I sincerely hope that our school district stays representative of the values in our community, which celebrates diversity and multiculturalism. These values are echoed in our dual language (DL) programs. The DL programs not only teach our children foreign languages effectively, they teach our children to respect and want to learn about not only the target (i.e., Spanish or Chinese) culture, but all cultures, through the process of opening curious minds to a global world. Children that are of the target language blossom and take pride in their own language, while learning English more quickly and thoroughly than through ESL services. Children entering school who do not speak English can often withdraw, or learn to “adapt” and try to hide everything about themselves that is different. Our DL programs through their very nature let children know, “We want to learn about you! We want to teach you about us! We are all valued!” Even children entering the Chinese DL program who speak neither Chinese nor English as their first language do well in this program because everyone lets them know, “It’s OK to speak another language, we are all struggling at times and we are all learning!”
Parents and teachers have come together to offer solutions to actual or perceived problems in the Dual Language Report issued by the Dual Language Administrative Team on March 26, 2012. The administrative team has stated that input will be considered before issuing a final report for the school board to vote on this May. We are ready to work with the CHCCS to strengthen the DL programs.
I hope the CHCCS district keeps both Spanish and Chinese programs going, instead of eliminating the Chinese while expanding the already larger Spanish program. I believe eliminating Chinese DL, especially as suddenly as is proposed, would be very damaging to our children, as they will be uprooted from the system they’ve been nurtured in. We have more than one minority population in our community and more than one global language that will benefit our children in the future. I hope CHCCS decides it values all of the above as much as the community we live in does.
Ardra Salemy
Chapel Hill