Bilingualism is the fluency or use
of two languages. Being a country who often gets people from all around the
world, America is often introduced to people who can speak more than one language.
Bilingual students often face many challenges in a classroom, as well as many
advantages. While many teachers struggle with teaching their students, others
have help from those around them to succeed in teaching their bilingual
students. Being a student who’s parents came to the United States from a
different country, I know first hand what struggles bilingual students have to
face.
Many school systems do not understand the
importance of students knowing two languages. They are so focused on what
they know how to speak, that they forget how valuable knowing two languages can
be for a student. The New York Times published an article titled The Spanish Lesson I Never Got at School written by a bilingual student whos parents came to the U.S as immigrants and put him in a public, English speaking school. Hector Tobar speaks of the troubles he faced in public schools because of the two languages he is fluent in. Tobar tells his readers that public schools concentrate so much on English grammar, but in their Spanish classes, they focus so much on how to speak, rather than the grammar concept which is equally important. While mastering English is very important, taking away from the other language is taking away from an important life-long skill. Knowing two languages is something priceless, and schools do not fully understand that.
The Guardian posted an article, Bilingualism offers 'huge advantages', claims Cambridge University head where Leszek Borysiewicz talks about the importance of allowing children to become as bilingual in the school systems as they possibly can.
Leszek Borysiewicz, vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, sees bilingualism is an important asset. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian
Borysiewicz believes that allowing students in schools to learn different languages and become bilingual, is enhancing heritage which is something that we should all learn about in order to grow as individuals.
While both Borysiewicz and Tobar both agree that students should learn more than one language for they will benefit from it, an article posted on The Atlantic, The Bitter Fight Over the Benefits of Bilingualism says otherwise. Ed Yong explains that although many people believe that students who are bilingual benefit from two languages by learning much quicker, and are more likely to preform well on exams, Yong proceeded to do research and found that a bilingual advantage only shows up in one in six tests of executive function. Therefore, he does not believe that bilingual students are more advanced or have more benefits as any other student does.
All three articles have their own opinions when it comes to bilingualism in a classroom. Some believe that it is important and beneficial, while others do not believe that there is any difference between a student who only speaks one language. It is important to educate today's society through social media, and open up their minds to the endless possibilities when it comes to our school district and what it is allowing our students to learn and take with them throughout their future.
