05/03/17

A short memoir-

Being a native speaker of Spanish means that I was born in a

country where Spanish is the official or majorly spoken language. I
experienced my first immersion into a new culture and language
when I moved to the United States at the age of seven. Although
fully immersing yourself in a new country can be challenging, I
found that learning a new language at a young age was not
extremely difficult. Research shows that the younger you are, the
more likely youll find success acquiring a new language. Of
course, it can also be possible to acquire a new language with
enough practice and input.
When looking back at my experiences, I wasnt exactly
conscious of my English language acquisition. I remember I
watched a lot of TV, went to school and began to understand the
language gradually. Growing up in Texas, I was fortunate to live in
a state where there is large Hispanic influence. I could easily
relate to my classmates who shared a similar experience growing
up. It also became crucial to have the support of my family.
In 1980, there were roughly 11 million Spanish speakers in
the U.S. representing 5% of the population. By 2012 the number
of Spanish speakers increased to over 38 million, representing
13% of the U.S. population. Hispanic families often teach their
children Spanish as a way of passing down their heritage and
culture. This emphasis on bilingualism has helped revive the
Spanish language in the United States, making it the second most
spoken language in the country.
As a second language learner of English, I know first-hand
the difficulties that English learners face in the classroom.
Classrooms across the United States are becoming increasingly
diverse with increasing numbers of students whose primary home
languages are not English. State-reported data in 2008-09
estimated 10 percent of the US school-aged population (PreK-12 th
grade) as students identified as limited English proficient. As a
future teacher, I know its crucial to assist English learners in their
acquisition of the new language, just like it is essential to assist
ALL learners in the classroom.
 Throughout my years as a second language learner of
English, I always felt self-conscious about my pronunciation and
Mexican accent. I have learned, however, that rather than feel
self-conscious about speech, there are five things that second
language learners can do to find success in the classroom:
Take risks.
Practice really does make perfect.
Understand that everyone has an accent.
Take every opportunity to learn something new-
whether its a word in the foreign language or the
meaning of a concept.
Feel proud of your identity and celebrate your
differences.

I know that in doing so has made all the difference in my

experience.

Cecilia Sanchez
UTL 640 student