Musings: Bilingual teachers would help kids
Teacher Jaime Velez helps students in his mixed age 4th- and 5th-grade transitional bilingual class at Medford Elementary School prepare for annual spring testing in April 2023. Credit: Danielle Silverman
I was in elementary school in Queens from 1946 to 1954. In 1948, we had an influx of Italian immigrants who came into our school. At first, many of them did not know a word of English. There were no English as a Second Language teachers to help them.
We, their classmates, helped them learn English. As time went on, many of them spoke and learned to understand English fluently. Some even went on to score higher than some of our students who were born here. One achieved the General Excellency medal.
Do we need bilingual teachers? My own parents spoke English and Italian perfectly.
Why wouldn’t bilingual teachers work today? I am for immigration since my family members were immigrants. I am also for immigrants immersing themselves into our culture as I would do if I went to live in another country.
— Leonard Tufaro, Medford
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