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I don't care if you ar 10 or 100. Speak English or get out. You are ruining the country for the rest of us.
9:37:28 a.m. on February 16, 2006
JORGE CAMPOS | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 6:48 am | #Without getting into the whole illegal immigrant issue, if these kids don't learn english early on they are doomed to low paying jobs isolated in the spanish speaking community. It has always gated on me that we spend tax dollars to teach in spanish when the language of the land is english, and to make it in the business world you have to speak it, and speak it well. Good luck with this program.
9:41:13 a.m. on February 16, 2006
DAVID SPRINGER | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 6:52 am | #Very true David, well done Haycox!
9:51:02 a.m. on February 16, 2006
J T | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 7:02 am | #The teachers might as well just teach the children how to flip burgers and clean toilets. These schools are essentially the future labor pool for McDonalds.
9:53:49 a.m. on February 16, 2006
JR M | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 7:05 am | #From my personal point of view.
I uses to be a student at this school. I had the opurtunity to attend an all english class but my parents decided that I needed to learn more spanish. Thanks to this decision I am not flipping burgers and never have. By the way I was a straight A student and managed to graduate High School and attend college. Now I have a good paying job because of me being billingual.
My children speak very well in both english and spanish. Currently they attend and all english preschool class. But my decision is to have them start kinder in a spanish class.
I personaly beleive this will help them be better in life. Wether we like it or not spanish is a lengausge that will always be spoken in our country so might as well make something out of it.
I don't think that language determines who a person will be when they grow up. It is up to the children to decide what they want to do with their future.11:06:03 a.m. on February 16, 2006
M M | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 8:17 am | #Being educated is not a crime.
11:11:32 a.m. on February 16, 2006
STORM WYNTER | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 8:22 am | #I am from an immigrant family in the northeast so I speak from experience. This program of teaching in the primary language didn't exist. The Poles, Italians, Spanish all learned English fom day one. This West coast idea of teaching in Spanish acts as a crutch and hurts the kids later on. It is also unfair to other races in the area that must learn English. The later children learn English the higher the likelyhood that they will have an accent. I know watching my parents how they are treated diffently because of that accent. Spanish may be spoken hear but the language of success is English.
11:41:17 a.m. on February 16, 2006
GIANNI T | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 8:52 am | #I went to this school too from 3rd-5th grade.
Anyone remember the wonderful (NOT!)Dr. Barnes?
11:54:09 a.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 9:05 am | #Take our valuable education resources away from our citizens (and we wonder why are schools are failing miserably)..Education the biggest freebie of all.
12:18:53 p.m. on February 16, 2006
DIRK WIGGLER | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 9:30 am | #Aside from illegal meaning not legal and all, I still have a hard time with the thought of depriving a child of something they need like an education...BUT, my grandpa came here in the early 1900's as an 8 year old child, leaving his parents back in his home country and when he arrived here, he knew no English, but learned it. When his kids asked him how to speak his native language, he told them that they are in America, you speak English...what ever happened to that mentality.
Same with my husband, his family came here from another country and he was raised by his parents that you must speak English in America.
12:38:09 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 9:49 am | #I dont think a person not speaking english ruins the country jorge!! I dont know maybe CRIME!!! ruins it but not a language. I agree with you M M.
12:42:19 p.m. on February 16, 2006
LUCKY LADY | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 9:53 am | #I agree that we are in a country were english is our primary language but unfrotunately we also live in a country were we have many cultures and languages. It sounds easy to say learn english but it might not be that easy for some people to learn.
I speak to my children 90% of the time in english but I also see it as a good opurtunity for them to learn another language , in their case spanish. I see it as benefit to them. No matter what career they choose they will always have clients that will not know how to speak english and will need some who does speak it. So why loose business just because they cannot communicate.
Wether we like it or not their will never be an end to this languae barrier.
Another reason as to why I am ok with my children learning spanish is because it is part of our background. My parents are us citizens as well as my grandparents. But we cannot deny that fact that we are hispanic and it is nice for our kids to have something
that speaks about our culture even if it just the lanbuage. I don't just mean the hispanic culture every race has their own culture and I personaly think that all people have the right to choose what they want to teach their children.
People also worry about taxpayers money being spent on this kids but wether we like it or not our government always finds ways to waste our money. I don't think waisting money on our children is a waste it is an investment!12:54:31 p.m. on February 16, 2006
M M | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 10:05 am | #Well i'm willing to bet that her parents still speak only spanish. I'm happy for her. But how can her parents help her if they don't know english? I guess she will be the one teaching them.
1:03:42 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PATIENCE JACKSON | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 10:14 am | #If I knew Spanish or my husband did, I would teach my kids at home, but for public education, they should teach them all in English.
1:15:51 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 10:27 am | #That's exactly what I was going to say, Cherry. I think it's wonderful for children to learn other languages. It is true that companies are looking for bilingual employees. However, teach what you like in your own homes to better your children's educations. But for public schools, they should be taught only in English! Time and time again, I've said....When in Rome...I'm pretty sure if I sent my daughter to school in Italy, they wouldn't make a special class for her to learn all of her lessons in English!
1:38:03 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PINUP GIRL | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 10:49 am | #Thanks, Pin up, and think about it, these kids whose parents only speak Spanish, the kids can go home and teach them English...it's a win-win idea.
2:03:41 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 11:14 am | #The common thought is that many immigrants of my parents and grandparents generation came here, were thrown into an all English speaking school environment and they learned English and did fine. What is different here is that many of these schools have a majority of Spanish speaking students. My parents learned to speak English because they were surrounded by it. These kids are surrounded by Spanish, not just at home, but at school as well. If you don't teach them English, they will not learn it and will indeed be relegated to low paying jobs and a life of poverty. And we as the community and society that they live in will be subjected to the social ills that go along with that. Regardless of their citizenship status, five year olds should not be victims of a discriminant policy that refuses to teach them the language of this country.
2:04:59 p.m. on February 16, 2006
R R | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 11:16 am | #Very True, RR.
2:14:21 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 11:25 am | #PATIECNE JACKSON,
Our primary language at home is english. But personaly if my children have the opurtunity to learn how to read and write anoTher language than why not. It is my decision. People talk about taxpayers money, I pay taxes. Should I not have a say so on my childrens education!
By choice my parents put me in spanish and billingual classes up until 4th grade. I am glad they made this decision because know I know how to speak 2 languages. Not only can I speak both languages but I can also read and write in both languages.
2:20:33 p.m. on February 16, 2006
M M | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 11:31 am | #M M, your point for addressing me is???
2:55:03 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PATIENCE JACKSON | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 12:06 pm | #Well i'm willing to bet that her parents still speak only spanish. I'm happy for her. But how can her parents help her if they don't know english? I guess she will be the one teaching them.
1:03:42 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PATIENCE JACKSON | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 10:14 am |2:58:47 p.m. on February 16, 2006
M M | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 12:10 pm | #I know what I said M M. But your reason for addressing me was what??? Because I said they must still speak only spanish? Or the part about she will be teaching them to speak english? You address tax payers. That never came out of my mouth. And her learning english I wouldn't consider it an opportunity. I consider it as something that needed to be done.
3:07:42 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PATIENCE JACKSON | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 12:18 pm | #there are plenty of good paying jobs that will over look the fact that you DON'T speak Spanish, but tell me how many good paying jobs will over look the fact that you DON'T speak English??? Food for thought!
3:39:06 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 12:50 pm | #PATINECE JACKSON:
I addrssed tax payers because their
are comments one here that address that issue.
As for jobs that are being offered to people who don't speak english. Trust me they make their money. Maybe not by doing the same jobs that we might do but most of them get good money.
Just one example: mobile car washes. Most of them don't even speak good english but they take home at least 400.00 per day.4:33:39 p.m. on February 16, 2006
M M | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 1:44 pm | #Without a common language and borders there is no country
4:35:09 p.m. on February 16, 2006
DIRK WIGGLER | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 1:46 pm | #One issue I'd like to raise that relates to this story is that Spanish speaking immigrants seem to be less inclined to assimilate into our culture than others. The past generations of European immigrants couldn't wait to learn english and blend in...same with the asians. The Spanish speakers seems to be content to form their own communities and never become part of the whole. Why is that? Doesn't seem fair to their kids.
4:42:33 p.m. on February 16, 2006
DAVID SPRINGER | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 1:53 pm | #True, MM and those are the ones who don't pay taxes either, right?
4:45:34 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 1:56 pm | #The only way to have complete fluency in a language is to have total impershine within the country of the dominate language. Culture influences language so much that a textbook course is not enough.
For example, English spoken in England is different that Scottland and is different than America. Just like learning Spanish one needs to spend time in Spain to learn Castillian Spanish verses spending time in Mexico to learn the more slang time of Spanish.
4:50:36 p.m. on February 16, 2006
W J | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:01 pm | #Thank you so much Janet Lee for helping our children. Muchisimas Gracias. And for Gorge Campos and David Springer, you are the kind of people that ruin any country not only the USA.
4:51:00 p.m. on February 16, 2006
GUILLERMINA MEDINA | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:02 pm | #You are on point today, Cherry!!! David, you are absolutely correct. I wonder that as well. I wonder why I feel that if I were to move to another country that my family and I would immediately begin assimilating ourselves with that culture. Sure, we would keep things close to our hearts from our culture. But we had better learn their language, their culture, their traditions while doing so!!! It's common respect!
4:55:45 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PINUP GIRL | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:07 pm | #There may be plenty of jobs where you can get them if you don't speak Spanish, but if you know an extra language, you're valued more here in the US.
That being said, there is no excuse for not learning English in a country where the majority speak it. It may not be the official language, but to get by, you need English.
4:58:50 p.m. on February 16, 2006
ROGER WATERS | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:10 pm | #By the way, if an American were to go to Mexico or any Latin American country, he'd be forced to learn Spanish. The same could be expected for any other country. I don't see how it shouldn't apply here.
5:00:25 p.m. on February 16, 2006
ROGER WATERS | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:11 pm | #The same used to apply here...how do you think our parents, grandparents and so on learned the language!
5:04:29 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:15 pm | #There is nothing to wonder about we as a country cater to illegals, and there is no need for them to learn english.
5:06:54 p.m. on February 16, 2006
DIRK WIGGLER | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:18 pm | #MM, i'd appreciate it if you would stop putting my name so boldly like that. Especially when your spelling it wrong. And Pinup I agree with you. Cause we a can trust and believe that they are NOT going to accomidate us whatsoever. We would be lucky if they would even give us a book or somethin to learn their language. That's why I told MM that this girl learning english wasn't an opportunity, it was something that needed to be done.
5:08:52 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PATIENCE JACKSON | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:20 pm | #this is a great example why our school systems are so poor. we have to print things in both languages and have teachers that speak both english and spanish. this is the USA
5:09:13 p.m. on February 16, 2006
N FERRELL | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:20 pm | #BTW, about the whole tax payers money issue...I pay taxes, but I have to put my kids in private school to ensure a decent education because the schools are such a mess! No one is reimbursing me the money I am shelling out monthly! So along with that, I am paying taxes to educate these kids too so I think I should have my opinion heard that they NEED to be taught in ENGLISH!
Gos Bless the USA!!
5:13:02 p.m. on February 16, 2006
CHERRY BLOSSOM | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:24 pm | #I hear you, Cherry! By the way, to add to your food for thought, think of it this way....
How silly does it sound to think that if any of us were to move our family to China that they would start a bilingual class in English and Chinese so that we wouldn't have to technically learn their language? Not going to happen!So why is it so farfetched that we as American citizens should expect people, Spanish speakers, Chinese speakers, French, Italian (the list goes on) to learn English in OUR schools!??!!!
5:41:06 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PINUP GIRL | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:52 pm | #Hey, while I can speak 3 languages , I agree that if you're in the US, you need to learn English, comprende?
My grandma was Apache, but she never complained when they taught her English on the Rez..
My dad never spoke spanish to us when we grew up, but what I learned I learned in School ( I actually received the Portugal Language Bronze medal award in High School LOL!)
Its good to learn 3 or 4 languages because so we are a mixing bowl of diverese cultures, but I prefer to stick to English when I am in the US..5:42:33 p.m. on February 16, 2006
REUBEN CAMACHO | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 2:53 pm | #Cherry that's just it. They don't give a damn what we think. Do you know that one of the schools I had my son at decided to put him in a mixed class that taught in spanish and english? He was only in the 2nd grade. I told them to take him out of that class and put him in an all english class. How could my son get his education in a class like that? That means a teacher has to stop, say it spanish and then back to english. Reuben I like how you put that "we are a mixing bowl of diverse cultures". Oh Pinup take a look at the gay article Marie responded to you. Again!!!
6:08:08 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PATIENCE JACKSON | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 3:19 pm | #Thanks for the head up, Patience, I saw. And good for you taking your child out of that class! I would be very upset if my child was put in a mixed class where she had to learn another language to accomodate those that wouldn't learn the language! Put her in a Spanish class or give a Spanish lesson, but to teach the whole class using both languages? Reuben, I like how you put that too!
6:39:50 p.m. on February 16, 2006
PINUP GIRL | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 3:51 pm | #Illegal aliens don’t want to live in America! They want to go back to Mexico! They could become legal if they want to. They could learn english if they wanted to, but why be a citizen and learn English if your not going to stay. Their families are in Mexico, they send cash back to their families so their families can eat and put roofs over their heads. They don’t support our social systems; they are usually paid under the table. There income tax doesnt go to support Medicare, Medical and Social Security, schools. However, when they get sick or hurt they do go to our free clinics and emergency rooms. Sometimes they will get pregnant and have a child here. There child needs health care, an education, oh and the child can qualify for welfare. However, they still want to go back to Mexico, at some point. The bottom line is they don’t want to be here.
9:43:19 p.m. on February 16, 2006
J T | Homepage | 02.16.06 - 6:54 pm | #JT,
Most of these families do come to the US with the hopes of building a better life back home. But eventualy get used to this enviorment and end up staying. As far as them not paying taxes, they do get paid under the table and pay no taxes at the time they receive the money. But at tax time they do file their taxes. WHY? Because if they ever get the opurtunity to become legal they have to proof to the INS that they have paid their taxes and end up making up for all those taxes that they did not pay for the enire year.You will probably reply saying that this is not true. But most of thie illegals are strongly advised to do this if they ever want to become legal.