Bilingual School a SMART Choice in Toledo First grader Dominick Martinez held the large toy Pterodactyl with both hands. He spread the rubber wings attached to the prehistorical dinosaur and pretended that it was flying around the lunchroom; occasionally tucking in the toy’s wings and using the Pterodactyl’s movable plastic hind legs to swoop into a landing on one of the many tables in the room. “I know everything about dinosaurs,” the precocious youth boasted. He then proceeded to demonstrate his knowledge by explaining the Pterodactyl’s anatomy and how the dinosaur’s body allowed it to fly, land and even what kind of food it ate and hunted. “He’s my little philosopher,” explained Maria Gonzalez, head administrator at Toledo’s SMART Elementary, a bilingual charter school which opened this fall. “I call him my “little philosopher” because he’s so smart. He never answers a question with a simple ‘yes or no’; his answers are always much deeper than that.” Dominick is one of 35 students enrolled in the K-2nd grade school, which is located at 1850 Airport Highway. While many schools are often quick to label students whose first language is Spanish as “slow” or “at-risk,” SMART Elementary views the same students as gifted. All students are required to learn how to speak, read and write in English and Spanish. “People need to understand the importance of bilingual education,” said Mrs. Gonzalez. Please visit nuestravoz.uno for the complete story and more photos.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 06:52:34 +0000
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