She sings songs in English and her youngsters follow along. She introduces numbers and the concept of writing between the lines, and that too is done in English. No matter what language is spoken, some things never change. Silly songs about shoulders and toes still send youngsters into giggling fits. And recess is still the best time of the day.
Most students keep pace and shout the number in English.
He's out the door and on the playground before the word stops echoing in the classroom. Vasquez concedes that Proposition 227 is not the worst thing ever to happen to education. The kids who fall behind will be able to catch up, she said, although they probably will have to sacrifice lessons in art or music to do so. And parents could simply choose to shift their youngsters back to bilingual classes, meaning she could end up teaching just as she did last year. That's all any of us are trying to do.