Bilingual Education
...one’s knowledge and cultural diversity, while others may view bilingual education as a useless investment by the government. The difference in opinions on bilingual education depends upon each individual’s perspective on the subject. In reference to the importance of language, Donald Omark and Joan Erickson state, “Language is one of our most manifest capabilities as species.” Being that language is so important, humans should share the natural desire to learn more than one. In a society where communication is key, our lack of appreciation for cultural diversity and bilingualism is preventing the Hispanic population and the Anglo-American population from forming a unity between the two different cultures. The rapid immigration of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States is continually affecting the increasing needs for bilingual education in a student’s curriculum. Requiring bilingual education within the school system would undoubtedly reflect in the performance of the United States as a unified nation, as well as its foreign relations with many Spanish-speaking nations. Bilingual education would provide an overall growth of all students enrolled in the program as well as providing many generations to come with exposure to cultural diversity. How bad could it be if everyone in the U.S. was fluent in two languages?
A person who is bilingual is simply defined as one who speaks two different languages fluently. James Williams and Grace Snipper state that, “Language is commonly considered to encompass four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. When we talk about proficiency in one language we refer to people’s ability to process language in each of the four skills.” If a student is proficient in the four types of skills listed, then he/she will undoubtedly be more advanced than an individual who is only proficient in only one...
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