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It is about time to go home for the day, and 2-year-old Lupe is happily playing with a book, pretending to read it to another child. Lupe notices her teacher Silvia and walks over to show her the book. Silvia, who is bilingual, asks her, "¿Quieres que te lea el libro?" [Do you want me to read you the book?]. Lupe nods. Silvia reads in Spanish to Lupe and the other child, pointing out the illustrations and using a warm and caring voice. The children look up at her and smile. They are both enjoying a good time with Silvia, pointing to the objects in the book and saying the words in Spanish.
Lupe's mom Adela, a native Spanish speaker, arrives to pick up her daughter. She appears surprised by what she sees and hears. Adela asks Silvia, "Why are you speaking to her in Spanish? Lupe needs to learn English!"
THIS SCENARIO DEMONSTRATES the myth that non-English speakers must learn English early and rapidly. Adela worries that Lupe will not learn English successfully if she continues to hear Spanish, but research on dual language acquisition (DLA) shows that Adela's assumption that children can learn only one language at a time is inaccurate. The fact is, given the opportunity, very young children can and will learn two or more languages at the same time (Genesee, Paradis, & Crago 2004).
Some children, from birth until they enter preschool, hear only the language spoken at home by their parents and relatives. Others, like Lupe, who entered a child care program at 3 months of age, also hear the language that the majority of people outside the home speak. It is important that early childhood teachers help families understand that children can learn two languages at the same time. They should reassure parents that learning two languages doesn't come at the expense of either language.
A child who...