Two Great Sites to Get Kids Excited About Spanish
Bilingual Tips, School
With the school year already under way in some parts of the country, it’s time to develop or sharpen your child’s bilingual skills. Using technology, be it apps or interactive websites, is appealing to kids and a great way to get them…
Meet Mando: Sesame Street’s New Hispanic Character
Bilingual Tips, School, School Hot Headline
This fall, Sesame Street kicks off its 44th season with a nod to the Latino community as the show introduces its newest Hispanic character. Armando—or “Mando” as he is nicknamed— took the stage at the PBS annual meeting this past Tuesday,…
Pocoyo Playset Apps Boost School Readiness in Hispanic Preschoolers
Bilingual Tips, School
Tomorrow, the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) Early Learning Collaborative (ELC) launches its Pocoyo® PlaySet™ online and mobile apps, to help Hispanic preschoolers build their skills in English, reading and math.…
Why Julián Castro & Many Other Latinos Don't Speak Spanish
Bilingual Tips, School
Regardless of political affiliation, I would find it very hard to believe that any Latino out there didn’t think San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro‘s keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention was inspiring. Castro spoke so…
Dreaming in Spanish & Speaking in English
Bilingual Tips, School
The words tumbled out fast, no halting. No searching my brain for the right word. No Spanglish. Just rapido, rapido, pan, pan, pan, palabras, palabras, palabras. In my dream I was in full-on Spanish conversation with a Colombian co-worker.…
I’m Latina, and I Don’t Speak Spanish
Bilingual Tips, School
UPDATED August 1st, 2016
I hate when it happens. When my mother-in-law comes over and she is in a heated discussion with my husband and I wonder if she’s talking about me. When I shop at the local Mexican market and I need two pounds…
I Wish I'd Learned Spanish #BilingualPlus
Bilingual Tips, School
“Agua,” my mother said to me as she held out a glass. She refused to release it from her grip until I relented, but I walked away with a dry mouth rather than say the word “water” in Spanish. I was about 5 years old and quickly learned…
Teaching English, Latina Style
Bilingual Tips, School
My tenth-grade students sat in the darkness, their eyes fixed on the grainy black and white photograph magnified on a screen in front of the classroom.They considered the four figures frozen in time: a man with an insouciant grin, a woman…
A Child's Education Begins at Home
Bilingual Tips, School
I didn’t mean to become Mommy Maestra. I sort of fell into it when my husband and I found ourselves in a bit of an educational dilemma.We’d recently moved to rural North Carolina from Texas after my husband accepted a new job. With two…