Sotomayor says Americans don’t value multilingualism while promoting new children’s book
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared on *The View* to promote her new bilingual children’s book, *Just Shine! How to Be a Better You*. Inspired by lessons from her late mother-whom she calls her “first teacher”-the book emphasizes the importance of kindness, inclusivity, and multilingualism in children’s education. Sotomayor highlighted that nearly 30% of U.S. public school children speak Spanish but frequently enough lack access to literature in their native language. By publishing her books simultaneously in English and Spanish,she aims to encourage families to read together and value knowing multiple languages. Sotomayor also discussed the decline of multilingualism in America compared to Europe, and she emphasized that teaching children to make others feel crucial, much like her mother did, is a vital lesson. *Just Shine* was released on Tuesday.
Sotomayor says Americans don’t value multilingualism while promoting new children’s book
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared on The View on Tuesday to promote her new children’s book, Just Shine! How to Be a Better You, which reflects on lessons from her late mother and her belief that multilingualism and inclusivity should be central in children’s education.
The book, which is being released in both English and Spanish, was inspired by her mother’s influence as that of her “first teacher.” Sotomayor explained that the title comes from the image of the moon reflecting the sun’s light — a metaphor for how her mother helped others feel seen and valued.
“Everything I understood about how to treat people, how to make others feel important, how to show them they were important to me, came from her,” Sotomayor said. “That lesson is one that every child should know.… And every parent should realize: You set the example.”
Sotomayor has long insisted that her books be published in both English and Spanish. She told The View’s hosts that nearly 30% of children in U.S. public schools speak Spanish, yet many lack access to literature in their first language.
“The purpose of the book [being published in English and Spanish] was to be inclusive, to make sure that many children in our country would always have access to books in their language,” she said. “Knowing a second language is important. Most of Europe does. Most Europeans speak more than one language.”
“Americans don’t tend to value [multilingualism],” she added. “It’s a lost art, and I think an important art to be multilingual. And so for me, making it a condition that my publisher has honored from my very first book, my memoir My Beloved World, every book I publish comes out the same day in Spanish and English.”
Her goal, she said, is not only to reach young readers but also to give families the ability to read side-by-side in both languages.
“I know many parents and many kids who buy the English, buy the Spanish, and compare them,” Sotomayor explained.
The requirements for being multilingual in America vary widely by state and school district. Federal data shows only about 20% to 30% of U.S. high school students take a foreign language at all.
The baseline that most colleges expect applicants to have completed in high school is at least two years of a single foreign language. Selective universities such as Harvard and Princeton, however, prefer or require three to four years.
Historically, in Colonial America, fluency in Latin and Greek was valued and required at top universities. When Founding Father Alexander Hamilton entered King’s College, now Columbia University, in 1774, he was expected to translate Cicero and Virgil in the original Latin and render passages of the Gospel of John from Greek into Latin. At Harvard University in the 1640s, students had to be able to read Cicero ex tempore and compose in Latin verse and prose just to be admitted.
One in five K-12 students in the United States speaks a language other than English at home, and about 10% are enrolled in English language development programs, according to education advocacy group TNTP.
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“The purpose of this book,” Sotomayor said, “is to teach children how to shine by making others feel important — just as my mother did.”
Just Shine was released on Tuesday.
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