Introduction
Bilingual education is a key area of study within the current systems of education across globally. A student exposed to bilingualism as early as from kindergarten and preschool has numerous opportunities in store for them in future. Additionally, proficiency in the learned languages is an added benefit to such a student. There is dire need for bilingualism in the education system, beginning from day care, in languages such as Spanish and English.
Discussion
Bilingual education has several benefits to a student, hence, justifying the need for its implementation in education centers and institutions. Spanish and English are among the most spoken languages in the world; approximately 13% of the US population speak Spanish while more than half the population speak English (Engstrom, 2017). Therefore, teaching a child both languages boosts brain development; the brain gains ability to multi-task and handle more than one activity; also a child’s memory is improved. The individual can perform best on tasks that require multi-tasking due to adaptability to situations that involve handling numerous activities, thus ensuring improved decision-making and problem-solving skills (Bialystok, 2016).
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Bilingualism in languages such as Spanish and English broadens a learner’s career opportunities. Fluency in such languages makes an individual unique and exceptional among other candidates seeking employment. The modern global economy is growing at a fast rate. Most multi-national companies are developing preference towards bilingual employees who can reach out to a highly diversified group of clients on racial lines. Given that Spanish and English are common languages, knowledge about the languages is a key advantage.
Adaptability of bilingual children in different cultural settings involving Spanish-speaking countries and English-speaking nations is easy according to Hughes et al., (2015). A student with fluency in these languages is exposed to a wider global outlook, a better understanding of races; further, one can effectively fit in any setting across the globe. Communication among different cultures creates peace, tranquility, and ultimate growth of the world economy.
Opportunities for further education increase with bilingualism in most spoken languages such as English and Spanish (Callahan & Gandara, 2014). Bilingual education gives a student the opportunity to choose from a variety of centers of learning across the world, such as Spain, South America, Africa, and Asia. There exist several universities across the world with state-of-the-art facilities and resources in particular disciplines, such as the Oxford University. Thus, a bilingual student with the desire to join such precious institutions have no limitations. Exchange programs in these continents is also made possible through bilingualism.
Conclusion
Spanish and English are spoken by more than a billion people across the globe. Therefore, proficiency in both languages benefits a learner in early childhood in several aspects of future life such as career growth, a better understanding of cultures, unlimited education opportunities, and brain development. A bilingual student is preferred by multi-national firms due to their ability to communicate effectively with customers from International markets owned by the respective firms. Additionally, such a student is well prepared to adjust accordingly to diverse cultural settings across the world and access to education in unlimited locations such as Asia, Africa, Europe and America. Such a person is also well adapted to handle more than one task. Thus, the need for bilingualism is crucial to realize several life milestones as illustrated in this paper.
References
Bialystok, E. (2016). Bilingual education for young children: review of the effects and consequences. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism , 1-14.
Callahan, R. M., & Gándara, P. C. (Eds.). (2014). The bilingual advantage: Language, literacy and the US labor market (Vol. 99). Multilingual Matters.
Engstrom, D. (2017). Hispanics in the United States: An agenda for the twenty-first century . Routledge.
Hughes, J. N., Im, M., Kwok, O. M., Cham, H., & West, S. G. (2015). Latino students' transition to middle school: Role of bilingual education and school ethnic context. Journal of Research on Adolescence , 25 (3), 443-458.
