The Struggles of a Bilingual Program (Dual and One-Way)

http://www.theyoungmommylife.com/2013/12/27/support-daughters-bilingual-education/

The article above did not catch me by surprise. In fact, I would like to use this article to talk about how common this may feel for many parents. Being in a bilingual classroom has many challenges everyone will face, including the students, parents, as well as teachers. It's as easy as 1-2-3 to be bilingual. Hard work and time commitment are necessary by all parties.

In the article, the mom was told to have her daughter have playdates and to request a tutor for her to be more successful in Spanish. Luckily, she is in a dual immersion program. In order for a program to be a "dual immersion program" the population of the students should be 50% native English speakers and 50% target language speakers. If the mom feels frustrated because she is not giving enough support in Spanish, chances are, there might be parents who feel the same but for English. Who knows? Parents can work together to find a time where the kids can interact with each parent at different times (but equal amount of times) to practice each language.

As for an one-way immersion program (population is not 50/50, but anyone can attend), the only time the target language is used, is mainly in school. It uses a slightly different approach where parents might still feel the same way, unfortunately. Because all students start learning the target language from the same point and all the support is coming from the school, there isn't much support outside of the classroom. This is something I am struggling with as the students might not use target language when having playdates.

Questioning Parent Volunteer

First post of the year!! Happy New Year Yayayayay :)
Alright, 'nuff celebrating. Back to work heh heh

As a child growing up in the US public school system, it was common for parents to come into the school during the school day (especially during holiday parties) to volunteer and help around the classrooms. I have seen parents set up classrooms, lead activities, bring in prizes, bring in food... etc. All in all, I have seen parents just take over the classroom for the time being.

What I am not so sure about is how this comes about. Do parents email each other and just plan who does what prior to the party and who does what during the party? What do teachers do during planning? What about during the party?

The following links provide some tips:

1. Communication (clear and in every way possible)
2. Many opportunities... many
3. Appreciate them. If necessary, LIKE CRAZY!!
4. Have schedules ready
1. For busy parents, be flexible
5. BE ENTHUSIASTIC!! YEAH!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-for-engaging-parent-volunteers-karen-bantuveris

http://www.dominicanu.com/masters-in-education-resources/get-parents-involved/

P.S. It says parents can also help with websites... Need to ask if that's possible in my district.