I'd like to start out this post by saying that I'm pleased with how much emphasis Spain puts on language learning. Coming from a country that has very little, it's great to see the difference. And the teachers all work very hard with their varying levels of English to make a comprehensive experience for the students, from PE to Technology to Music to English. It's an extremely laudable effort.
That being said, it's interesting to hear students, who understand English very well, speak English. Their accents, while they vary, can be pretty bad. I'm no stranger to bilingual education, and I myself know that my accent is nothing to write home about. In fact, if you learn a language past puberty, you will never speak like a native (so stop getting on people when they immigrate and can't seem to speak your language like a native. It's basically impossible, and I dare you to try it). But the interesting thing about education is Spain is that they start English before puberty. They start in Elementary (primary) School here, which is such a good time for learning languages. Their brains are like little sponges, and with very little effort on their part, they can learn another language. This verses an adult trying to learn, which can be quite an arduous task. So, kudos, Spain.
Back to the accents. Since they're learning at such a young age, there is a wonderful opportunity for this generation to develop a great, even a perfect, English/American/Welsh/Scottish/Irish/Kiwi/Australian accent. But they're not. I work with high school students, but I have a private lesson student (very bright, speaks a lot of English) who is in elementary school. I can hear all of the accent quirks already in his speech. There are things that are very difficult for a native Spanish speaker to pronounce. St, Sk, Sh, long vowels, ed, j words, short i, th. I try to work with him on basic word pronunciation to at least make it possible for him to learn a fantastic, authentic sounding accent. But it's an uphill battle when your teachers have a Spanish English accent, and that's what you're hearing all day long. And again, it's not those teachers' fault, it's just that they didn't learn soon enough for their brains to fully form the accent.
I guess that's why this program exists in the first place, to get people like me into schools and speak to the students. I think it does have an effect, but I'm not sure if it's enough. Several times I'll say a word, and the students have no clue what I'm talking about, then the teacher says the same word in a Spanish English accent and they understand completely. Bringing us in is better than nothing, but I think it will take more exposure to get this youngest generation speaking clearer English. Obviously, Spain doesn't have the money to increase these kinds of programs, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if just one group of students were taught with an authentic accent (wherever it's from) their entire school careers. Twenty years from now, they would be teaching excellent English, and Spain would be the cream of the crop for language teaching. I think this is where they want to be (especially since most jobs for Spanish youth nowadays are out of the country) but this costs a lot of money and will take a lot of time. So huzzah for Spain making this first valiant and important effort. I hope that in the next few years it will really solidify into something awesome.
That brings me to the USA. What's our excuse? Other than we just don't want to/have to learn another language because everyone speaks English. So not true. And even if it were, if we want to interact on a global scale, languages are a must! And we have Mexico, right south of us. We have people, teachers, who speak real, authentic, Spanish. Couldn't we do the same sort of thing here that they're trying to do in Spain? I think so. We're obviously not in the greatest situation economically either, but slowly, over time, we could have similar goals. I briefly taught at an elementary school last semester where this exact thing was being attempted, and it was super successful. I can't wait to see where those kids are in five, ten years. So many doors are opened to them. And if you don't want your kids to be bilingual in Spanish, well, it doesn't have to be mandatory. It isn't here, and it wasn't at that elementary school. But what a wonderful opportunity it is, and how many doors it opens!
Okay, that's my rant on bilingual education. Thoughts, comments, concerns?
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