The Question of Bilingual Education

This week, we were asked to interview three different people about their opinions of bilingual education and whether it should be something that is pushed for in schools. I will not be using the names of the individuals that I interviewed, but will attempt to explain their views as honestly as possible.

Person 1
This person had the unique experience of growing up and living in Canada and being in a French immersion program since the age of four. She attended a school where they spoke only French, and taught all subjects in French, but she spoke English exclusively at home. She supports the idea of bilingual education, based on her past experience. She sited, first of all, that in Canada, two of their Providences actually have English and French as official languages, so it makes sense to learn both the languages. She also said that people knowing both of the languages would have more job opportunities, especially in the government. Knowing both languages also allowed you to appreciate the French culture, and it's role in Canadian history and today. Furthermore, she feels that by learning two languages, she feels more worldly and intelligent, and learned valuable problem-solving skills when trying to learn French, that she could apply to other topics. She said that learning one language also opened the door to learning other languages, like Spanish, which came easier to her. She said that they did not have formal French lessons until 7th grade, but instead picked up the language as they were learning other topics, like Math and Science. This allowed them to learn the core subjects, while taking the baby steps to learning a new language. She also emphasized that learning another language allows her to think in a different, unique way, because she had to think in a different way in order to be able to learn French and her class subjects at the same time.

Person 2
This person was not a fan of bilingual education, beyond the point of making sure that Spanish speaking students learn how to speak English. She believed that if they are a new student that moved here, they are expected to learn to speak English because this is America, and we speak English here. So bilingual education should only be used to teach Spanish students how to speak English. She did not like the idea of school systems having to spend extra money to help the students learn English however. She found it annoying that we had to do extra work to help them. She is a fan of the immersion programs that teach all the subjects, but in English; so not just intensive English instruction. She believes being able to speak English should be mandatory, because if you want to get a job and get ahead in our country, you have to speak English. She also does not think that we should have to change our culture to fit theirs; they can have their culture at home. She is not a fan of instructions or products that have two languages on them either. But, she expects the same of us if we move to a different culture. She mentioned that if one moved to Germany, they should expect us to learn German if we want to live there.

Person 3
This person was also a fan of bilingual education. Learning another language helps you understand others and their culture, which is important in a country as diverse as America. Learning another language is also important in today's global economy. Jobs are more often requiring travel to different countries and communicating with different people, so it is important to know different languages. She also mentioned that learning a different language opens up a different way of thinking for people. That way of thinking and problem solving makes kids smarter as they learn new words and new rules that you can apply to other areas.

Out of the people I interviewed, it seems like those in favor of bilingual education really liked the cultural aspect of it and the idea that it will help you with your career in the future. Bilingual education also encourages a unique, problem-solving way of thinking that can be applied to other subject areas. Those not in favor of bilingual education, understand the need for it, but only as a tool to help non-English speaking students learn English. English should be the only language used to teach topics in schools and we should not have to change our culture to accommodate theirs.