Entry 1: Reflection

When it comes to my second language learning, or lack thereof, there is somethings to be said. While I thank the school system for still trying to make sure I have the opportunity to learn a second language, waiting until high school (or in my case middle school) to require this is a poor decision on the districts part. From my own experience, it was extremely difficult to try to learn a whole new language at the age of thirteen. I struggled with seeing a sentence in Spanish, having to translate it to the language I know which is English, then coming up with an answer in English, and translating it back into Spanish somehow. It was way too complicated and confusing. By the time I figured out what was said, the teacher was already talking about the next thing in Spanish.

It is from this experience that I feel if we want our students to learn a second language, and be bilingual, we should start them as early as possible. According to Ortega, a large chunk of our language is acquired during the first 18 months to three or four years on life (Ortega 2013, p.3). While I understand that a lot of parents aren’t bilingual, and cannot teach their child two languages, that doesn’t mean that we cannot start teaching these students as early as pre-k or kindergarten. It is our job as education professionals to make sure each student is a well-rounded individual, and I believe that ensuring they learn a second language is crucial.