Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-11

taught Ia read and write two lam
gtages ut the same time Great
Jupiteri II know of no error in all
our pedagogical experience more per-
sistent than the tendency of the
school man to generalize from too
meager data. Roberts I'll venture
to take Or. Roberts, or any educator
as far as that is concerned, and show
him different state Of affairs in
many of our humble and poor Span
lsh- American communities where the
teachers who, although not what may
he termed first class, have accom-
plished wonders with the Spanish
American children, teaching them
English through the bilingual meth
cd Apropos of this, ] call special at
tention to an article by Mr.. A. d.
Smith entitled 'Textbooks,' published
in the Fort Sumner Review of Janu-
airy rs, as emphasizing strongly the
matter Of a bilingual system and BIZ
iingual hooks in our sehools-faets
from his own experience
But for a moment let us forget that
much blamed constitution and see
where we can add one more error to
those of DR. Roberts. our constitu-
ton, article XII, on education section
s. DEGREES THE Legislature shah
provide for the training Of teachers
in the normal schools or otherwise so
that they may become proficient in
both the English and Spanish lam
guages. 90 qualify them to teach Span
speaking pupils and students in the
public schools and educational nstitu-
tions Of the state: and shall provide
proper means and methods to facil-
tate the teaching of the English lam
guage and other branches Of learning
to such pupils and students Our
normals those institutions OF learn
ing particularly created for the pur-
pose of training teachers for our edu-
cational needs should be the first to
establish thorough courses In the
Spanish language so that they could
supply the increasing demand for
teachers IN our high and other schools
who have a good knowledge Of Span
ish and fully equipped 10 teach. This
they ought 10 do without the mandate
of the legislature. Many object to the
teaching of Spanish in the grades and
| call the attention Of everyone to
your words particularly significant to
the Anglo-American child: 1T is
during early childhood that LAM
guage can be learned with perfection
of accent and only then. When the
vocal organs are once set by age and
habit the accent of an acquired Lam
guage cannot be had properly. 80
our normals have not established
thorough coNree n erurish and that
is the reason why graduates. even
with degrees of masters of pedagogy,
who have had a three-years course
of Spanish therein, when they go out
To teach in our schools, are only
equipped, in most eases. with only
hook-taught Spanish. and very little
at that. The attention of our legis-
lature is respectfully called to the cry
ing need of our state provide prop |
er means and methods TO facilitate
the teaching of the English language
and other branches of learning TO /
such pupils and students"
In conclusion | may state that dur I
ing the past summer about coo pu- |
pills passed successfully the states /
eighth grade examination, and among |
these only seventeen pupils were
Spanish-Americans There is a flaw +
somewhere In our educational system. |
II is not the fault of the children. for
they are as bright as any Of the other
children on the face of the earth f
hut, the idult lies in the fact that in 4
our schools the Spanish Il
child is placed cat an obvious disad- II
vantage when the effort il made Ia 4
teach him a language with which he
IS wholly unfamiliar" through 4
method which our experience and /
facts daily prove to be devoid of ac-
taal good results, as statistics prove
TO be the case. The Spanish-Amerj- 4
cans are anxious that their children be
the means and opportunity
70 learn our official language: ana Il
common sense and Justice as well AS
the material side of the case make Il
advisable that Spanish should also be
taught SO as TO equip the Anglo ana
spanish-Aneriean children with the
lwo most important commercial Ian
suages Of the future. En- avantta
Yours very truly.
FlLADELFO BACA. II
santa re, \. NJ, February . lg1k