Spanish Immersion offers a unique BPS experience

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Many children, at some point in their schooling, will take lessons in another language, but does an hour a day really help you retain what you learn?

Sometimes the best way to learn is to dive in head first.

“The students in my group are a mix of students from predominantly Spanish homes and predominantly English homes,” said Samantha Edwards, a third-grade bilingual teacher at PS 33 in Buffalo.

This is one of the few bilingual classes in New York State, meaning alternating full days of instruction in English and Spanish.

“It’s not just academic Spanish, but they’re also participating in this social language, which is something that’s really only learned by being around native speakers,” she added.

Parents can enroll in these schools from kindergarten to sixth grade. Most of the children in the third grade class come from Spanish-speaking homes.

“I know Spanish better because I’m Puerto Rican and I was born in Puerto Rico,” third-grader Jorialis Sophia Villalobos said. “When I came here, I was about 5 years old.”

Villalobos understands why it is important to know both languages.

“If I didn’t know Spanish, for example, my mother speaks Spanish, I wouldn’t understand her, what she’s saying,” she said.

It’s a skill that opens doors.

“I can use Spanish words in any work, if they speak Spanish,” third-grader Dylan Rivera said.

They can find use for these skills in the professional and personal world.

“In Buffalo, we have a very large Spanish-speaking population in different parts of the city,” Edwards said. “In order to be able to connect with our community, it’s really important for students to have that bilingual ability.”

It’s an experience Edwards experienced when she translated for children at a high school camp.

“Just seeing their faces as they had someone who understood them and spoke their language was a really powerful moment for me,” she said.

These immersive courses are not without difficulties.

“What was it like when you started switching between Spanish?” ” request Spectrum News 1 Buffalo.

“It was difficult because I was born here, but I don’t know how I could speak Spanish. It was hard to go to English because Spanish was my thing,” said Surielys Andino, another third grader.

However, it gets easier.

“It takes time to acclimatize, as with any major transition in life, but children are resilient, they adapt, they grow and (…) have these bright moments where language begins to make sense for them,” Edwards said. .

She sees this growth and looks forward to seeing it continue.

“I learned Spanish in second grade,” third-grader Justin Rivera said.

“And now what do you know?” request Spectrum News 1 Buffalo.

“A lot of Spanish, a lot of math and a lot of English,” Rivera responded.