As we have been reviewing the SIOP and other classroom models in class, I have been interested to see how second language classes in America can be run. ESL classrooms are not something that I encountered or thought about during my experience as a student in public schools. The idea that my parents could have (most likely in a different city) placed me into a Chinese language immersion program lets my imagination run wild. How different would my upbringing have been if that was the path my parents chose for me? Would I have been better suited than I am now, or would my personal life be so different that it would not have been worth the moderate isolation that likely would have come from such a different upbringing? It also gives me a lot to think about as I grow older and move closer to starting a family of my own. Not only do I realize that these foreign language programs are available in certain communities, but it really opens my eyes to the sheer variety of education programs and styles in general that are out there. Obviously there are public and private schools. Yet, within these, there may be a variety of choices for how to learn. I hope to one day become a professor at an undergraduate university or a law school, but there are so many other non-traditional programs at all levels to consider as well.
- Kevin Bartz
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