Reading and Bilingual Students

It amazes me that with so many Spanish speaking students, that the districts have trouble finding bilingual teachers. One would think these districts would somehow coerce teachers from areas such as Los Angeles and other bilingual areas to the Chicago suburbs. I think the district that sent scouts to Spain were on the right track, just the wrong direction. I believe that there are plenty of bilingual teachers throughout our states that border with Mexico. Why not start there prior to wasting money and going abroad? This also opens up a new question: Are we as future teachers needing to become bilingual in order hold a job? Also, what kind of pay increase, if any should we expect if we venture into becoming bilingual?  

Reading and Poverty

This article is very eye opening. I am not surprised to hear that some of the children have never been inside of a car, being that they are in a city full of public transportation. However, I still believe that this is very sad. I agree to the fact that when children are asked to read about cars they should have some background knowledge of what that is. Otherwise how could a child relate to the story? Given that these children do not have the background knowledge that most children are blessed with, I am really proud that the teacher is making the effort to take these children on trips. I especially loved how she made these trips educational lessons that went across the curriculum. For example, I loved how she taught a math lesson using the parking meters. This allows these children to receive the knowledge that is learned when these type of every day experiences occur. I wish more teachers were allowed to take trips like these in order to teach the children important skills. I hope I am able to provide my students with these types of experiences.