Motivation needed in addition to classes

Jose Torres faces a big job, considering the mess his predecessors have left. I appreciated his comments in the Daily Herald. I think his bicultural, bilingual background will serve him well in our district.

However, I have a comment on his statements about bilingual education.

English had been my only language until I entered ninth grade. I took my first Spanish class at Larsen Junior High (now Larsen Middle School). When I was studying Spanish in junior high and high school, I didn't just sit in the classroom. To practice, I joined Spanish club, conversed with native speakers, listened to music and attended a play in Spanish. I also had the opportunity to visit Mexico on a short vacation where I practiced my Spanish. Years later, to refresh my Spanish skills for work, I reviewed my grammar books, met regularly with a native speaking friend for conversation, read Spanish news articles and listened to Spanish radio.

I think that learning English depends only partly on how much time a student spends in bilingual classes. It also depends on his or her motivation to go out and practice the language. Even with the five to seven years of bilingual classes that Mr. Torres advocates, the students who put out minimum effort will still not function well as citizens of our English speaking society.

Linda Rusenovich

Elgin