What It’s Really Like to Learn English

On June 2, Californians will cast their ballots on Proposition 227, the controversial initiative that would virtually abolish bilingual education programs, placing limited-English-proficient students in one-year sheltered immersion classes before mainstreaming them. Proponents of bilingual education say it works if properly implemented and is necessary to acclimate new immigrant children with limited English language skills. Detractors say it coddles and does not properly prepare students to compete in a country whose primary language is English. MARIO MUNOZ spoke with two immigrants about their personal experiences of learning English.

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KATIA COREA

26, junior, UCLA, immigrated from El Salvador

I was 8 when my mother brought me to this country and enrolled me in Norwood Elementary School in Los Angeles. It was the middle of the year, so they started me in the second grade, which I was forced to repeat. Because of my age, it was decided by the school that when I entered the third grade I would go in to the English as a second language program. I remember that it was mostly English that I was taught. Although some of the teaching assistants spoke some Spanish, they really wanted me to immerse myself in English. I had some English classes in El Salvador but it was pretty basic stuff like books that preschoolers read. By the time I entered the fourth grade, I was in classes like everybody else. I guess it must have taken me a year to learn how to speak well enough to join regular classes. My English continues to improve; it is an ongoing process. My teacher, who was African American, spoke a little Spanish and she devoted time to me. She stressed English first and if I didn’t understand a specific word, she would tell me in Spanish and then repeat it again in English. I was lucky to have a really good teacher who took the time to properly teach me. I cannot speak for everyone, but for me that is what worked.

I already knew how to read and write Spanish, I just had to learn how to do it in English. I think every child is different. Depending on who they are, if they don’t have any schooling in their primary language, you can’t really expect them to learn English right away. It’s my opinion that for at least the first year, they should be taught in both their first language and in English so that by the time they enter classes with the rest of the student body they will be prepared to speak English exclusively.

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MARTHA FRANCO

46, accountant, immigrated from Mexico

I remember being 6 when my father took me to Euclid Elementary in East Los Angeles. I spoke only Spanish and did not even know how to say “hello” in English. My teacher didn’t speak any Spanish, so my most vivid image of that day is my father walking me to class and leaving me alone to fend and learn by myself. That year, which is now a complete blank aside from a few painful memories, was one of the most traumatic periods of my life. I remember constantly being physically sick to my stomach, dreading the next day of school. Everything was very confusing and although I do remember being passed into the second grade, it wasn’t until the start of the third grade that I starting speaking English fluently enough to hold conversations and do well in school. I suppose that hearing the other kids talk and practicing extra hard after school with index cards helped, but I believe that if the school back then would have had some sort of program, even a small one to help me adjust to the culture shock, I might remember more of my very first year of school.