The bilingual mind is not just a combination of two monolingual minds—it’s a fundamentally different way of thinking, communicating, and learning. Yet many educational models still treat bilingualism as the sum of two language tracks: English on one side, Spanish on the other, each developing independently. But bilingual children don’t live in two linguistic worlds; they navigate a single, integrated system. To support them effectively, we need to shift from a parallel model to a holistic view of bilingualism—one that honors the complexity and strength of how bilingual minds actually work.

Holistic bilingualism recognizes that children draw from their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and learn. A child might start a sentence in Mandarin and finish it in French, not out of confusion, but because they are navigating meaning fluidly across languages. They are using all their language tools to express ideas, solve problems, and engage with the world. This isn’t linguistic failure; it’s linguistic sophistication.

Think of it this way: no expert in track and field would compare a high hurdler to a sprinter or a high jumper, even though hurdling blends characteristics of both (Grosjean, 1989). A high hurdler is an integrated whole—a unique and specific athlete who jumps and sprints. In the same way, a bilingual speaker doesn’t live in two separate language worlds. They use language as an integrated system—a unique and specific way of communicating with language A and language B that reflects who they are and how they think.

Teaching through a holistic lens means valuing this integration. It means we assess for meaning, not just mechanics. We support flexible language use, rather than restricting students to “stay in one lane.” And most importantly, we see bilingual students not as two halves to be measured, but as whole thinkers and learners whose bilingualism is a powerful asset; whose languaging practices are unique to the bilingual mind.