There are many problems facing the
United States and the languages its citizen’s use. One of these problems has to do with bilingual education. There are many people who feel this is bad
for the country and that it needs to be banned. They also believe that English should be established as the
United States official language.
Proposition 227 deals with this and has a requirement of restricting all
public schools to instruction in English.
Despite the recent passing of Proposition 227 in some areas, there are
many advantages for maintaining and installing systems for bilingual education
in America today.
Bilingual
education is not just about teaching English to non-native speaking
students. It is about teaching the
students other subjects in their native languages as well as teaching them
English. It is much harder to learn a
new skill such as math if you are being taught in a language that you are not
yet fluent in. First the learner must
decipher the language in which you are speaking before being able to pick up on
the aspects you are trying to teach them.
Studies have shown that the more proficient a person is at one language,
the easier it is to learn and become fluent in a second language. Therefore while a person is being taught
other subjects in their native language, they are being prepared to learn
English or a second language more proficiently. It has been proven that bilingualism has benefits for cognitive
and intellectual growth as well. Research
has shown that if given time nearly all bilingual students meet or exceed the
academic achievements of solely English speaking students.
Besides
the cognitive benefits, bilingualism can be a great aspect for employees in the
workforce. Bilingualism is becoming
more and more prized among employers as the marketplace begins to expand and
become more globalized. Knowing two
languages can be a great advantage for those seeking employment in a variety of
fields.
These
are some of the main reasons why bilingual education should be in place
throughout the United States.
Proposition 227 which would restrict any teaching other than in English
would severely limit students cognitive abilities as well as taking away from
there cultural heritage. There are just
too many advantages to being proficient in two languages to try and restrict
individuals from being exposed to more than one language.