Show Notes
This week we’re talking all about immersion. There are two main ways we think about immersion, in school and in life. So we have two stories this week about how bilingual education may be coming back if a state proposition passes as well as a tale of one woman who took her family through Mexico and South America to truly immerse themselves in Latin life and culture.
In California this year we have a state proposition, prop 58, that would repeal a former proposition that practically banned bilingual education in the state. Prop 227 passed in 1998 with 61% of the vote in response to a few protests from Latino parents that felt their childrend weren’t prepared for college since they didn’t learn English well enough in school.
Fast forward almost 30 years and it has become a civil rights issue. Now many Latinos feel their culture is being stripped away from their children since they end up not knowing much Spanish by the time they graduate. This charge is lead by the non-profit, Californian’s Together, which is leading the bilingual movement here in the state.
In addition to Spanish immersion in schools, Jennie found a great article in Los Angeles magazine titled “Learning Spanish as a Familia” The article is about the author and her family that left the US behind to immerse themselves in Latin culture and to learn Spanish. They ended up traveling a lot through South America and in a new book she wrote, they tell about their fascinating journey.
¡Gracias por Leer!
Jennie y Ben
Palabras Españolas (Spanish Words)
- Madrugadora/es = Early bird
- Berrinche = Tantrum
- Systema Inmunológico = Immune System
- Agarrar Defensas = Immune System (colloquial)
- Suegros = In-laws
- Conocido(s) = Acquaintance
- Tengo nada = I have nothing