Before I ever had children, I knew I wanted them to be bilingual. The tricky thing was figuring out how to make that happened seeing as I only spoke English.
A year or so before Alexandra began kindergarten I learned about a dual language program that our school district had implemented. Children in the program would receive half of their daily instruction in English and half in Spanish. I knew immediately that I wanted in. After passing a basic kindergarten preparedness exam, Alexandra was accepted into the program by luck of the draw. And because siblings get priority, this paved the way for Lorelai and Elsa.
Here we are seven years later and Alexandra is completely proficient in Spanish. And because of that she has been hired as a tutor for a 1st grader who is also in the dual language program. I watch with pride as she teaches this young girl. This is exactly what I wanted for my children. I wanted them to be bilingual because I knew it would provide for them opportunities and experiences as well as give them increased knowledge and understanding.
