Today I Was Asked Why I'm Unreasonable

I had to fill out an application today for an accelerator called Unreasonable Institute. They're seeking entrepreneurs in the early education space who are dedicated to improving the lives of millions of low-income kids. One of the questions on the application was...Why Am I Unreasonable? Ha! What a great question! 

So here's my answer: I'm unreasonable because I won't/can't turn my back on the millions of kids who need exactly what Tipitom brings to the table. I feel obligated and motivated to bring this venture to fruition. I have a social responsibility that's based on personal experience, societal need and opportunity. I've passed up multiple career opportunities and sacrificed all I have to stay in the game. I'm the queen of unreasonable! ¿Si o no?

Language Discrimination, Language Diversity and Bias

Discrimination comes in all kinds of forms. Recently I experienced cultural discrimination for speaking Spanish while in Mexico. More specifically while at a social activity during a company retreat, I spoke in Spanish to one of the co-founders of one of my clients. The following day the other co-founder (a non-Spanish speaker) was apparently furious with me for doing so and demonstrated her irritation by mistreating badly. 

I know lots of people have been on the recipient end of someone else's fury over said actions. This occurrence provoked me to think about why some have such a visceral reaction to others speaking a second language. Clearly, some people believe you must be speaking about them in an offensive way. Others may experience some level of personal insecurity when not understanding the language, leading to acts of anger and frustration. 

I've travelled outside the U.S. and I grew up bilingual. However, as a resident of the US I believe our ethnocentric attitude about our culture is the culprit behind language discrimination in the US. Others who say, “Speak English, we’re in America”, frequently express this disposition! I agree one should speak the local language of one's resident country, but what happens when you're fully bilingual? Shouldn’t we all have the freedom to speak English and another language if desired? 

I resigned from working with that client and the went on an amazing trip to Morocco. Morocco has a rich history in trade and is a mecca for diversity and multiculturalism.  In Morocco two languages are spoken officially including Arabic and Berber, and unofficially French. During my eight-day tour of the country through the bustling city of Marrakech, the snow covered mountains of Atlas, the rust-colored dunes of the Sahara desert and the seaside city of Esssaouira; I heard all kinds of local and European languages. I was completely delighted to be around so many international folks expressing themselves in their native tongue and culture. At one point our guide Mohammed said, "to understand a culture, you must understand their language." I couldn't agree more!

In Morocco I learned approximately 10 new words In Arabic. I also learned this community of Islamic believers is deeply connected to their customs and spirituality. "En Shala," (God willing) is an expression commonly used in every day vernacular and one I readily adopted. Each and every time I greeted a Moroccan or Berber in their native tongue, we instantly connected and joy permeated the energy between us. Learning other key phrases, more about their beliefs, religion and customs helped me better communicate and gain insights about some of my own bias regarding Islamic religion and practices.  In the states we hear a lot of inaccurate information about the Muslim community creating a spirit of fear and insecurity. The Muslim people I met in Morocco we’re kind, warm and considerate. New flash: a headscarf doesn’t make you a terrorist. We really must stop making such erroneous assumptions. 

Language is intimately attached to culture and vice versa. Opening up our minds to having a cultural experience through language can be fun, educational and enjoyable. Discovery can happen from a positive disposition about someone else's culture, while arrogance and an ethnocentric attitude can lead to discrimination. In a global culture with a multitude of languages and cultures, let us celebrate our uniqueness as we're all part of the same tribe called - humans. 

Deborah Castillero

Founder, Bilingual Children's Enterprises

www.tipitom.com

(917) 913.1300

Closing the Word Gap: Raising Bilingual Children to Excel

The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” (also part of a book title used by former First LadyHillary Rodham Clinton in 1996) has been one of the most widely quoted expressions on the support system required to raise a child. This quote reflects the mission statement of my startup; it’s also a mantra I believe in because of my own experience of moving from low-income to educated, and then to successful.

Despite the fact that I was raised by a single Latina mom who worked three jobs to support her family, I learned at home that education was the key to success and prosperity. Unlike other parents around us, my mother sent her children to preschool (According to National Center for Education Statistics less than 50% of Latino children today attend pre-K), she took us to the library, museums, and other educational events that celebrated learning and our Latino heritage. My siblings and I were all placed in the best expeditionary learning  school in the country: World of Inquiry in Rochester, NY.

There was a village of educators, community-based organizations, family, and friends who enveloped me in language (Spanish & English), diversity, knowledge, and community. That #30million word gap didn’t exist in my life because I had access to plenty of dialogues, books, and fun cultural experiences.

Did you know there are 4.4 million English Language Learners representing 10% of all grade school students? These students are 25% less proficient in English and essentially starting their academic experience in Kindergarten already in the achievement gap. Many of these students are raised by single, low-income parents who have less than a high school diploma. By second grade should these students not catch up, the federal government decides how many prisons to build. They know these students are at-risk to drop out and, therefore, may require social services or become engaged in criminal activity. Might you personally know some of these families and children? If so, is it possible for us to come together as a village to support our Latino children who desperately need to improve their reading, knowledge of math concepts, and language skills in both Spanish and English?

According to Eugene García, PhD and author of Understanding the Language Development of Early Education for Hispanic Children, “school readiness and school achievement patterns have their foundation in the period from birth to age three, a time at which the home and family typically play the dominant role in the development of children.” In other words, the home environment is one of the most important ways to build literacy skills. In these families, parents talk less to toddlers than their white counterparts and, therefore, are also less likely to encourage dialogue. There are also fewer books/literacy materials in the home. All these factors result in far lower spoken vocabularies, a predictor of reading and comprehension skills.

As an educated, bilingual mother, I told my son stories, read to him, sang songs with him, and put him in pre-K, knowing full well he was developing his language skills and cognitive abilities in two languages.

Underserved Latino youngsters are exactly the audience I’m trying to reach through my company Tipi Tom Tales; a digital media platform to help accelerate English language learning while exposing kids to vocabulary in two languages, early math concepts and games designed to improve their cognitive abilities. It’s true that it takes a village. Let’s build that village together to help our children succeed in school and life.

Deborah Castillero, Family & Education Contributor

5 Daily Activities To Help You Raise A Bilingual Child

“Our Culture, Our Traditions, Our Language Are The Foundations Upon Which We Build Identity.” Bilingual is Better by Ana L. Flores & Roxana A. Soto

Creating an environment for your child to learn a second language doesn’t have to be so challenging once a family makes a commitment to the goal, and creates habit-forming behaviors.

According to most bilingual educators, early learners should be exposed to each language on a daily basis. So here are 5 daily activities to help you accomplish just that.

1) “Se habla español” Upon Entering Your Home

Unless your children are in an immersion school, they’re hearing English all day. Therefore, make a commitment to speak español upon entering your home. As an art project, create a sign with your child that says, “En la casa se habla español.” You can also take it a step further and create flash cards with the names of all the furniture and appliances. Create a 5-minute daily habit of walking around your home while having your children name all they see in Spanish.

2) Español at the Dinner Table

Ensure the conversation at the dinner table is conducted in Spanish. Start off the ceremonial experience with a rhyme to get the conversation started: “Zanahoria, remolacha, pepino, lechuga, y col. Pimentón, perejil y ñame fortalecen el corazón” Source://poemasrimasycuentos.blogspot.com

3) A Call to Abuela, el Tio or la Prima

Make a list of your Spanish dominant family members and friends, and put them on the call list for your child to sing them a short Spanish song like “Los pollitos dicen pio pio”. Lots of fun songs available on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTApI_rUZ2E

4) Visit Oznoz.com

Oznoz.com is a website with unlimited access to high quality children’s cartoons in 10+languages. Start your free trial and turn on Plaza Sesamo, Musty 3D and Might Jungle, all available in Spanish.

5) Read a Bedtime Story in Spanish

Chose an age appropriate children’s book in Spanish that authentically depicts and celebrates Latino culture. Here’s a list of award winning children’s books: http://www.slj.com/2013/06/awards/intl-latino-book-awards-recognize-top-childrens-titles/#_

To Be Bilingual Or Not

"Language is not just an instrument of communication. It is also a symbol of social or group identity, an emblem of group membership and solidarity," by François Grosjean, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psycholinguistics.

The attitudes people and governments have toward different languages influence the way they perceive communities of the other language speaking groups. In thinking about bilingual education for your family, the questions to ponder are: “How do you feel about your ethnic identity?” And also, “What is the role your cultural background plays in your own community?” If you’ve decided you want to employ two languages into your family experience, bilingual education is your ticket to not only preserve your ethnic identity and second language, but also to help form citizens who are better prepared for a global economy.

Learning a second language requires motivation, time, energy, language input and support from your inner circle. According to most bilingual educators, early learners should be exposed to each language on a daily basis. Exposure can be in the form of talking, playing or reading. Apps and TV shows can also be useful tools, but interaction with people helps a child understand there’s actually a need to use the second language. Personally, I made a commitment to visit our family in Panama every summer vacation. With my monolingual family members, my son very quickly learned there was a need for him to use his Spanish to communicate with his relatives. To extend his learning of Spanish, I also established a language strategy for my family: Spanish would be spoken at home as much as possible. Additionally, I went out of my way to only select Spanish-speaking, in-home child care providers to support his language learning experience.

In considering a school-based dual language, bilingual or immersion program there are a many options to research. According to the National Association of Bilingual Education, most are categorized as transitional, developmental, or two-way bilingual education programs. According to the research report, The Astounding Effectiveness of Dual Language Education for All, the study concluded that those students who participated in the program scored as well as or better than all comparison groups on achievement tests and that they remained high academic achievers throughout their schooling (Thomas, Collier, and Abbott, 1993). As for English language learners, I think it’s important to share by law, schools in the US, must provide English language learners with equal access to a basic education and therefore English language learning instructional programs.

In summary, there are so many advantages to being bilingual. Seeing your child communicate with his or her abuelos is priceless. Being bilingual also allows children to cultivate a spirit of acceptance and open-mindedness towards other cultures. This kind of mindset in children is exactly what we need today to enhance race relations. Having such a skill also provides your child with a competitive advantage in the workplace, helps the brain become more efficient and thereby improve its cognitive abilities. In summary, most certainly, bilingual is better!

I AM WHO I AM!

Today I got real honest about who I am: the good, bad and the ugly. I am who I am. 


A dynamic leader of the pack, first in line to get things going; a kick-starter, builder and initiator. I jump into the fray full force and contribute much in the process. I’m good at rallying the troops even against seemingly insurmountable odds. I have a certain, personal magnetism; perhaps a result of projecting genuine passion and authenticity. I don’t shy away from new ground because I’m a pioneer and often take the road less travelled. I’m convincing, and often blunt and too the point. I accomplish much in one day with a great deal of focus, determination and fearlessness. I’m competitive in nature, bold, courageous and I like to win. I have a lot of energy and can stay in the game longer than most. I work well independently and contribute with zeal in a group setting. At times, my approach may be construed as arrogant and domineering, but it takes a lot of focus to be a female leader in a male dominant world.

My Childhood is What Drives My Startup

I am the child I’m trying to reach. I grew up with a Latina, Spanish dominant, immigrant and single mother who worked three jobs to make ends meet. My mom use to say, “we may be poor, but we’re not stupid.” Education was the way out of the “hood,” and she was going to ensure I and my siblings would get there. Like many immigrant families with small children I was sent away at 7 years old to the homeland (in this case Panamá) to spend the summers with my grandmother. I didn’t speak a word of Spanish and I was terrified. After three months of full immersion I came back fully bilingual and bicultural. I begged my mom to send me back and she did when I was 9 and 14 years old. I intimately understand what it’s like to be thrusted into a foreign environment where you don’t speak the language.

Ultimately, learning a second language and becoming bicultural opened up many opportunities for me. These new skill sets set the stage for my academic studies and long term career path. I would carry the flag for those who didn’t have a voice to influence change. I would take my skills and knowledge to Sony Music Entertainment and propose a completely out of the box idea (originally met with great resistance). My strategy was to take some of the Latino artists on the Latin label and cross them over to the general market. A multi-million dollar strategy resulting in huge sales. Since then I've been devising winning business strategies to help company's tap into the ever-growing Hispanic market. I opened up an office on the West Coast and provided similar services to the movie studios. One of my many film clients was Mel Gibson and while controversial, I handled all the Hispanic marketing and PR for “The Passion of the Christ;” now a casebook marketing study.

After 10 years in entertainment, I went to work for a visionary man; Mario Baeza the former executive chairman of Vme Media. Alongside a research analyst, we conducted extensive research about the Latino educational crisis. With this research in hand, Mario wrote a white paper about the crisis and how high quality children’s programming could better prepare Latino children for kindergarten. That white paper essentially became the foundation for my startup, Bilingual Children’s Enterprises. My company is an e-learning, multimedia edutainment company developing, aggregating and acquiring bilingual and dual language transmedia properties. Our mission is to provide our users/customer base with appropriate and effective tools to stimulate children’s language and numeracy skills through bilingual and dual language content from an early age. We intend to develop and position original and acquired kid content across multiple platforms including broadcasting, streaming video, web, mobile and tablets. We create products with high pedagogic quality accompanied with a large dose of fun for learning to take its course without the child ever even noticing. Families and educators who are interested in bilingual, dual language and preschool through 1st grade content, are our primary target audience.

In 2011, a small network in the NYC area was awarded a $30 million grant from the US Department of Education. Out of 300 content providers, we were selected as a top three finalist. For this grant submission I assembled an amazing team, invested $10,000 of my own money to create our demo and of course countless hours. While we were waiting for a decision from this network, I submitted our demo and business plan to another network. Ultimately, we didn’t win the grant, but still it gave me the confidence to know we we’re on the right track. We ended up hearing from the second network and began negotiations to give them the distribution rights to the show; all contingent upon us securing the funding for production.  With a distribution contract in hand we also secured investors. However, after a long process of figuring out the production budget, our investors decided to pull the plug at the start line. It took three years of hard work to get to this point and then surprisingly with a three-sentence email, everything came to a halt.  These two huge set backs completely derailed my enthusiasm for my startup and caused my co-founder to leave. I took off almost a year from working on my startup and then to my surprise, a friend wrote me check that ultimately helped me start all over again. So here I am, yet again, persevering through my failures and lessons learned with an even greater level of enthusiasm. I don’t know where this entrepreneurial spirit comes from…sometimes I think it’s a blessing, other times it feels like a curse.

Check us out at www.tipitomtales.com