It's OK Utah. We are happy to have you taking massive action with
their language immersion programs. Effectively jumping on the hottest
trend in bilingual education. It's important and effects us all.
Language Immersion Programs going full-speed ahead in Utah.
Language Immersion Programs going full-speed ahead in Utah.
Educators
are now looking to rapidly expand dual-language programs and language
immersion programs due to the decline in outcry against bilingual
education.
Language immersion programs are an education technique
that promotes the development of bilingual children through teaching
only in the minority language while at school. Think of One Parent One
Language... but with only one parent; the teacher(s).
Utah has
embraced the idea with an unlikely zeal, despite being the state which
routinely ranks last in the nation on education spending, according to
United States Census figures. To make it even more interesting, Utah
passed an "English Only" law in 2000. They have since changed their
minds.
The English-only law, which was passed in Utah in 2000, allows exemptions only for issues of public health and safety, court proceedings, education and tourism.
The
Republicans in Salt Lake City, seeing the language immersion programs
as a catalyst for Utah to become a bigger player in the world economy,
have promised millions of dollars to the program. The popularity of
these programs continues to drive the demand.
About four years ago
language immersion programs began in Utah, however have really gained
popularity recently. 14,000 students are currently enrolled with options
in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin; German and Arabic are next
on the docket. These programs start in first grade and go through
middle school. Successful students then can study college courses in
language throughout high school.
20,000 students are already
enrolled for next year; nothing short of amazing. That constitutes a 43%
increase in overall numbers year over year. In business, that is
something to get pretty excited about.This really speaks to the general
public starting to realize the benefits of being bilingual.
Language
Immersion Programs continue showing up all over the country and are
growing equally fast in metropolitan areas around the world. Even in the
upper-Midwest, where I am from, the programs are catching on. I have
family members who have enrolled their children in these programs in
cities like Minneapolis.
Whether we like it or not (we do!),
globalization is taking over. China is becoming a powerhouse in the
world and the Middle-East is affecting our daily lives more and more;
everything from oil to cultural issues and wars. If we want the children
of today to compete in this global economy, we need to be encouraging
global citizenship and raising bilingual children.
I'm excited to
see where all of this goes. Hopefully language immersion programs aren't
just the new fad, and are here to stay. Outside of the many benefits of
being bilingual, and this is NOT a comprehensive list, knowing another
language is very personally rewarding. I'll leave you with a quote from
Mr. Nelson Mandela:
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
Well said
Nelson... well said. We want our future leaders to be able to connect
with the rest of the world, so let's start today!
LivingBilingual author Jeffrey Nelson
Jeffrey Nelson
http://livingbilingual.com
http://livingbilingual.com
