Parent says experience has been good for child
The director of the Dual Language program at Travis Elementary Craig Toney came to Sulphur Springs ISD a year ago from Mount Pleasant ISD to lead the full immersion program based off the Gomez and Gomez Dual Language Enrichment Model that teaches students to become literate in Spanish and English.
The teachers in the program undergo intense training and must pass a challenging test to become bilingual certified.
“I became a huge believer in the dual language program when I saw what it did for the students in Mount Pleasant. Not just in language acquisition but in their academic development as well,” Toney said. “By the third and fourth grade, the students were excelling at state STARR tests…learning a language activates and fires their brains, everything gets elevated.”
The children learn as partners, with each Spanish speaking student paired with an English speaking student.
During science and social studies, the bilingual certified teachers give their lessons in Spanish. If the English speaking student does not understand the lesson, they can ask their Spanish speaking partner for help if they have trouble understanding.
During math class, the teachers speak only English, so the Spanish speaking students can ask their English speaking partner for help.
This helps them work on their teamwork while also getting the chance to learn a new language without fear of embarrassment. They also learn to empathize with people who come to a new place and do not know the language.
“It’s exciting to see these children thrive and learn. The goal is to have English speaking students reading, writing and speaking Spanish by the fifth grade and vice versa for native Spanish speaking students,” Toney said.
On Spanish speaking days, the teachers and staff only speak Spanish during all non-instructional time, such as announcements, in the hallway, at recess and lunch. On English speaking days, the same thing happens. Toney and the teachers
Toney and the teachers involved in the program are working to build the program through the fifth grade. The students are currently involved up to the second grade with plans to bump the program to the third grade next year, fourth the year after and finally up to the fifth grade a few years from now.
Shannon Barker has two children currently participating in the program at Travis Elementary and had nothing but good things to say.
“My husband and I have been so pleased with all our children have learned during their time at Travis.” Barker said.
The Barker’s oldest son was in the very first class in the program and Barker shares that they were nervous about being the guinea pigs.
“But it has gone swimmingly,” Barker said. “There’s research that shows the benefits of learning multiple languages; it opens neural pathways, helps them learn other subjects with more ease, their test scores are higher, the list goes on and on.”
The program is currently available to all kindergarten students, and parents are encouraged to sign their child up at the Kindergarten Round Up, May 5, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. or May 6 and May 7, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.