It is quite unfortunate that the unfounded misconception concerning the malnotions of bilingual education exists in the United States today. With such prominent, supporting research to maintain the benefits of immersion programs in our nation's elementary schools, it’s amazing that more of these schools do not exist. Countless studies have proven that children taking part in immersion programs have an advantage over children that do not; one that can push them ahead of their peers, not only in secondary school, but in their college career as well. In order for our nation's children to compete academically with one another, especially when applying to colleges, its vital that they have the same opportunities. It’s necessary that immersion programs are offered in all parts of the United States so the benefits and advantages can be enjoyed by all.
             Studies show that bilingual high school and college students are academically superior to their monolingual counterparts (Carter 202). Dr. B. McLaughlin, one of the leading researchers of bilingual children concluded in his 1978 study, "The bilingual child has a sense of prestige and accomplishment a monolingual child lacks. Knowledge of an additional language stimulates educational efforts in general." (qtd. in Rosenburg 4). Dr. Bohdan Cymbalisty, a Ukranian psychologist and authoritative figure in this field of study found in his research that "bilinguals appear to have a more diversified set of mental abilities . . . they are more facile at concept formation and abstract thinking." Children that are fortunate enough to attend schools with immersion programs in place can reap these benefits. Unfortunately, these children are the minority, and may students are not provided with the option of attending these schools. While they may get a great education, children attending normal schools are already placed a disadvantage. .
             One of the main reasons more programs are not in place is due to the misconception that raising children in a bilingual environment is harmful to a child's development (Crawford 14).

The controversy of whether bilingual education is right or wrong has been persistently disputed throughout the years. Bilingual schooling is an educational program for children whose native language is not English. Children are taught for some portion of the day in their native language, with the goal of moving them into mainstream English classes as quickly as possible-- usually within two to three years (Definition par.1). This new method of equal education was first devised in the mid-1960, when the civil rights movement for African Americans was at its peak and Latino activists began launching protests. Latinos became very concerned with the negative circumstances that led to unacceptably high amounts of school dropouts among Spanish speaking children’s more than fifty percent (Porter par.1). As a well accomplished nation, we know that the economic well-being of our society depends on sustaining an educated population relying on job opportunities. With the economy on their mind, in 1968 Congress approved a bill filed by Senator Ralph Yarborough, of Texas, aimed at removing the language barrier to an equal education (Porter par.1). It was then, that this country fast forwarded to what was deemed to be advancement, but turned out to be a setback. .
             With a new phase of bilingual schooled children, statistics showed a mere improvement. Numerous effects of the bilingual programs were beginning to show signs of error. With the students living in the United States, and continuing to learn how to read and write in Spanish had no influence in keeping Latino children in school. Having the children speak in their native language and learn of their native culture was a more successful way of teaching. Thinking realistically, this kind of teaching does not prepare these students for the location in which they live. In the United States, to become successful in life and in work, being familiar and comfortable with English is essential.

The Essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “A memoir of Bilingual Childhood” by Richard Rodriguez tell personal childhood experiences of both authors. The authors discuss the language they speak at home and the language of the people they migrated to. Because these two authors grew up in immigrant families they had hard times in their lives using different languages at home and in public. Richard Rodriguez struggles to overcome the difference between his family language, Spanish and the American language, English. Amy Tan, on the other hand has problems with different forms of English. The “broken” English of her mother and her excellent English.
             In both essays there is the point of private language and public language. Each writer explains in different form in their essays. Amy Tan explains her home language or rather her “private” language as a language of intimacy. “The English I spoke to my mother” (21).This home language is special for her mom and the near relatives. At another instance, Tan expresses that she talked the broken English to her husband and it has become their normal family talk. “It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk. The language I grew up with” (4).Tan and her mother could speak the broken English and understand well one another as an immigrant family language. This “private” language is like a secret language between Tan and her mother. It is the tie that keeps them connected and close. .
             Rodriguez sees his Private language from another angle. Rodriguez family exclusively speaks Spanish at home to each other, and that is the way many immigrant families think as a good way to deal with the conflict between family ethnic values and it is assimilation to American culture. Therefore Spanish is the only communication language at home. “Because I wrongly imagined that English was intrinsically a public language and Spanish an intrinsically private one, I easily noticed the difference between classroom language and the language of home” (4).

Despite decades of research findings to the contrary, there is still a common belief that bilingualism is bad for children and unpatriotic, and that the only way to be a true American is to leave behind any other language and allegiance that might be in your background. Should Asian American first or second generation children be obligated to speak their native language at home, in order to retain their native heritage and tongue? According to my experience being an Asian-American and many written autobiographies from other Asian-American students attending the University of California at Berkley, yes I believe it is an obligation in order to retaining our native heritage and language.
             First off, being a minority in the US, there isn't many Asian American classes in school or educational centers to learn about our heritage and native language from. Many children, for example, have only a passive knowledge of their heritage language. The most frequent experience reported by the students attending the University of California in Berkley in their linguistic autobiographies is that they knew only a very limited amount of knowledge about their heritage and language and had no help in high school due to the rare heritage classes provided. One student reported, "Despite the fact that I am continuing to gradually improve my English, with no heritage classes provided, I feel as though I'm rapidly straying away from my native language." None of these students had ever been in a bilingual education program, which suggests that despite all the controversy about bilingual education, true bilingual education programs are rare, at least for Asian Americans. Therefore, the home is the foundation of learning about our culture and heritage starting with the policy of predominately speaking our native language.
             Another benefit of speaking our native language predominately at home is the retention and attrition level of our native language.

A language is a powerful mechanism that consists of sounds and symbols to communicate with other people. Knowing more than one language can open many opportunities and benefits for us. The best time to learn a foreign language is when we are young. Children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school because it can stimulate them to broaden their knowledge of the world. Children should learn a foreign language as soon as they start school because bilingualism develops mental abilities. Research shows that people who learn a second language are more creative, and they can solve problems easier than those who do not (Bhattacharjee, 2012). Moreover, according to Suing Yang, Ph.D. ‘“Bilingualism in young children strengthens what is known as executive attention, which helps orient individuals in the sea of information coming in”' (Booker, 2011). Children have a greater predisposition for learning a foreign language, and they can better assimilate new information. It is often said that a child's brain is like a sponge. This means that children are able to soak up new tasks more easily than adults. If you take a look at children that grow up in a bilingual situation, you will realize that they are more able to communicate in two languages. For example, children growing up in a bilingual family can often speak both languages. .
             Another reason why children should learn a foreign language is that language often offers new ideas and cultural insights. A bilingual education can be fun for children and also stimulate interest about other cultures. If children will have a chance to learn another language, they might have some interest in what is going on outside of their world. In an article the “Culture in Second Language Teaching” the authors said “Some teachers and researchers have found it effective to present students with objects or ideas that are specific to the culture of study but are unfamiliar to the students.

The number of students in schools today who are learning English at the same time as they learn standard academic content is growing rapidly. Not all of these students have the same needs to succeed in school. Almost everyone has heard of the No Child Left Behind rule, but many people look more at disabilities than anything else when it comes to this rule. Teaching English language learners is just as important as teaching students with disabilities. In order for teachers to be able to teach ELL students effectively, they must have knowledge of the background surrounding English language learners, the theories that provide the background for support of instruction, and strategies for development.
In teaching ELL students effectively, teachers must have knowledge of the background surrounding the ELL students. There are four general profiles to describe the diverse backgrounds of ELL students. They are balanced bilingual, monolingual/literate in native language, monolingual/preliterate in native language, and limited bilingual. As a teacher, it is important to understand the difference in these profiles to know the most effective way to teach these students.
A balanced bilingual student is a student that can speak, read, and write well in English and his or her native language. These students do not need as much help because they are academically successful in English and are able to maintain their native language. As a teacher, this will be my main goal for teaching ELL students, to provide a high-quality education for students to achieve a balanced bilingual status.
A monolingual/literate in native language student is a student that is proficient in his or her native language, but limited in English language skills. A monolingual/preliterate in native language student is a student that is limited when interacting with students and teachers....