English as a second language (ESL) classes have been in public schools, officially, for several years now, and classes range from Pre-Kindergarten to High School. The reason for the class has mostly been due to the large influx of Mexican children in the United States. These children have typically proven to be quick and eager learners. The ESL program has been so successful, to date, because of their quick learning response and the ESL trained teachers’ commitment. But we are getting even more children from foreign countries, entering our classrooms and this is causing a more complex system for ESL classes.
The learning structure is different from American children for various reasons. Each language is unique in its differences. For example, Polish children have an alphabet that is, in early elementary school, missing Q, V, and X, but they are, soon after, taught those letters in the upper elementary grade level. They, also, have an additional letter in the alphabet, which is an (L) with a slash in it and it has a different sound than a regular (L). In many languages, as well as Polish, parts of a sentence are sometimes translated in a different manner when converting to English. The child will attempt to define a sentence which already explains it’s meaning, with the words (to) and (for). When spelling or pronouncing a word with an (E) or an (A), an (O) is used instead, and that is due to sounding out the word with an accent. Spellings with silent (GH) or the (F) sound in (PH) are not as easily identified, and using the word (a), when (an) should be used, is a common occurrence.
Mexican children have the difficulty of understanding not just a word, but a new meaning that is not in their Spanish vocabulary. Their sentence structure is, frequently, more variable from what ours is because in a common statement the subject, verb, or object can come first in a sentence. Also, an adjective commonly comes after a noun, but not always. (There is no specific rule that states that an adjective has to come before or after a noun.) Although there are many words in Spanish that correlate with an English word, it is still a monumental undertaking for these children.
The public school system is not going to change the ESL training of teachers just because a small amount of children with different languages enter our school systems. The reason is because the training that the teachers get from the school district is just the beginning of their training. The rest of the training comes through their experience as an ESL teacher. Different problems arising are dealt with separately due to the one on one teaching that is practiced. If all our teachers had more time to be able to differentiate each child’s specific learning problems, then our children would succeed in a quicker and more dramatic manner.
Children from 2nd grade to 5th grade, who succeed in learning two languages, are far more likely to excel in school, than their American counterparts. The amount of intelligence it takes for a child that’s entering our school system at those later ages, who learns ESL efficiently, is astounding. Very often, these children have to translate to their parents the teacher’s instructions and notes that are sent home, as well as, phone calls or any other correspondence outside of the home. They mature, intellectually faster, than American children due to the second language and all the extra things that come with it. If you have ever been around any foreign children, you will have also noticed that they are more polite, probably because of their upbringing and faster maturity.
If you take all these results into account, wouldn’t you want your children to learn basic Spanish, starting at an early age? The effect of the whole experience would help to stimulate their intelligence and better their chances as a success later in life. Intellectual maturity is paramount to a child’s success as an adult. Right now, Texas does incorporate Spanish into most elementary classrooms, but they don’t require the children to actually learn it and receive a grade for it. Unfortunately, in middle school, there is no opportunity for American children to learn a foreign language. But in high school, each school usually has two foreign languages that students can choose from, and they have to learn it to get their school credit. We are, slowly but surely, getting to the point of incorporating it in all grades. There are many people who allow their views on illegal aliens from Mexico to cloud their judgment when it comes to our future generation. If people look at the statistics on how many Mexicans live in the United States already, as well as, the businesses that are owned by Mexican families, they should come to the conclusion that our children should be able to go to these places and understand Spanish, as well as, English speaking places, just like the Mexican children do.
