Teach Kids in Their Native Language

I work for the Oxnard Unified School District, where I teach a bilingual fourth-grade class. For two years I have been working hard toward completing my teaching credential. In doing so, I have come across much research concerning the effectiveness of bilingual education.

According to the research that I have read, it is vital to teach a child in his or her native language in their first four years of attending any type of academic institution. The reason is that when these children are taught in their native language for the first four years, they will make the transition to English much more easily, giving them an opportunity to succeed.

Bilingual education can be effective if only students are given the opportunity and resources. Gov. Pete Wilson has mandated all school districts to reduce the number of students to 20 per classroom in grades 1-3, something that I applaud. But it has forced school districts to hire people who are simply not qualified to teach a bilingual classroom.

There are many cases where teachers have been hired who do not know a word of Spanish. If they do know some Spanish, it is at a very elementary level. Year after year, these self-proclaimed bilingual instructors are there “teaching” these students.

When we test these children at the end of the year, the school districts receive the results. They find that these children did not do well. Politicians, being opportunists, use their simple logic and deem bilingual education a waste of our taxpayer money.

The solution is simply that the school districts need to continue to teach these children in their native language and to hire qualified bilingual instructors. If this is done, these children will be given an opportunity to succeed.

CARLOS A. TORRES

Moorpark