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In August of 1982 I left for a year
to Marilίa, São Paulo, Brazil. I had just turned 16 and
was chosen from over 300 students representing two high
schools, Sunset & Aloha in Beaverton, Oregon. I
was both schools' Rotary
International and the United States' student
ambassador. It’s an experience I treasure and would never trade. It’s
also the reason I am adamantly against bilingual education and
government coddling through multi-lingual publications and
services. We have better uses for our tax dollars and we are
doing a significant disservice to our newest residents. The best way to illustrate my position is by
explaining my own experience of being the person
in another country that did not
speak their language. Currently,
there are 130 different nationalities living in the Greater
Los Angeles area. In Southern California, 40% of
the population is Hispanic, and Latinos are the majority
demographic. Many of my friends are first and second
generation Latinos, descendents of migrant field workers. They
are bilingual and have achieved phenomenal success in law, the
media and advertising. They agree with me. To
them, providing instruction in both Spanish and English says
Latin American kids are less intelligent than Asian, Middle
Eastern, European or Near East Kids. They know English
is the language of commerce worldwide and to succeed, the
children must speak perfect English.
Ignorance is not stupidity. Ignorance is a
lack of exposure to ideas and an elimination of opportunity.
Central and South Americans are the descendents of the Mayans
and the Incas, two of the
most advanced cultures that ever existed. These are
smart, innovative and creative people whom choose to come to
the United States and are willing to sacrifice everything so
that their children can live better lives. Yes, many are
poor, uneducated and don't speak English. Most American's forefathers
did not speak English either when they
immigrated here. People rise to the level of expectation
society sets for them. When we provide bilingual
education for certain people and not for others, we
communicate that we think they aren’t as smart as other people.
Obviously those whom must be coddled cannot learn another
language? We forget by two years of age, every person is
fluent in their own native language and in Europe, most adults
speak at least 3 or 4 languages regularly. And then there are
financial considerations. Fiscally it is impossible to teach
courses in our schools to all 130 nationalities; why are we
singling out a few languages for preferential treatment,
especially when those without bilingual crutches excel and
adapt much faster? Bilingual education is
not fair to children or their parents. True, it's painful for
the first four to six months, but most new experiences are.
Teaching in an immigrant's native language only prolongs the
pain of societal adaptation from months to years. It slows down the learning process
and keeps each locked out of the opportunities this
country provides.
By eliminating the urgency to learn, bilingual education traps
the non-English speaking in poverty and lost opportunity. TOP |
