I thought about what to title this essay and ended up with “The language problem.” I tried different things and none of them seemed to work. And when I say “problem”, I don’t mean it’s a problem for everybody. It’s only a problem for those that wish they could speak a second language and spend a lifetime wishing and never get anywhere. A second language, same as dieting or getting in shape at the gym, requires three things: effort, constancy, and time — unless you get dumped into another country or culture and have no choice. When it’s sink or swim, most of us swim.
I might as well tell you right now that all the effort to teach kids in their own language in order to ameliorate the culture shock when they arrive here from another country, be it Mexico, Salvador, or in my case, Chile, as far as I’m concern, is a loser. In Texas a lot of time and money is spent teaching Spanish kids in Spanish and all that does is stretch out the length of time before they learn the language they need to learn, which is English. Your thoughts and comments on the subject are appreciated it,
Manuel
Here is the link the essay: Denton Record Chronicle