An author of a letter to the editor of the Daily Herald published today contends that some school districts in Illinois are fulfilling the state’s mandate to provide bilingual education by hiring Spanish-speaking teachers who aren’t fluent in English nor certified to teach. She says Illinois should provide flexibility for schools to choose the method to teach English-language learners. I came across the letter over at TESOL in the News Blog. Someone called VLN, who apparently favors the mandate, writes in the comment section below the letter: “It’s not just about learning English. It’s about preserving their native language and culture. We don’t want to be conquering colonists, do we?”
See my earlier post about this issue, “Illinois School District Runs Up Against Bilingual Mandate.”