Multilingual Chicago Speaks

[Harold Schiffman]

Multilingual Chicago Speaks
April 15, 2009

Juan Maldonado, the 15-year-old teen in Oscar Avila's story "Alone,
Adrift. U.S.-born immigrants lost in Mexican Schools," (Chicagoland,
April 12), did not have to feel "stupid" when his family moved him
from West Chicago, Ill. to Mexico. It's never easy being the new kid
on the block, but had Juan been exposed to a culture and educational
system that values and builds proficiency in one's home language and
adds a second, he would have been prepared to embrace the language and
culture of his extended family.

Many Americans and recent arrivals to our country mistakenly believe
all children should learn English first. While learning English
quickly is crucial for adults to function well in the United States,
applying this straight-from-the-gut outlook to children is
fundamentally flawed. And this attitude, which masquerades as common
sense and has been unwittingly co-opted by many legislators, educators
and the general public, is hurting all children-- non-English and
English-speaking alike.

Research and practical experience reveal that children who are
educated to speak, read and write proficiently in more than one
language, outperform their monolingual peers on standardized tests.
Multilingualism promotes divergent thinking and appreciation for other
cultures. And adults who are fluent in more than one language have
wider opportunities for professional advancement. Schools that support
successful multilingualism such as heritage-language and dual-language
(two-way immersion) programs are few and far between. But they build
better brains. Yield higher paying jobs. And benefit English-speaking
kids too. What's not to like?

Local legislators agree. On March 14, 2007 the City Council
unanimously approved a resolution presented by Alderman Ray Suarez
recognizing Chicago as a multilingual city and urging residents to
"celebrate, support and develop the great language resources of the
City of Chicago in order to fully realize the rich assets they can be
to the economy, the social fabric of Chicago and democratic
participation in the community."  Even the president is on board.
While campaigning in Georgia, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama
declared, "instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn
English -- they'll learn English -- you need to make sure your child
can speak Spanish."

Thankfully we can do both. We can educate children who speak English
and children who are learning English in settings where languages and
cultures are shared. Children become bilingual and bi-literate. And we
can welcome entire families, immediate and extended, in this effort to
learn and grow and live in a global economy. But first, educational
policy and funding will have to catch up. Since what passes for
bilingual education in Illinois does anything but teach children to be
bilingual, we'll need to develop the will and the way to change how we
educate children – and those who teach them.

--Janet Nolan and Maria Vargas

Co-chairs, Multilingual Chicago

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-090415nolanvargas_briefs,0,777670.story

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