby’s Language Development Along? Read Together! – “While banning television from your home forever is neither practical nor necessary (thank God), the bottom line is crystal clear: babies learn language best through direct interaction with their parents and other caregivers. This conclusion is even more important for families who are trying to raise their children in more than one language. Of course there are many ways for parents to interact directly with their children, but we at Bilingual Readers believe that one of the most effective ways is through shared parent-child reading.” Thank God Vanessa has picked up my love for reading. I don’t feel so guilty about the movie thing I mentioned above anymore… At least we’re doing something right!

4)  From PRWeb: Bilingual Tots Total Immersion Language Schools Success Leads to National Expansion, Hiring Thousands of Teachers – “Bilingual Tots – based in Boulder, Colorado – offers total immersion in the target language with native teachers in order to help them capture the authentic accent and sound system of the language they’re learning. Parents of children 0 to 3 must be present during class, and all parents are given materials that help reinforce the language learning at home. Each 50-minute Bilingual Tots class is limited to no more than six children so that each teacher can devote time to one-on-one interaction in addition to group activities that center on play and simple interaction with the native-speaker teachers.” In my neck of the woods and I didn’t even know about it. I’ll have to check them out and get back to you…

5) From NPR: Weighing Ethnicity When Picking a Spouse – “As the old saying goes: “Love is blind.” But for the American-born children of immigrants, it’s sometimes impossible not to look at ethnicity when picking a partner.” Another great read – or listen – from NPR’s series: Immigrants’ Children. I know how I feel about this one, but I would love to hear what you all think, though! I wonder how Vanessa  – who is the American-born child of immigrants – will feel about this topic? Luckily, we won’t have to deal with this one for many, many years to come. Ha!

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