Christina Mancini's Reflection #3

The “Speaking in Tongues” video has been on my mind all week. I keep trying to decide if I would be for or against my child attending an immersion school. The video keeps putting this type of school in a glamorous light, but I struggle with agreeing with it. Am I just being closed minded or would it actually give my child a disadvantage? I decided to talk about it with the elementary special education teacher that I am working with this semester. After telling her about immersion schools, she said that it is definitely a good idea, but may be difficult for all students. Typically developing students would benefit from this type of instruction; they would be able to read and write and two languages. Students with disabilities may struggle with having to differentiate between two languages. This video staged the immersion school to seem like a dream come true, or that all schools should be taught like this. After weighing the options, I realize that if all schools were immersion schools, students with disabilities would be at a disadvantage. What if a student wanted to go to school with their peers, but was struggling in the immersion school at both their L1 and at the new L2? Students would have the choice to attend a regular school or immersion school, but struggling in the immersion setting and being forced to attend a regular school would be unfair.

I understand that the video did not say that all schools should be come immersion schools, but it would in fact be unfair to all students if they could not attend the “new trendy” school due to ability level. I am not seeking a right or wrong answer to immersion schools, but more, discussing immersion schools and acquiring other’s opinions; I had never been asked to think about students with severe to minor disabilities before. Overall, I find immersion schools to be fascinating and successful for some students, but probably would not be the best option for all students.