In Fernanda Soyano’s classroom at G.H. Reid Elementary School, Spanish isn’t just a subject. It’s the language of math lessons, reading circles and classroom discussions. Her students, who answer in both Spanish and English, are beginning to move fluidly between the two.
“Being bilingual is beautiful, because they can move from one place to another and can flow with their classmates and friends,” Soyano told VPM News in Spanish.
Soyano is part of the growing effort to expand dual-language programs across Richmond Public Schools (the program at Reid joins a similar program at Broad Rock Elementary, giving the city two bilingual education programs in Southside). A teacher for nearly a decade, she primarily taught in English in Mexico before moving to the United States.
Academic gains
The goal of dual-language immersion is to help multilingual students strengthen their English skills while giving native English speakers the opportunity to become fluent in Spanish…