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School tells teachers to speak English only
Arizona Republic ^ | August 19, 2002 | Maggie Galehouse

Posted on 08/19/2002 9:57:14 AM PDT by 4America

Edited on 05/07/2004 5:21:02 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

Teachers at PT Coe Elementary are shocked by Principal Lesa Thomas' request to keep Spanish out of their playground, cafeteria and hallways.

The K-5 school is part of the Isaac Elementary School District, where the student population is 95 percent Hispanic.


(Excerpt) Read more at azcentral.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Free Republic; Front Page News; Government; Mexico; News/Current Events; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: aboutdamntime; assimilation; englishlanguage; hispanics; illegalimmigrants; immigration; schools; unitedstates
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To: Illbay
Thanks for the historical reminder, but I already knew that.

So what difference does that make? The point is, we can go two routes -- maintain English as our country's language or go the Balkanized route. I prefer English-only, myself. If I want to speak Spanish I will go to Mexico, where they bend over backwards to make sure that I am NOT entitled to the same privileges that they receive in the USA.
61 posted on 08/22/2002 6:27:03 AM PDT by MissouriForBush
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To: Illbay
In fact, it was so typical that in the 1740s Ben Franklin complained about the Germans who came here but wouldn't assimilate, predicting that it would lead to the destruction of society, yaddayadda.

Ben Franklin was a smart man. Back then people saw the dangers in having different groups of people unable to communicate. Where I live one-third of the population is unable to speak English. There is probably a similar, probably smaller number unable to speak Spanish. We need a common language just as Ben Franklin thought.

62 posted on 08/22/2002 6:36:34 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: Illbay
You mean I can do anything I want at work even if my employer doesn't want me to?

The employer (and it this case, the taxpayers, ruled that it would be best for the children that they learn English. And the way to do that is to encourage them in and out of the classroom to speak English.

What does this have to do with "freedom". As far as I know, any teacher that objects to this is free to quit and find another job.

63 posted on 08/22/2002 6:46:55 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN
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To: MissouriForBush
They didn't teach my German immigrant ancestors in German -- only in English. And they turned out just fine. And what's more, they immigrated LEGALLY to this country, didn't believe they were "entitled" to taxpayer-subsidized German instruction, didn't expect special privileges and didn't demand handouts. Wonder why

I don't have to go back to immigrant ancestors. My dad and his two brothers were the first children in the family to be born in the USA. They could understand my grandmother when she spoke Italian, but none of them spoke any Italian. They lived amongst Italians, yet all the Italians thought it was important to speak English.

And this was the FIRST generation.

Needless to say, he, his two brothers, all of their kids and all of their kids are quite successful.

All this in less than 100 years.

64 posted on 08/22/2002 6:48:57 AM PDT by HIDEK6
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To: Balding_Eagle
That would include my family, who came over in the late 1800's...

Same here, except mine were Czech. I assume my grandmother learned some Czech as a child, but she never used it after that. I never heard any of her brothers or sisters speak anything except English, period.

65 posted on 08/22/2002 4:30:43 PM PDT by serinde
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To: 4America
if they want to speak in their native tongue then let them live in their native land. here we speak english.
66 posted on 08/22/2002 4:32:41 PM PDT by CaptainAwesome
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To: mhking
They want to speak Spanish, no problem; do it at home - on their own time.

My parents have some friends, the father who is American and the mother who is Japanese. They decided to raise their children to be bilingual. So, inside the house everyone speaks Japanese. Outside the door everyone speaks English. The kids have grown up with this system perfectly fine, and are completely comfortable in both languages.

67 posted on 08/22/2002 4:35:49 PM PDT by serinde
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To: mykej
Which native American language would you like them to speak?

The laws governing Arizona and the rest of the United States are written in English. English is our language. If you wish for all our new immigrants to languish in a permanent linguistic, second-class citizen status, then tolerate our polyglot stupidity.

68 posted on 08/22/2002 6:45:02 PM PDT by Orion
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To: templar
Don't they realize that if we teach these people english they will end up competing with our children for the good jobs?

Someone finally gets it.

69 posted on 08/22/2002 6:48:15 PM PDT by Orion
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To: 4America
School board member Andrew Sandoval, who teaches Spanish at Metro Tech, called the request "ridiculous."

"While the majority of our kids may speak English, there's a high percentage of monolingual kids coming into the schools who are more comfortable speaking with their friends in their native tongue," Sandoval said. "I see no problem with that.

Of course not, 'cause you wants ta teach 'em childrun theys no have a follow ta rules.

And this person is in a position of responsibility and authority?

70 posted on 08/22/2002 11:00:50 PM PDT by BJungNan
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To: mykej
Uhm, the "native language" of Arizona isn't English

I see you have a command of semantics but not of the issue. The language that is to be spoken in school - during class, recess, in the halls, bell to bell - is English. The proposition that came into law seems pretty clear on the matter. And if not to some, the principal, the person that runs the school, has made it clear for them: Speak English.

That's not too hard to sort out is it?

71 posted on 08/22/2002 11:09:37 PM PDT by BJungNan
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To: The Iguana
I don't see how kids can be stopped from conversing with each in Spanish on the playground or in the hallways or what have you.

It is real easy. You tell them to follow the rules. End of story.

72 posted on 08/22/2002 11:13:41 PM PDT by BJungNan
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To: Illbay
Sorry, but this is STILL, for now at least, a free country. You cannot tell someone they can't speak Spanish, I don't care what role they are playing at the time.

Public schools have always had the goal of preparing students to be productive and responsible citizens. Of course part of that process is training them to speak English in public, just as our ancestors did while they were acclimating.

And what about equity? If those Spanish children get to use their language in the playground (which can be a dangerous place if children can't understand the direction of supervisors) why not everyone else? A lawyer for "equal rights" could have a field day with that one!

73 posted on 08/22/2002 11:13:49 PM PDT by grania
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To: A. Pole
I think that every American child should be fluent in at least one foreign language before finishing high school.

I think that every American child should be fluent in English before finishing high school. And I think every student who is here illegally should be sent to their home countries, along with their families.

74 posted on 08/22/2002 11:20:27 PM PDT by grania
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To: BJungNan
The language that is to be spoken in school - during class, recess, in the halls, bell to bell - is English.

In the class, yes. But outside of the class it is not your or state business.

What if children want to practice a little French for the French class? Ot if they want to say a prayer in Latin or Hebrew? Or if friends or siblings like to speak their home language, or American Indian children want to speak their tribal dialect? Will you punish them, how? And what will you achieve but doing this?

75 posted on 08/23/2002 5:10:10 AM PDT by A. Pole
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To: Myrean
I grew up on the border, and this was standard practice. Everywhere we went we heard teachers and teachers' aides admonishing us with the warning, "English!"
76 posted on 08/23/2002 5:30:39 AM PDT by Under the Radar
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To: grania
So if you speak some other language than English in public, that makes you an "unproductive and irresponsible citizen"?

Sounds pretty close to fascism to me.

77 posted on 08/23/2002 5:51:43 AM PDT by Illbay
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To: grania
Public schools have always had the goal of preparing students to be productive and responsible citizens. Of course part of that process is training them to speak English in public, just as our ancestors did while they were acclimating.

I speak with my family and children in Polish (also in public). My children speak Polish among themselves even in school. Are you going to punish us?

78 posted on 08/23/2002 6:03:07 AM PDT by A. Pole
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To: A. Pole; Illbay
With all due respect, I believe you are over-reacting on this issue. As far as I can determine there is no restriction on the children conversing however they wish at recess. But the teachers must speak our (so far) national language. That seems pretty benign and sensible to me.

The repeated references to Germans, Swedes, Poles, etc. ad nauseam simply don't apply. Why? Well, because when I telephone a large corporation I do not get as my first question "which (apparently) U.S. language do you wish to speak in English or Polish?" I'm not likely to get a ballot handed to me written in Swedish. Nor, am I likely to be confronted with a street sign in German.

My point is transparently obvious. We are confronted with an historically unique situation here. And, given our present condition of multicultural wackiness we are just may take the wrong fork in the road. If we do not encourage courageous people like this Principal I fear we will wind up a lot more fractured than the Canadian French and English.

I have every confidence that the Mexican immigrants will assimilate and become proud Americans if we have enough common sense/courage to make the right decisions.

79 posted on 08/23/2002 7:18:54 AM PDT by iconoclast
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To: Illbay
So if you speak some other language than English in public, that makes you an "unproductive and irresponsible citizen"?

I think you turned my statement around and the result is not logically equivalent. I said the primary job of the schools is to turn out productive and responsible citizens. I think for a society to function its members should speak the same language as part of that education.

But is an individual necessarily unproductive and irresponsible if he/she speaks another language...of course not. That doesn't change what should be a function of education, which is to prepare students for full participation in the experience of being as US citizen.

80 posted on 08/23/2002 8:15:58 AM PDT by grania
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