and this is the benefits of bilingual education.

As most of you know,

the United States of America is referred to as 'the melting pot.'

This is because our ancestors came from all over the globe

to make up the population of the USA.

We're all diverse.

Because of this, The USA has no official language.

However, the majority of our schools are taught in English.

The students who speak a language other than English

usually feel lost and confused, but there's a solution to this.

The solution is bilingual education.

In a bilingual classroom,

the teacher teaches in both English and the students' native language.

The switchover is done gradually, over time,

in order to give the students time to adjust.

Bilingual classes focus on the students being fluent in both languages,

and holding on to their culture.

Sadly, a less effective alternative is being used

in Pasco County classrooms today.

It is named "English to speakers of other languages," or ESOL for short.

In an ESOL classroom, the student is removed

from the classroom for a period of time in order to learn English,

although all of the other classes are taught in English.

There is a major problem with ESOL education.

Unlike bilingual classes,

ESOL classes do not focus on the students being fluent in their native language.

This becomes a problem when the family and the friends of the student

are not fluent in English either.

If the student is learning English well and forgets about their native language,

then they will have trouble communicating to their family and friends.

However, if the student does not learn English well,

then they will not succeed in their other classes

because if a student does not understand the language

in which materials are being taught, then the content is completely lost.

It's a lose-lose situation.

Dylan Garity makes this point in his slam poem called "Rigged game,"

by saying: "Learning to read in a new language

before you can even ready in your own,

is like learning to walk while a pit bull is chasing you,

like learning to sing with the conductor's fist down your throat."

Bilingual education is a more logical approach

to teaching English Language Learners, or ELL students.

The knowledge that students get through their first language

helps make the English they hear and read more comprehensible.

According to the National Association for Bilingual Education,

in 2000, Oller and Eilers compared 952 students

enrolled in bilingual and in English immersion programs.

It recorded that bilingual children scored higher in English Literacy by 2nd grade,

and got that widened significantly by fifth grade.

This proves that ELL students learn better when they're in bilingual classes.

There are also economic advantages that come with being bilingual.

Many jobs pay higher salaries to employees who are bilingual

and to erase the students' native language from their vocabulary

eliminates this opportunity.

But, this not only applies to ELL students

but also to students who have been fluent in English all of their lives.

Being in bilingual classes will give the students this opportunity.

Some may argue that, "Hey, students are required

to take at least two years of a foreign language class,

why would they need this?"

Well, Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton said

that if being fluent in a language is the same as being an expert,

then a learner may well invest 10,000 hours in their language studies.

With this being said, we should also know

that the hours dedicated to a foreign language class

within those two years,

is only 192 hours,

so having this program will benefit every kid for the better.

(Applause)