Coming June 2, polls will be open for the Direct Primary Election. Among the propositions this year will be Prop. 227, the English Language in Public Schools Initiative Statute.
The Proposition is a bad idea which cannot and should not be supported. It will cause severe damage not only for the students and parents involved in bilingual studies. It will also prove to be inefficient for employers who seek to satisfy a diverse public.
According to the California Association for Bilingual Education, this proposition eliminates bilingual education and requires teachers to teach only in English.
Although these are a few of the elements in Prop. 227, the main objective of the proposition is to eliminate any kind of bilingual education in public schools, including Spanish.
The Proposition can be detrimental to children in schools today and in the future. Without bilingual education, effective communication between teachers and students will breakdown. Rather than equip students with better understanding for an easier transition, teachers will be doing them a disservice by taking the current teaching format away.
As a bilingual student myself, I cannot emphasize the importance of knowing two languages. The simple fact that I can communicate in different countries, and with different cultures and people, has opened many doors that I would not have had without bilingual education.
Some may relate to the difficulties in learning a second language. Most colleges and universities require foreign language courses to have been taken before admittance. How would it feel to be one of these students and be thrown into a classroom where Japanese is the only language spoken. It would be extremely difficult to adjust, and worse yet, comprehend the language to perfection.
In essence, Prop. 227 will be doing the exact same thing to all children who do not speak English. As it is, the public today has poor English skills, which will only worsen if students do not understand the language correctly.
The demand for people who speak two languages is great in the United States because of the diversity of this country. With Prop. 227, the next generations will lack the abilities to grow the way other generations have done in the past.
Today, certain schools provide ESL students, as well as English-only students, the chance to switch-off with bilingual and English teachers. This allows teachers the chance to incorporate bilingual studies in everyone, not only ESL students.
This technique has proven to be efficient in at least acquiring better understanding of different cultures. Bilingual education has not only been a part of school curriculums in the west, it has been successful in Europe as well.
It seems ludicrous that the United States, a super power, in more ways than one, would consider disarming its future by taking away such skills.
Although the Proposition will incorporate students at same-English levels, and with different language backgrounds, into the same classroom, such “sheltered English immersion,” will take attention away from students. This will only decrease the amount of time dedicated to the program.
Perhaps politicians are not aware of all the benefits bilingual achieve. Or maybe they, too, see it and fear the success of it. Whatever the case may be, come June 2, Prop. 227 will be another attempt by politicians to abuse the public by taking away something immeasurable, the key to success and security — knowledge.
Angelica Martinez, a junior journalism major, is arts and entertainment editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at amartine@ulv.edu.
