During our early statehood, young Nuevomexicanos were punished for their lack of English. Generations of bilinguals only saw the negative effects of speaking Spanish. My grandparents are a good example of this. They grew up speaking New Mexican Spanish at home and studied English at school. Like many others, they have not taught their children Spanish because of the negative connotations society places on the language and its culture. Today they admit that they didn’t see the benefits of bilingualism until much later.
Bilingualism is an asset that can shake up New Mexico’s education system, improve international trade, bring more investment to the state, and more. A nationwide bilingual education would benefit New Mexico in unimaginable ways while staying true to a tradition of the people who have lived here for centuries.
Today, many New Mexico children do not speak English when they start school. Schools are not equipped to meet the needs of English learners and these students are often relegated to special needs programs. New Mexico’s high school graduation rate ranks 46th among all states, with Hispanics and Native Americans suffering the most.
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In addition, bilinguals “have a higher density of gray matter, which contains most of the brain’s neurons and synapses, and more activity in certain regions when engaging in a second language.” Experts say that being bilingual might not make you any smarter, but it’s exercise for keeping your brain healthy, improving openness to new information, increasing neuroplasticity between new regions of your brain, and even reducing the likelihood of dementia.
An immersive bilingual public school system could improve New Mexico’s high school dropout rate and the mental health of all students. Bilingual educators today are mostly in private schools in the United States, where parents pay for Spanish immersion classes. Outside of New Mexico, where over 40% of residents speak Spanish, it’s difficult to find that many qualified teachers. While New Mexico attracts families and money to raise their children bilingually, New Mexico would also create jobs in a neglected public school system.
You might ask, “Who’s going to pay for this?” After all, Albuquerque Public Schools are already having to downsize schools and cut jobs, according to the State Auditor’s Office. The examiner’s report mentions the mass exodus `S experienced during the pandemic as parents turned to homeschooling and alternative schools. A bilingual education would lure parents back into our public school system and bolster the budgets of our struggling public educators.
Education aside, 418 million people in America speak Spanish, making it the most spoken language in the new world. Why not open ourselves up to more business by using Spanish as an intermediary in a globalized economy?
As New Mexicans know, our education system is struggling, children are falling behind their American peers, and our economy is small and undiversified. Bilingual education is an investment in better education and a more diverse, faster-growing economy. New Mexico needs to try something new without forgetting the cultures that make it so beautiful.
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