Chinese Immersion/ Speaking in Tongues

The video Speaking in Tongues looked at several students who were in different immersion programs.  Some Chinese and some Spanish and I believe one was both.  These kids start out at kindergarten coming into the class and from day 1 their teachers were speaking the language of the program.  They would try and use hand signs and repeated words to open up the student's minds to what they were trying to say.   One teacher wanted the students to put backpacks on a hook and would show them what to do while speaking Chinese and repeating words over and over so that they would recognize the word with the action.  One of the Chinese immersion teachers said that she tried to make her class believe that she didn't speak English and her students would try and catch her speaking English.  There were students on the video that came from either a Mexican or Chinese background but were in these programs because their families wanted them to be able to carry on the legacy and be able to read and write unlike themselves.  I believe this is a great way to keep family traditions going on for many years.
During the video there were many great facts shared.  They said that before the age of 13 if you become bilingual it makes your brain capacity much larger which I believe because at that age you are learning so much.  Your brain is like a sponge and you can soak up so much more than when you are older because there is so much more going on.  I think immersion programs are a must in today's society.  By 2025 1/3of students won't speak English going into kindergarten.  That is huge!  We need to be able to communicate with the people we interact with daily and having a language barrier stops proper communication and is a hassle.  I wish I could have been placed in a immersion program growing up, I know I would be much more culturally diverse.