Bilingual program unites kids

At home, Magali Enriquez speaks Spanish and Hillary McKay Fair speaks English. Both are in Miss Mecham's fourth-grade dual-language class at Midvale Elementary in Salt Lake City.

Thursday morning, they helped each other with their speaking parts for the school's fifth annual cultural show with the theme, "Peace and Liberty in This World." In the program, the more than 200 dual-language students sing, dance and speak about their different native countries.

Hillary introduced in Spanish a Peruvian dance and Magali translated in English.

Like Magali and Hillary, the students in Midvale's six dual-language classes learn from each other, not just their teacher. The goal is for all students to become bilingual and biliterate, which means they learn to read, write, speak and listen in both languages with natural accents.

Magali and about 60 percent of the students at Midvale Elementary come from Spanish-speaking homes, according to Midvale Elementary's principal Margo Richards. Those not in the dual language classes are ESL students in the regular classes.

Some students have one parent who speaks Spanish and one who speaks English and some come from only English-speaking families. Many in the classes are already fluent in both languages and translate for their parents.

They are able to pick up the language more quickly because they learn among native speakers, according to Krista Mecham, the program's fourth grade teacher.

"The things that they're doing, most high school Spanish students can't do," she said.

When Mecham asked her students why they are learning to be fluent in two languages, most almost fell out of their chairs waving their hands.

They suggested: You can find better jobs, you can make more friends, you can help more people, and you can know when people are talking about you.

Though beneficial, teaching and learning two languages at the same time is plain hard work.

"It's an overwhelming task," said Barbara Lowe, the program's third-grade teacher. "We are teaching double. Our Spanish kids' heads are spinning while I teach in English and when I teach in Spanish the English kids' heads are spinning."

But, she said, the students still do well because they rise to the higher expectations.