Problems and Perspectives

Graciela is obviously smart and academically motivated. She takes pride in her grades. However, she is not practicing her English enough. This deficit will only become a greater obstacle as she progresses through middle school and then high school. She is liable to be frustrated by the contradiction between her intellectual abilities and the ability to express her thoughts in English. Since bilingual education is not a priority in her school district, it is quite likely that her poor command of English will prevent her from taking subjects in line with her academic goal of becoming a lawyer. Boredom may result, perhaps even followed by dropping out before finishing high school. Right now her favorite subject is math, but as progresses through the higher grades English will become more important in learning advanced mathematics, geometry and algebra.

At present there is little impetus for Graciela to speak English in her home. Her friends are mostly Spanish speakers like her who use English only when forced to. In her particular middle school she is surrounded by a majority of students from Spanish speaking backgrounds, which encourages her to rely on Spanish to express her thoughts. She watches some TV in English. Some of her favorite shows are in English, so we know she understands them well enough to enjoy them. What is missing is the motivation for Graciela to actively practice speaking in English to express her thoughts and feelings. Without that practice automaticity will be delayed and she will not feel comfortable in using English as her primary language.