From the age of 6 onward. there is a gradual decline in a childs languagespeaking powers. so that learning a new language as an adolescent is a more difficult and self conscious process than it is for a child. Through my personal communications studies. I have observed that the more academic instruction children get in their immigrant parents language. the less quickly they learn English. I personally believe that ESL and immersion techniques allow nonEnglishspeaking students to master our language so they can join the mainstream of society more quickly than through traditional bilingual education. As a result. those who master the English language will have overcome a major hurdle to participation in our democracy.
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immigrant