[DeFault User]

Too bad about the street Spanish they're learning because it is a beautiful language. What's more, if you know Spanish you can also understand a lot of Italian and Portuguese.

In the 60's the government had an immersion program for language teachers at various universities. Participants became fluent in 6 weeks. The Peace Corps has done the same thing (with many languages) for years.

If the school is teaching any Spanish grammar, it's the only exposure some students have to grammar--thereby, they can get a clue as to what English grammar is. None apparently are taught any grammar now.

[FITZ]

I would not recommend learning Spanish in a dual-language program ---- if someone is interested in learning that language it would be better to do it the right way --- take the courses that teach spelling and grammar and then study in a foreign university a semester or two and learn by the immersion method. All you hear around here is the slang --- terms like "la troca" or sentences mixed with Spanish and English like "da me la pencil". It's okay for the border maybe but it's not Spanish that would get you very far.

[FITZ]

A guy from here who is hispanic and was stationed in the military in Panama told us of a very funny story ---- they were doing an exam on a prim and proper Panamanian woman and needed a translator --- they chose a Chicana woman who claimed she spoke Spanish but she only knew the most vulgar street terms for anatomical parts and of course used them to describe a procedure and ask questions of her.