Bilingual and ESL education

U.S. Public schools provide two education programs for immigrants, who are not proficient in English: the ESL and the bilingual. The ESL programs are taught entirely in simplified English and also include further explanation on the language. Meanwhile, students choosing the bilingual programs are taught in their native languages and also learn English as one of their subjects. These two education programs have created a debate on parents, who find it difficult to make up their mind on which program is the most suitable for their children. In my opinion, bilingual is better for immigrants.

“Language reflects culture”, as someone said. One should learn and master his native tongue in order to preserve and transfer the value of his culture to the following generations. For immigrants, who have to live faraway from their homeland, mother tongue is of great importance. Young children should know how to speak native language so that when they come back to the country, they can easily communicate with the others. Thus, those children should follow the bilingual program. They will not only have chance to practice their first language in certain main subjects like math, sciences or social studies but also practice English to be adapted to the U.S. society.

Also, by learning their native tongue, children will not forget or misunderstand about their own culture, their traditions or customs etc. In fact, there are many Vietnamese families in the U.S. send their kids to the ESL classes, where English is used all the time. Even at home, the parents force them to speak English. Consequently, they gradually forget Vietnamese and cannot know about their homeland culture or everything. The Chinese, however, have a good reputation for preserving their culture and language. The Chinese are everywhere on the earth, but never do the young generation forget their mother tongue or the Chinese traditional culture.

For immigrants, class in the U.S. is a sink-or-swim environment. Parents should consider whether their kids can “swim” in such situation or not. They may think that ESL programs are good for the children, as they will have a chance to be with people who speak English, and as a result they will speak English better. However, what if the children cannot gain any knowledge from their subjects due to the language barrier? The language in ESL classes, though simplified, can still make children difficult to take in. Some children may find it hard to learn such subjects as science or math even in their native language, so how could they afford to learn those in the second language? Bilingual classes can help them to learn those easier; once master their native tongue, the children can smoothly move on to master their second language.

ESL programs, to some extent, are also helpful. To be with the native speakers is a great choice to master a language. After 2 or 3 years with the native you can learn English much more efficient than study 10 years in your homeland. However, as discussed above, the bilingual program is better because it helps the children to catch up with native students in academic fields; also it helps children to preserve their own language and culture – the two most valuable factors of a country.