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Why raise a child bilingual? Parents on language, culture, and roots
Multi-American: How immigrants are redefining 'American' in Southern
California
89.3 KPCC (Southern California Public Radio)
March
4th, 2013
By Amy Lieu and Leslie Berestein Rojas
Bilingual education for English learners, as it was once known in
California, ended by law in the late 1990s. But in the years since,
the popularity of a different kind of bilingual education, known as
dual language immersion, has grown exponentially.
Unlike traditional bilingual education, it isn't primarily designed to
teach English to English learners. Rather, dual immersion is designed
to teach school-age children to become fluent in a language other than
English, whether it's the parents' native language or a new language
that isn't spoken in the home.
Dual language immersion programs have increased five-fold since the
early 1990s in California; more than 300 schools in the state now have
programs in languages that include Spanish, Armenian, German, Italian,
French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese. The programs
typically start in kindergarten, with native-speaker and non-native
speaker children combined in one classroom.
Some immigrant parents see these programs as a way to pass along not
just language, but also culture, traditions, and what can best be
described as a special way of relating that can be lost in
translation.
But it's tricky. Aside from being competitive, dual immersion programs
are optional and typically parent-driven. Some newer immigrant
families aren't necessarily aware of them, or prefer that their kids
go into English-only classes. And while many experts tout these
programs' success, some families haven't had the results they hoped
for.
Below, a handful of parents who attended a recent KPCC forum on
bilingual learning share stories about why they chose dual immersion
for their kids. Most are immigrants; all wanted to pass along their
heritage, with language as the primary vehicle. They talk about
communicating with grandparents, holidays with special meaning, a
certain sense of pride. If you grew up bilingual, or are trying to
pass along the culture you grew up with to your kids, you'll relate.
The forum was led by KPCC reporter Deepa Fernandes, who in January
reported an informative three-part series on bilingual learning and
its science; the videos were produced by intern Amy Lieu.
Hugo Enciso is a native Spanish speaker with roots in Mexico. His son
is in the dual immersion program at Niemes Elementary School in
Cerritos. For him, language and culture are inextricably tied.
Katja Jahn is an immigrant from Germany who wants to pass her culture
along to her son. She's on the board of trustees at Goethe
International Charter School in Marina del Rey, which her son attends.
Josefina Vargas grew up in the U.S. as an ESL (English as a Second
Language) student. She says learning in Spanish made it harder for her
to learn English, so she was at first hesitant to enroll her
kindergartner in dual immersion at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy.
Taina Franke is a parent of two sons, the oldest of whom attends the
Goethe International Charter School. She talks about her own father's
struggles with language when his family moved from his native Finland
to Germany.
Multi-American: How immigrants are redefining 'American' in Southern
California
89.3 KPCC (Southern California Public Radio)
March
4th, 2013
By Amy Lieu and Leslie Berestein Rojas
Bilingual education for English learners, as it was once known in
California, ended by law in the late 1990s. But in the years since,
the popularity of a different kind of bilingual education, known as
dual language immersion, has grown exponentially.
Unlike traditional bilingual education, it isn't primarily designed to
teach English to English learners. Rather, dual immersion is designed
to teach school-age children to become fluent in a language other than
English, whether it's the parents' native language or a new language
that isn't spoken in the home.
Dual language immersion programs have increased five-fold since the
early 1990s in California; more than 300 schools in the state now have
programs in languages that include Spanish, Armenian, German, Italian,
French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese. The programs
typically start in kindergarten, with native-speaker and non-native
speaker children combined in one classroom.
Some immigrant parents see these programs as a way to pass along not
just language, but also culture, traditions, and what can best be
described as a special way of relating that can be lost in
translation.
But it's tricky. Aside from being competitive, dual immersion programs
are optional and typically parent-driven. Some newer immigrant
families aren't necessarily aware of them, or prefer that their kids
go into English-only classes. And while many experts tout these
programs' success, some families haven't had the results they hoped
for.
Below, a handful of parents who attended a recent KPCC forum on
bilingual learning share stories about why they chose dual immersion
for their kids. Most are immigrants; all wanted to pass along their
heritage, with language as the primary vehicle. They talk about
communicating with grandparents, holidays with special meaning, a
certain sense of pride. If you grew up bilingual, or are trying to
pass along the culture you grew up with to your kids, you'll relate.
The forum was led by KPCC reporter Deepa Fernandes, who in January
reported an informative three-part series on bilingual learning and
its science; the videos were produced by intern Amy Lieu.
Hugo Enciso is a native Spanish speaker with roots in Mexico. His son
is in the dual immersion program at Niemes Elementary School in
Cerritos. For him, language and culture are inextricably tied.
Katja Jahn is an immigrant from Germany who wants to pass her culture
along to her son. She's on the board of trustees at Goethe
International Charter School in Marina del Rey, which her son attends.
Josefina Vargas grew up in the U.S. as an ESL (English as a Second
Language) student. She says learning in Spanish made it harder for her
to learn English, so she was at first hesitant to enroll her
kindergartner in dual immersion at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy.
Taina Franke is a parent of two sons, the oldest of whom attends the
Goethe International Charter School. She talks about her own father's
struggles with language when his family moved from his native Finland
to Germany.