# data[].attributes.body
Because I was not taught it as a child, I now have a harder time feeling comfortable speaking my own language (spanish), though I really want to

# data[].attributes.body
I think reading in their native language is one of the first things that bilinguals stop doing once they learn English

# data[].attributes.body
My mother would never let my brother and I speak in English once we got home so we would not forget our native language

# data[].attributes.body
I had a hard time communicating with my extended family as a child because of the fact that, though my parents' first language was Spanish, they always spoke to me and taught me only English

# data[].attributes.body
About reading....I've brought in a bunch of texts for you to review and will share them with you on Thursday.  I will post a list on this constellation, too.

# data[].attributes.body
I agree, people shouldn’t loose their native language. I am bilingual and we speak our native language at home that’s why I am fluent in both languages

# data[].attributes.body
I love that. It's true. If I would have lost my first language I wouldn't be able to be as close to my family members (Aunts, uncles, grandparents)

# data[].attributes.body
agreed

# data[].attributes.body
when I came to America, even though I was very young, I even had a hard time learning English because I did not even have a parent that would be able to help me in school. I remember my Mother and I would spend hours on homework translating every sentence into Turkish just so I could complete the work.

# data[].attributes.body
That hurts my heart

# data[].attributes.body
The another reason to emphasize the power of reading

# data[].attributes.body
I think it is sad that people are losing their first language because it is something that should always stay with them

# data[].attributes.body
Our first language is a part of who we are and should be valued.

# data[].attributes.body
love that quote

# data[].attributes.body
not necessarily a gap in research as much as lack of resources to support sheltered instruction and bilingual education

# data[].attributes.body
How should a teacher approach a parent who does not want their child to be taught in their native language?

# data[].attributes.body
it's true, research shows bilinguals have greater cognitive elasticity

# data[].attributes.body
my dad admit that he forgot some of his first language, because of always speaking in english for everything.

# data[].attributes.body
My friend is completely unable to communicate with her grandfather because he only speaks Italian and her mother stopped speaking Italian to her at home so that she would not struggle in school - a whole possible relationship lost

# data[].attributes.body
i feel like there are a lot of bilingual books in spanish and not other different languages

# data[].attributes.body
Bilinguals ARE smarter

# data[].attributes.body
As a bilingual, growing up, there were difficult words that monolingual students were unable to figure out on their own but knowing a different language really did better my critical thinking and I was often able to figure out the meaning of those new words.

# data[].attributes.body
Bilingual books are so cool. I'd love a large collection of them in my classroom library

# data[].attributes.body
I believe parents play a huge role here

# data[].attributes.body
Parents are also more motivated to visit the school

# data[].attributes.body
its so hard to get text in different languages, how can we change that?

# data[].attributes.body
there are many FLES (Foreign Lang ELem Schools) programs now

# data[].attributes.body
What are the steps we need to take to gain those resources that can be in different mother tongue languages considering difficulties in technology, accessibility and/or socioeconomics?

# data[].attributes.body
though I am bilingual, I am not FLUENT in my second language (especially with speaking it) so yes it is hard to learn in spanish, even if I do understand it. There's a difference between being able to translate and being able to understand

# data[].attributes.body
Why do we wait to go to middle school to learn second language?

# data[].attributes.body
I never thought about how children can lose touch with their cultural heritage

# data[].attributes.body
I think the point that students lose touch with cultural heritage/cannot communicate with family members about anything more than mundane topics is so important! Their cultures are rich and their family cannot pass that culture to them if they cannot communicate it to them

# data[].attributes.body
Helping students improve in their home language can also reinforce the second language they are learning

# data[].attributes.body
b/c we think everyone should speak English since it is the international defacto language

# data[].attributes.body
I like that this mentioned resources at the school or national level - i think as future educators, when we enter a school for an interview, asking about what they do for ELL's could be helpful

# data[].attributes.body
Why do we only learn one language growing up?

# data[].attributes.body
why arent we making the shift to teach dual languages from early on?

# data[].attributes.body
It is important for parents to become involved in their child's school and community so using mother tongues for outside of school activities is a great way to allow families and communities to come together

# data[].attributes.body
Imagine having the wide accessibility to have the student's learning materials in their mother tongue language

# data[].attributes.body
Students need to learn one language before learning a new language and concepts in this new language

# data[].attributes.body
the idea if scaffolding both langauges is great!

# data[].attributes.body
we should start learning another language starting at an early age instead of starting in middle school

# data[].attributes.body
How can a teacher be sure they are using the correct dialect of a students native language?

# data[].attributes.body
It surprises me how many students are bi lingual, it makes it important to know how to instruction students to give them a foundation for success

# data[].attributes.body
imagine that?  Curriculum materials that demonstrate "love and respect for the Ss' culture"

# data[].attributes.body
we need teachers to make that change

# data[].attributes.body
I am curious to learn how to bridge the gap between monger tongue and English

# data[].attributes.body
This reminds me of how my dad told me that he was a mechanic here in the US but when he wanted to do the same in P.R., they told him that he would have to take the class(es) all over again, but in Spanish - because even though Spanish was his first language, he learned everything only in English classes, and so he wouldn't understand what was going on because some things taught in Spanish are understood differently, and can't be directly translated.

# data[].attributes.body
I found it interesting that schools that use mother talk are 5x more likely for students to understand the concepts

# data[].attributes.body
developing proficiency in native language helps students develop proficiency in second language

# data[].attributes.body
I just felt like I was back in EDU 471 for a second

# data[].attributes.body
I love that it brought up working with the family and the surrounding community - especially for an educator who is not familiar with the students' native language or culture, using those outside resources and involving family members is so important

# data[].attributes.body
I was an ELL student and my parents were extremely uninvolved for those grades, not because they did not want to but because of the language barrier. If mother tongue was used in my school, it could have changed that.

# data[].attributes.body
cant wait to hear your thoughts!

# data[].attributes.body
What a beautiful opening - think of how validating that would be for a student to share with hie/her students

# data[].attributes.body
I didn't know it was considered student centered to teach in mother tongue, but that makes sense!

# data[].attributes.body
the statistics about students not being taught in their mother tounge was surprising

# data[].attributes.body
Mother tongue is used to teach skills of second language

# data[].attributes.body
It does not surprise me that they 3x less likely to drop out when the language is spoken in their mother tongue language

# data[].attributes.body
I love how this video talked about involving a students family

# data[].attributes.body
I agree with the fact in the video that says it is difficult for students to learn basic literacy skills if they are not learning them in their mother tongue.

# data[].attributes.body
I think it is essential students learn to read in their native language before they learn to read in English

# data[].attributes.body
Engaging students' families is SO essential

# data[].attributes.body
How can we help teachers use mother tongue language to help their students? What if the teacher does not know the students language?

# data[].attributes.body
i thought the opening to the discussion was awesome it relates with the topic

# data[].attributes.body
I am excited to hear your discussion about mother tongue

# data[].attributes.body
I think thats a great point, I would also like to say that these skills will transfer over to their second language because it was taught in their native language.

# data[].attributes.body
I found it interesting that if students learn inferring and comprehension in their native language they can easily transfer these skills to a non-native language.

# data[].attributes.body
Mother Tongue Literacy Forum