Regarding the March 15th publication of the
”
Pride
”
section in the Free Lance, I would like to correct a statement
that was attributed to me in the article about bilingual
education.
Editor,
Regarding the March 15th publication of the “Pride” section in the Free Lance, I would like to correct a statement that was attributed to me in the article about bilingual education. I was comparing an older generation of immigrants, who survived the “sink-or-swim” method of instruction, with the students we have in our schools now. The article states that the older generation did not acquire literacy in their native languages, thus making the learning more difficult. This is exactly opposite of my statement.
I believe that, in general, the previous generation did have literacy skills to build upon, while many of the students that come to us today do not have a strong foundation in their native language; thus supporting primary language instruction in the content areas while the students are learning English.
Our goal is to produce students who are literate in English, and bilingual instruction is one method of support. For those students who need it, this support should continue until the students are ready to transition fully to English in all academic areas.
Lonna Martinez, Coordinator, ELL Programs Hollister School District
Editor’s note: The Free Lance regrets the
