Posted on 02/08/2011 6:47:09 AM PST by La Lydia
MANSFIELD – Some Students at Mansfield, Texas ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language. The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant. The Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant was awarded to Mansfield ISD last summer by the U.S. Department of Education.
As part of the five-year $1.3 Million grant, Arabic classes would be mandatory at Cross Timbers Intermediate School and Kenneth Davis Elementary School. The program would also be optional for students at T. A. Howard Middle School and Summit High School. Parents at Cross Timbers say they were caught off-guard by the program, and were surprised the district only told them about it in a meeting Monday night between parents and Mansfield ISD Superintendent Bob Morrison.
The DOE has identified Arabic as a ‘language of the future.’ But parent Joseph Balson was frustrated by the past. “Why are we just now finding out about it?” asked Balson. “It’s them (Mansfield ISD) applying for the grant, getting it approved and them now saying they’ll go back and change it only when they were caught trying to implement this plan without parents knowing about it.”
Trisha Savage thinks it will offer a well-rounded education. “I think its a great opportunity that will open doors. We need to think globally and act locally.”
Early language skills = better sigint. What’s the problem?
What happened to Spanish and French ???
F that.
The single language that should be mandatory for Texans is Spanish. If your going to mandate second language skills.
Way more useful and you take the language skill of Spanish and read Portugese, Italian, French and the three dialects of Spain.
Bottom line:
Arab speaking countries are not going to be dominant trading partners, compared to Europe, nor will they be the language of business.
If they are so interested in teaching a language that “could” be useful it would Chinese and some grounding in several dialects.
Think globally and act locally is one of the enviros’ catch phrases designed to force people into adopting nasty reusable grocery bags instead of paper or plastic, and other such Luddite nonsense.
Does anyone know if these morons are also be requiring the teaching of the benefits of honor killings, being stoned to death, or having body parts chopped off? Will they also be teaching the dictates of the Koran with its hatred of infidels such as Jews and Christians?
I would be at the next School Board meeting surrounded by hundreds of parents protesting this outrage. I believe there is a Parents Rights Amendment sponsored by Orrin Hatch which allows a parent to remove their children from objectionable (and against your religious faith) curriculum!
(Actually, Greek, but you get my drift...)
Mandarin and Esperanto are the languages of the future! Spanish, if you want to have philosophical discussions with your gardener. Arabic if you want to discuss business with your cab driver.
Arabic! The language of intolerance and ignorance.
Mike
Being forced to learn a specific language? Any specific language? I can only express my opinion of that by using terms commonly used on Democratic Underground, and I decline to use them here.
Yes, I get your drift.
Cambiaron el headline!
How about we have the CIA come in and recruit after they learn Arabic?
It’s good to surrender before the war... at least to the ‘Neville Chamberlains’ in this Texas education district.
‘Specially Esperanto.
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