Students may be required to take Spanish

I'm a strong supporter of teaching foreign languages. I speak three fluently myself.

However, to single out Spanish to the exclusion of other foreign languages smacks altogether of a different kind of agenda. Moreover, I can't help but wonder how well they are teaching English in our schools today.

I think this one smells.

Let's see, round up the illegals and kill them or force people who live here legally to speak spanish, which makes more sense? I have been trying to learn french, but suck, so I'm not about to force France into speaking English only because I can't speak French.

Originally posted by loam
However, to single out Spanish to the exclusion of other foreign languages smacks altogether of a different kind of agenda.

That was one of the primary arguments against the move that I read in that Tribune article. I, too, support foriegn languages in school. They're fantastic means by which to teach in school, not only for the cultural benefits, but because you learn so much about your own language learning a new one. When I was learning German, I couldn't believe all the various grammatical rules in English I had forgotten. However, the 90% spanish in the classroom at kindergarden is completely out there, in my opinion.

Originally posted by UfoofU
Let's see, round up the illegals and kill them or force people who live here legally to speak spanish, which makes more sense? I have been trying to learn french, but suck, so I'm not about to force France into speaking English only because I can't speak French.

Originally posted by loam
However, to single out Spanish to the exclusion of other foreign languages smacks altogether of a different kind of agenda.

I see nothing sinister here. Why Spanish? It's the most prevalent foreigh language spoken in the US. As well:

- Most commonly used foreign language spoken by the US's nearest neighbors and many new immigrants
- Dominant language spoken in 21 countries on five continents
- Fifth most widely spoken in the world, used by 300 million people
- The 4th largest Spanish-speaking city in the world is Los Angeles

More reasons at link.

Besides, how many foreigh language teachers would a public school be able to hire? I suspect the idea is to teach a foreign language to children (when it's easier to learn) and they decided to choose one language.

Moreover, I can't help but wonder how well they are teaching English in our schools today.

That, however, is an excellent point. They should teach English first, and I'm not sure of the quality of that these days...

Originally posted by marg6043
The above does not imply Mexico is not part of North America merely a route the same goes for the rest.

So they are not really invading they are just moving around after the first big invasion and assimilation.

Get it.

By the way the entire portion of the continent we live in is call America so anybody that live in the Americas are Americans.

Errr...aaah....again that was my point. get it?

.

This is what you can expect with a government-monopoly school system (PUBLIK SKULEZ™): a one-size-fits-all, learn-because-we-tell-you-to scam where there is no incentive to give the consumers (parents and students) what they want.

As long as the government, because of its virtual economic monopoly, forces you to use their PUBLIK SKULEZ™, only the people who can afford to pay the taxes and the tuition for freedom-of-choice schools are going to have any choice in the matter.

And you know the education Unions and the bureaucracy isn't going to change; why should they? You are forced to pay taxes for the PUBLIK SKULEZ™ whether you want to or not.

Wouldn't it make more sense if the government would just give you your own tax dollars back and let you spend them on a freedom-of-choice school -- whether religious, Montessori, Hoome-School, or whatever -- that you think is best for your kids?

Of course, that's not the way the government works. The philosophy is simple: you may be the parent, but you're too stupid to know what's best for your own children; so we'll let some Washington DC bureaucrat figure that out for you.

Until all Americans have freedom-of-choice schools, you're going to see these mandates, and they're just going to get more and more invasive.

Now as an aside, I think that anyone who doesn't learn Spanish, the second language of the United States, is an idiot. I picked it up in my forties, my family uses it all the time, and, as a result, we have opportunities that you monolingual people will never be able to get.

But the point is that learning (or not learning) Spanish should be your choice, not the Government's.

Originally posted by cjf


Errr...aaah....again that was my point. get it?

.

Ok, ok I just took it with other meaning.

[edit on 15-11-2005 by marg6043]

Originally posted by cjf
Errr...aaah....again that was my point. get it?

.

Three people have now misunderstood your point. Perhaps we aren't the ones who should be chastised.

The frustration you exhibit might be better channeled into making your point clearer next time. I'm just sayin...
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I thought this was interesting:

The United States is generally considered to be the third or the fourth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, after Mexico, Colombia and possibly Spain.
...
In New Mexico and Puerto Rico, both Spanish and English have the status of official language. Although Spanish is not the most-spoken language in any one U.S. state, it is the second most-spoken language in 43 states and in the District of Columbia.

Wikipedia

I live in New Mexico and I didn't know that. I love it, though. Equal opportunity for languages! It's really no surprise that Spanish was the language chosen to teach as a second language in primary schools.

Would be wonderful if the kids or parents had a choice (German, French, Italian). Perhaps in the future.

We shouldn't be forced to learn any language but we can get a huge leg up in the job market if we do. Spanish will get you hired in schools, prisons, businesses, virtually in any profession. But as has been mentioned other languages are as helpful in this regard.
What concerns me is the people who say learn English it's the only significant language and don't feel the need to learn any other language.

Just because I am for American SOVEREIGNTY and for English being our official language in NO WAY means that I am against people learning foreign languages. The two are not mutually exclusive.

I'm not against individuals being bilingual, trilingual, etc. It's when society is bilingual that we have problems.

English SHOULD be our official language. Want to move here, learn how to sling the lingo. Want to visit, grab you a dictionary (which is where being a polyglot is helpful).

I had Spanish for six years, from grades 7-12. I took French just for kicks in the 12th grade...I must have been the only student in my high school who voluntarily had TWO foreign languages at the same time!

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Three people have now misunderstood your point. Perhaps we aren't the ones who should be chastised.

Good Grief!

I hear you BH and Marg, but my original statements were concerning a larger canvas not the strokes. Too often (far too often) are the ‘views’ conveyed clouded by focusing upon one line, one single sentence, one word by ‘others’ as to make a ‘different’ point other than intended.

If…if ‘defensive’ in reply was a conveyed overtone, chastising was an unintended afterthought, at least on my behalf.

I will stand behind my premise----this argument is not new in the Americas, the American Indians had the same complaint 300+ years ago…“the more things change the more they remain the same.” A cultural invasion is occurring, good or bad.

That simple.

.

Students may be required to take Spanish

Good

It can´t be worse than learning Latin and knowing Spanish can actually be useful...

Originally posted by Hellmutt
It can´t be worse than learning Latin and knowing Spanish can actually be useful...

And what's wrong with Latin? I took that for two years in high school and loved it! It's quite useful if you speak English since many of our more esoteric words have their roots in Latin.

Unfortunately, there weren't enough people who wanted to continue with it to third year, so I switched to French. That's useful for reading menus and, of course, surrendering.

[edit on 11/15/2005 by djohnsto77]

Although that I might agree that Americans should know more than one language (people in most other countries know two or more), I don't think we should force a language, any language, in our schools -- well, except english, of course.

Kids nowadays have trouble speaking english as it is anyways! Now it's all "How R u?" "Catch u l8r" and all that other IM lingo.

At my old Junior High School, Spanish has been mandatory for a while. It became mandatory just after I left.