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Language in the Classroom

In schools with high non-English speaking students, what method should be used?

  • Bilingual Classroom

    Votes: 22 33.8%
  • English Speaking Classroom

    Votes: 43 66.2%

  • Total voters
    65
G

Greenridgeman

Guest
School should be bilingual, because it helps the develop the brain.

Spanish being so prevelent in the Western Hemisphere, it should be the logical second language.

Has nothing at all to do with whether or not I like mass illegal immigration, or Hispanics or not.

It has to do with practicality, and with training young brains.

Latin once served the same purpose.
 

JackDallas

Senator
Supporting Member
School should be bilingual, because it helps the develop the brain.

Spanish being so prevelent in the Western Hemisphere, it should be the logical second language.

Has nothing at all to do with whether or not I like mass illegal immigration, or Hispanics or not.

It has to do with practicality, and with training young brains.

Latin once served the same purpose.
Well, I think the language of business in the US should be English; but I think everyone should learn at least a little Spanish. Here in Texas there is a certain amount of arrogance about it. People are adamate about not making the effort to learn any Spanish. I think that's stupid because any bi-lingual skills you acquire can only help you communicate across a broader spectrum. My ability to communicate in Spanish, if only on a conversational level (I couldn't write a thesis in Spanish) has helped me tremendously in the workplace.
 
School should be bilingual, because it helps the develop the brain.

Spanish being so prevelent in the Western Hemisphere, it should be the logical second language.

Has nothing at all to do with whether or not I like mass illegal immigration, or Hispanics or not.

It has to do with practicality, and with training young brains.

Latin once served the same purpose.
I have personal experience on this subject as my kids had to learn English to prepare for school and on a preschool level immersion is the way to go. The kids went from 9-1 to a church nursery school ages 3-Pre K and they were English speaking like it was their 1st language in no time. For older kids the situation might be different. Of course we all still speak in spanish at home with the Mrs.

A Funny Story... My son and I did the drive thru at a Taqueria and they asked for my order in spanish so I ordered it in spanish.
When I was done my 13 yr old looked at me and said "Dad!! You sound so White"
 
G

Greenridgeman

Guest
I think English should be the official language too.

I favor biligual education because we have such a dumbed down electorate, and educational reform has to start somewhere.

A second, useful language we be a great place to start in regard to exercising our childrens' brains better.

You don't use it, you lose it, as witnessed by the brain-dead masses exiting our schools, whether diploma-less or diploma in hand.
 

Jen

Senator
Very romantic indeed. And we just celebrated our 27th anniversary. My in-laws love me and his in-laws loved him (my parents are both dead).

that sounds very romantic. Made me think of that movie, "Every Time We Say Goodbye" with Tom Hanks... except without all the problems with the in-laws.
 
Where I work the ability to speak spanish is a curse as we deal with companies all over the world selling fluid handling equipment for the petrochem and mining industry. And if we get a call from anyone with an accent. Middle East, French, Vietnamese, Russian Indian..The operator has it in her mind..."Switch it to Lupe he speaks spanish"

These folks do business in a manner that wastes time and in most cases they are just making an exploratory call.
 

Jen

Senator
Enjoying your stories on this thread, Lupe. They all sound so familiar to me. My oldest son's biological dad is seamlessly bilingual. He didn't speak any English when he started first grade and neither of his parents spoke English. He frequently has business dealings in Mexico and South America (where he adopts a Mexican accent in his Spanish so the South Americans won't realize he's from the USA). When our family went to visit him (yes, my kids and husband.... everyone) in San Antonio, my kids were amazed when he took a call, spoke Spanish the entire call then seamlessly switched to English when he turned back to the table. I once heard him talk on the phone to some oil guys in south Texas and he sounded like a "good ole white boy" to them............heh........... impressive.


I have personal experience on this subject as my kids had to learn English to prepare for school and on a preschool level immersion is the way to go. The kids went from 9-1 to a church nursery school ages 3-Pre K and they were English speaking like it was their 1st language in no time. For older kids the situation might be different. Of course we all still speak in spanish at home with the Mrs.

A Funny Story... My son and I did the drive thru at a Taqueria and they asked for my order in spanish so I ordered it in spanish.
When I was done my 13 yr old looked at me and said "Dad!! You sound so White"
 
Jen your kids dad sounds like he didn't lose it. I was raised "white" I look white with a tinge of spanish features and my spanish sucks so bad that on more than one occasion my wife or I have been axed by transplanted mexicans if I was Cuban. I guess because my accent is so funky and mexicans in Houston are not exposed to Cubans very much and my complexion.
 
Can you point out where I said what you are accusing me of saying.
he's saying that language is the only thing holding them back.
It isn't the only thing yet it prolly is the biggest thing.
 

kgswiger

Council Member
KG you know this for a fact? "A 5-6 year old Spanish speaking child isn't going to be estranged from their family if they're taught only English in the classroom"

or is this just another "well I think it only stands to reason that is what will happen" statement from right wingers. that soon will become a part of your belief that no one will ever convince you otherwise because you have seen it in print.
Oh, come on, 8's. It's not like we haven't been through this before. Do you think New York City public schools were bilingual English/Italian, English/Russian, English/Hungarian, English/Romanian, and English/German? How about English/Yiddish? Assimilating immigrants is something we've gotten down pretty well, and I've never heard that estrangement from their family was a problem for the immigrant students.

After all, the school only has them for what, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year?
 

Days

Commentator
In Texas the bilingual approach is still in effect and still mostly failing to do what it was designed to do, to ease Hispanic children toward learning English. But once such a program is installed it becomes an inviolate fixture of public policy and is nearly impossible to eliminate afterwards.
A Bi-Lingual program is not designed to ease the children towards English, it is designed to educate the children in all the disciplines... the whole point of Bi-Lingual education is to reach the children.
 

Angel of Dearth

Council Member
Why would anyone want to hamper kids' progress by NOT using immersion? That's just mean and cruel.

If you want poor Hispanic kids to remain poor then ditch the immersion method.
 

gabriel

Governor
immersion once they have done the ESL phase. it works!
In schools with a large number of non-English speaking students, do you believe they should be taught in a bilingual education classroom or be taught through immersion in all English speaking classes?
 

gabriel

Governor
as a teacher, im surprised you dont yet know the difference between intelligence and common sense. no wait.. youre a teacher! carry on.
 

BitterPill

The Shoe Cometh
Supporting Member
To be honest, the call should depend on the situation. I can see where sometimes bilingual education would be better, and other times when immersion would be preferable. Think about it.

That's why I was unable to cast a vote.
 
In schools with a large number of non-English speaking students, do you believe they should be taught in a bilingual education classroom or be taught through immersion in all English speaking classes?
Most lessons should be given in the language of the Country the students are living in ....but there should be flexability and imagination within that.

I lived in a mining district in Belgium for many years, the miners where made up of many nationalities. In schools they where taught in Dutch/Flemish but all whom I knew spoke each others languages too the Italians spoke fluent Turkish, Polish, Arabic, French of course and ect ect ect, most I knew spoke at least six languages well whch as kids they learnt from each other. But Belgium was their home and that was the language they needed to get by in and get further education in if.
 
We have this the wrong way. Our kids should all be taught a second language from K-12. As for immigrants, teach them in English only. Worked for me, I learned English in Kindergarten.
 
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