Lack of bilingual teachers cripples Chicago

The Northerns Star Online ^ | Wednesday, September 7, 2005 | Zak Quiggle - Staff Reporte

[DustyMoment]

Gee, what if they simply tried immersion therapy in the interim and force the kids to speak English 100% of the time?

What am I thinking!!?? If they did that, the kids might actually LEARN something.

BAD DustyMoment, BAD!!!!!

[ArmyTeach]

My college major was languages and I held secondary teaching certification. Here's my take. Total immersion is the most effective way to teach language. The Defense Language Institute uses this approach. Bilingual education disrespects the students on two levels. First, it suggests that non-English speaking students are incapable of functioning in an English speaking environment. Second, it is inherently racial in it's outcome, depriving non-English speaking students of the potential for future success in our society. I don't know the statistics, but I suspect that bilingual education students seldom acquire full mastery of English.
Children, especially young children, learn languages quite readily. The ideal would be a semester of total immersion in English followed by placement in a standard classroom.
I'm going on too long...

[TheBigB]

I an-cay eak-spay ig-pay atin-lay. An-cay I each-tay?