English Language Learners and Education

Thinking about our visits to Global Neighborhood, the Refugee Parent's Panel, Jack Anderson at Kennewick Public Schools, Mea Moore at the Professional Educator Standards Board, Jacob's Well, the Salish Language Workshop, and what we've been discussing in our academic classes, what did you discover about how English language learning affects students' capacity to be successful in school? In what ways is this similar to your home country? In what ways is this different than in your home country? As an educator, how do you understand your role in assisting students who are language learners to be successful in school?

Studies say that kids that learn more then one language are more developed and have better grades then the one`s that just know one language.
Even though children are bilingual they see their world trough their first language, so is really important to value their first language and to encourage them to use it.
In my home country, I don`t know any school that gives another language rather then portuguese, english, latin, french and german. For example, once I choose spanish in the seventh grade, but I wasn`t accepted, because they didn`t had a spanish teacher.
In America, 90 percent of the foreigner students speak spanish, so some schools are prepared for that. In some cases, classes are given half in spanish and half in english. I have to admit that I think this idea is a little radical, but if works that`s what matter.
In my island there are some chineses, africans and brazilians, so they should have a teacher that knew how to speak this language. Of course, brazilians speaks portuguese so  is easy to understand, but there are some differences.
Like Gina said, when we try to understand other people`s languages, we are trying to understand them and make a connection. When we reject and forbidden students to speak they`re languages we are trying to be superior and are rejecting they`re identity.
To overcame this challenge I would learn some words from the foreigner student , but probably I would need help from a a teacher specialized in the language.