Methods of Teaching Non-English Speakers

Thank you for Maria Newman’s article “Schoolchildren Are Immersed in English” (July 17). As a teacher at Madison School in Santa Ana, I can vouch for its accuracy, except for the statement that “the ‘immersion method’ . . . has been called the ‘sink-or-swim’ approach because all their instruction and materials are in English.” Newman reported on a sheltered English program that is definitely not a sink-or-swim approach.

All teachers of Asian pupils at our school possess a Language Specialist Credential and gear all lessons to students who speak no English or limited English. Santa Ana does offer “English only” classrooms in which students do not receive instruction in the comprehension and speaking of the English language.

A non-English-speaking child in an “English only” classroom would be in a sink-or-swim situation. I feel that the error in the article negates the teachers of Asian children at Madison who spend virtually all day teaching English both formally and informally.

SUZANNA MILLER

Santa Ana