Raising Bilingual Children

I was raised in a home that speaks two languages –English and Filipino, the latter as my native tongue. But I learned the English alphabet sooner than I did Filipino. My father was my first teacher. We worked on a small blackboard with engraved letters on the edge and dusty white chalk as he patiently taught me the phonetics of English. Obviously, this was long before the age of Google’s Kindle and Apple iPad. I learned how to read fairytales before I turned five years old. And since then, my love for reading books has never ceased. 

Learning English as a second language greatly paid off. It opened a vast door of opportunities and it’s a real-life experience I share with my students.

Here are some benefits that a child can gain from learning a second language at an early age:

• It is known to have a positive effect on intellectual growth and enhances a child's mental development.
• It exercises the students’ mental flexibility, better sensitivity and recognition to language, and also develop better ear for listening.
• It improves a child’s ability to communicate with people which builds self-confidence.
• It gives a student a head start in language requirements for college.
• Learning English increases job opportunities in many careers where fluency is a real asset. 

Impact of Positive Words to ESL Students

People who naturally notice negative information over positive information are more susceptible to stress, research has revealed. The findings increase our understanding of what makes people vulnerable to stress and could lead to new forms of therapy.
~ PhysOrg.com

To equate negativity to stress is nothing new nor does it take a rocket scientist to figure this out. It seems that the more we think we dislike something because it is difficult, the longer it is for us to grasp it and therefore the more stressful it becomes.
This is true in learning English as a second language as well. Learning a new language in itself can be challenging but the hurdles are harder to overcome when students are not interested to get over it. To recognize that these challenges cause a lot of stress to ESL students is already a step towards finding a better method of helping them learn the course or better yet like it.
It is therefore good to have a pocketful of positive vocabulary when dealing with mistakes. Here are few examples:


I don’t say………
The sentence structure is not right
Instead……….
We can improve your sentence.

I don’t say………
The grammar is wrong.
Instead……….
Let’s look closely at the sentence and correct the grammar

I don’t say………
I can’t understand what you mean.
Instead……….
Please give examples so I can understand you better.


The good relationship I have with my students is a proof that words have tremendous power and that positive ones build great friendship and draw warm response that creates a great learning atmosphere and also builds self-esteem to empower them towards excellence.