Editor,
I am writing because of a concern I have when an educator in the field of bilingual education and English as a Second Language still appears to take the stance that two languages is a deficit instead of an asset.
I am pleased that the University has acquired a $1 million grant for bilingual education to teach many about specific issues as well as strategies within the field.
My main concern is the comment made by Pat Stall, in the Sept. 21 Daily Lobo that ". many students are not fluent in any language because they come from Navajo speaking homes or homes that speak poor English." Stall must realize that second language speakers have varied proficiency in either language depending on the interlocutor and the context involved.
A DinÇ student has fluency in his or her home language and is learning English as a second language. They have many years of language learning and fluency in DinÇ before they enter English language schools.
The DinÇ are also experiencing language loss among their people.
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I have had the privilege of working with DinÇ students in the College of Education who feel it is necessary for their leaders, students and parents to encourage language revitalization and maintenance while developing a proficiency in English.
I hope the courses developed by this grant incorporate the ideology that DinÇ culture and language is just as important as learning English and that DinÇ students and teachers are taught a pride in their past as they continue to move towards the future.
Ernestina P. Hernandez
Doctoral candidate
