Keyword

Bilingual education Culturally responsive classroom Communication

Abstract

I have learned a great deal on what bilingual education is, what it means, and how it affects millions of students in the school system all over this country. I’ve been able to understand the personal effects of the mistreatment of bilinguals in this country. I’ve learned the history of bilingual education, theory, politics, and laws. Finally, I’ve been able to read the different perspectives and ideas on how to incorporate Arts into the curriculum and education of emergent bilinguals. Each one of the authors and books, combined with my own readings throughout my graduate work helped me to understand what it means for me, a monolingual teacher, to teach and engage with emergent bilinguals. In my own ignorance, I thought that anyone who spoke a language other than English had to be taught by someone who spokehis or her own language. I actually thought that in my teaching career, since I only spoke English that I would only work with English-speaking students. Fortunately, I was and still am wrong. I have had the privilege, in my work with students, to teach students who have spoken multiple languages.I may not always understand them, but because of my education into emergent bilingual education, I can now say that I can teach students who are not proficient in English. I cannot discredit my monolingualism to mean that I will not teach students who are bilingual. So, this paper will follow my own journey and self-discovery in the ways that I, a monolingual educator, ca


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References
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