As a teacher in a public charter school, I know the importance of school choice when it comes to students and their families. My school is a dual immersion program nestled in Salt Lake City, in the heart of the community we strive to serve best. Although Utah might bring to mind images of great skiing, celebrated national parks and a uniquely Utah Mormon culture, it is also home to many multicultural communities, including a fairly big Hispanic presence.
My school, Dual Immersion Academy, is a public charter school with a focus on instruction in both English and Spanish. Our mission is to produce students who are bilingual, biliterate and bicultural. Although there has been a growing push for dual immersion programs in schools across the country as teachers, students and families learn of its benefits, my school is one of only two schools in the state that employ a 90/10 model, where instruction begins with 90% of our learning time in Spanish and 10% in English, eventually transitioning to a 50/50 model in fourth grade, with an equal amount of instructional time spent in Spanish and English.
Despite not having school transportation services in the form of the iconic yellow school bus for students to get to and from school, our families oftentimes go out of their way to bring their students to DIA for the opportunity to either 1) learn a new language or 2) hone their heritage language skills. Teachers work with students at whatever language level they are at and promote academic and communicative success in both languages. We are proud to boast a majority native Spanish speaking staff. Just as our students and their families make the choice to attend our school, our teachers and staff also make the choice to teach at DIA.
As a Hispanic teacher, I love being able to teach and foster a love for language and culture in my students. Watching my first-graders grow strong in their Spanish skills never fails to remind me of why I decided to pursue a career in teaching. Having the chance to teach in the language I love is something that is very rare. I started my teaching career teaching Spanish as a specials teacher at the primary level and am so grateful for the opportunity I have at DIA to teach all academic subjects in Spanish. It really is a very unique experience DIA offers to our community.
Hispanic students can often fall by the wayside when it comes to public schooling. Language barriers can be a big issue for some families. If a family does not speak English, getting additional support or resources for their struggling student can be a daunting challenge. Our families feel comfortable with us at school, often inviting us into their homes. Because we have a relationship with our families, they feel comfortable sharing issues their children may be having.
It’s also a two-way street. We are able to speak with all of our families in the language they prefer and this helps us create important relationships with them and have important conversations they may not otherwise be able to have with the people who know their student best at school.
I could tout all the ways I love DIA and what we do all day, but our families and our students are the real stars of the show. It is through school choice and awareness programs like National School Choice Week (January 23-29) that more and more learners have access to the school setting that works best for them. Thanks to school choice, we are able to provide them with a unique bilingual education that is not easily accessible to all students throughout the country. Through DIA, we’re able to offer that opportunity for our young PUMAS and their families.
Daniela Sanchez is a first-grade teacher at Dual Immersion Academy.
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