ABSTRACT
Parents were gathered to hear about the new, proposed, two-way bilingual immersion program. As the discussion following the school’s presentation began, Lydia said, “Para mí es importante que aprendan inglés” (For me it is important that they learn English). Another parent at the meeting, Maria, nodded her head in apparent agreement with Lydia and said, “My parents used to say the same thing. They did not teach me Spanish so now I only understand a little but I want my children to know both.” From across the room, Julian, one of only three fathers at the meeting, spoke up: “Saber inglés es importante, pero que no se les olvide el español” (Knowing English is important but they should not forget Spanish). The discussion this evening began slowly and cautiously with only a few parents speaking up, but as the discussion continued, many more parents expressed opinions about learning English, Spanish, and being bilingual. After a little over an hour of discussion, the parents were told that this was only an information and discussion session and that before any decisions were made, they would have other opportunities to gather information, provide input to the development of the program, and eventually decide for their children whether to participate in the program.
