Edition: U.S. / Global

Bilingual Education Puts Hispanic Children in the Mainstream; English Spoken Here

Published: January 10, 1995

To the Editor:

Barbara Mujica's "No Comprendo" (Op-Ed, Jan. 3) is right to question non-English education programs, and look at the isolation immigrants feel and even engender.

When my father came to this country after World War II, he spoke eight languages, my mother, six. Neither knew much English. My parents worked by day. At night they took English classes. As a result, my sister and I speak five languages, with English our primary language.

When I studied German in college, I came upon an illustrative story about a young American in school in Germany, complaining to his counselor about not being able to keep up with the course work, which was taught in German. The counselor suggested switching to a dorm where only German was spoken.

Immersion is often the best way to learn a language. Why are we forcing Americans to accommodate immigrants, instead of having immigrants adapt? I'm waiting for the day when stores will replace signs that say "Se Habla Espanol" with signs that read "English Spoken Here. MARK MARMOR New York, Jan. 3, 1995