Florida: Students may be required to take Spanish

[ShadesOfGrey]

Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

 

[dahunan]

Seems like it should be the other way around

but.. this could help the children hire illegals when they get old enough

 

[azazyel]

Actually, it's a good idea. Kids that age can pick up languages WAY quicker than adults. Plus, almost all top colleges make a foreign language a requirement for graduation. I would like to offer more choices, I only was offered Spanish, French and Japanese. I think adding some Scandinavian languages would be cool or even Hindi or Arabic.

 

[imported_tss4]

This doesn't sound so bad to me. Young children learn language much faster than the rest of us. Plus, there technically isn't an official language in the US. Seems to me, it will just give their children a competitive edge. Its not like their teaching them pottery. Its an actuall useful skill.

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Sorry, but these asinine claims about giving an edge and college don't matter one bit. The highschool I attended only offered French - I didn't take it and have never needed it. Not for college, not for the international industry I am in. It would be the same if you inserted Spanish or any other language into that sentence.

With all the whiing about how poorly America educates their kids and how illiterate they are - don't you think that we should concentrate on making sure they learn ONE language first instead of forcing TWO on them?

 

[CaptnKirk]

Took Spanish in Jr. High and High School - always wish I would have learned it more as a conversational language
instead of the 'Formal' type.

Evey year they repeated last years class - as a formal language introduction.

Unfortunately you learn only to ask "What is your name", "where is the Library",
and "how aere you doing" over and over and over.

I guess that I could go unaccompanied into Mexico City, find the Library, and order some cheese, milk, and beer.

But I CAN cuss you out - and be really offensive while I'm at it.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: azazyel
Actually, it's a good idea. Kids that age can pick up languages WAY quicker than adults. Plus, almost all top colleges make a foreign language a requirement for graduation. I would like to offer more choices, I only was offered Spanish, French and Japanese. I think adding some Scandinavian languages would be cool or even Hindi or Arabic.

I agree that offering a foreign language class to young students would be a good idea, but why make it mandatory?

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

Err schools should force kids to take A second language. I don't see why spanish should be
any more important than german or french.

"I frankly believe, the earlier you teach someone, the better it is," said George Muentes, an English as a second language teacher.

I wonder if he's biased...

 

[azazyel]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Sorry, but these asinine claims about giving an edge and college don't matter one bit. The highschool I attended only offered French - I didn't take it and have never needed it. Not for college, not for the international industry I am in. It would be the same if you inserted Spanish or any other language into that sentence.

With all the whiing about how poorly America educates their kids and how illiterate they are - don't you think that we should concentrate on making sure they learn ONE language first instead of forcing TWO on them?

Where did you go to school? Hell, my high school had a language requirement and it was a public school. If your kid can't speak English then I think they have a problem at home more than at school. And what kind of tests do you think they are going to have in K-2?

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: azazyel

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Sorry, but these asinine claims about giving an edge and college don't matter one bit. The highschool I attended only offered French - I didn't take it and have never needed it. Not for college, not for the international industry I am in. It would be the same if you inserted Spanish or any other language into that sentence.

With all the whiing about how poorly America educates their kids and how illiterate they are - don't you think that we should concentrate on making sure they learn ONE language first instead of forcing TWO on them?

Where did you go to school? Hell, my high school had a language requirement and it was a public school. If your kid can't speak English then I think they have a problem at home more than at school. And what kind of tests do you think they are going to have in K-2?

I did not say my kid could not speak English.:roll: But that is why my kid is in school - to learn English(read and write), Math, and Science.
I see you don't have kids - you know how well your kid is doing as does the teacher if they are paying attention. Some kids have trouble with English(reading and writing) which is apparant when you look at how many kids graduate without knowing how to read or don't graduate at all. The schools should concentrate on English instead of using resources to try to teach some other language.

 

[ahurtt]

It is one thing to require a certain number of hours studying foreign languages but they should not force students to have that language be Spanish. Granted, with the growing percentage of the US population which is Spanish speaking it certainly can't hurt. But if they are going to do this for native English speakers, they should require native Spanish speakers to study English as well.

 

[Zebo]

I think it's a great Idea/ I've been trying to learn spanish..very difficult @34.. By 2050 over 50% of USA will be hispanic which I think pretty much will demand biligual persons to suceed in Business. I learned German Latin and French in HS how useful was that? Zippo.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Ever been to Florida ? Chances are if you go near Miami and don't speak spanish
you'll need to hire a translator.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

Where do you get two languages? Is there a law that American schools are required to teach English? If so, they are breaking the law.

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: ExpertNovice

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

Where do you get two languages? Is there a law that American schools are required to teach English? If so, they are breaking the law.

OK, I see our public school system failed you.

When you have a school that teaches English and they attempt to force kids to learn another language - spanish in this case - that makes TWO languages. Also, since our schools have a hard enough time turning out literate kids who take English for 12 years, what makes you think that making them learn two is going suddenly going to make that problem disappear?

 

[RightIsWrong]

[sarcasm] Gasp......a state is actually telling kids that they should learn more than the status quo? Those bastards!! What use would a kid ever have for learning to speak the most prevalant language on the planet anyway? Not like it would help him in international business or whatever else global trade/capitalism brings about. [/sarcasm]

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
[sarcasm] Gasp......a state is actually telling kids that they should learn more than the status quo? Those bastards!! What use would a kid ever have for learning to speak the most prevalant language on the planet anyway? Not like it would help him in international business or whatever else global trade/capitalism brings about. [/sarcasm]

Did you by chance go through our public school system?

Clue

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

I agree with SOG. This fringes on one of the most asinine things I have heard come out of Florida and that says a lot. Screw this, learn OUR language, mandating that it be the other way around is BS. Regardless if it is more easy to learn languages at these young ages they are proposing, should have no merit in this argument. Incorporating some basic words and phrases is one thing, requiring all students take it is another.

There are far too many Americans who can not even come close to speaking our language correctly. Here is Dearborn, there are 1000's of Middle Easterners who only speak Arabic. I am surprised that Arabic has not been mandated here already. Thank God.

 

[miketheidiot]

they should make a foriegn language mandatory in the younger grades. Much easier to pick it up then.

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

I agree with SOG. This fringes on one of the most asinine things I have heard come out of Florida and that says a lot. Screw this, learn OUR language, mandating that it be the other way around is BS. Regardless if it is more easy to learn languages at these young ages they are proposing, should have no merit in this argument. Incorporating some basic words and phrases is one thing, requiring all students take it is another.

There are far too many Americans who can not even come close to speaking our language correctly. Here is Dearborn, there are 1000's of Middle Easterners who only speak Arabic. I am surprised that Arabic has not been mandated here already. Thank God.

Surely hell has frozen over. :beer:

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: miketheidiot
they should make a foriegn language mandatory in the younger grades. Much easier to pick it up then.

Very true. I re read my own post and don't want to come off as stating that learning a language was a bad idea. In this case though, it sure sounds like it is simply to make it easier on all the non English speaking residents.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
Great! Now we can have people illiterate in two languages

As one rational person the paper interviewed said: "It's a good idea to offer Spanish. I don't know that we need to mandate it, frankly,"
Exactly. My kid is just entering school and I'd be damned if the school is going to force my kid to learn any other language but English in K-2. They are there to learn English, Math, and Science.

"bilingual books" :roll: How about they worry about keeping new and updated books first? And get those who don't speak English to learn it.

I agree with SOG. This fringes on one of the most asinine things I have heard come out of Florida and that says a lot. Screw this, learn OUR language, mandating that it be the other way around is BS. Regardless if it is more easy to learn languages at these young ages they are proposing, should have no merit in this argument. Incorporating some basic words and phrases is one thing, requiring all students take it is another.

There are far too many Americans who can not even come close to speaking our language correctly. Here is Dearborn, there are 1000's of Middle Easterners who only speak Arabic. I am surprised that Arabic has not been mandated here already. Thank God.

Surely hell has frozen over. :beer:

LOL. Nice to know there is at least one thing we can agree on. :beer:

 

[Legend]

How about we make it optional, cut off illegal immigration, and work to integrate current immigrants already in this country.

 

[azazyel]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey
I did not say my kid could not speak English.:roll: But that is why my kid is in school - to learn English(read and write), Math, and Science.
I see you don't have kids - you know how well your kid is doing as does the teacher if they are paying attention. Some kids have trouble with English(reading and writing) which is apparant when you look at how many kids graduate without knowing how to read or don't graduate at all. The schools should concentrate on English instead of using resources to try to teach some other language.

This is K-2 what do you think they are going to be teaching them? They will squeeze this in between finger painting and story time. At most they will learn basic sentence structure and some vocabulary words. Hell, my cousin is 4 and he speaks better French than I do Spanish (took 3 years) because his PARENTS actually take time to teach him. Just like my mom and I had to study all the time to battle my Dyslexia. If you leave the education of your child to the government alone you deserve to have an idiot for a kid.

 

[EatSpam]

Since both the Republicans and Democrats and their associated special interest groups would like the entire population of Mexico to illegally immigrate to the United States, this would be a good thing.

Although I can't imagine the Republicans wanting Americans any more educated that absolutely possible. If they can use both thumbs to operate the remote to find FOXNews and mark an X at the polling place, that's enough.