"What say you, Governor?"
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Posted on 10/17/2011 7:17:48 AM PDT by Sudetenland
Students in a Texas public high school were made to stand up and recite the Mexican national anthem and Mexican pledge of allegiance as part of a Spanish class assignment, but the school district maintains there was nothing wrong with the lesson.
It happened last month in an intermediate Spanish class at Achieve Early College High School in McAllen, Texas — a city located about 10 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wearing red, white and green, students had to memorize the Mexican anthem and pledge and stand up and recite them in individually in front of the class.
That didn’t go over well with sophomore Brenda Brinsdon. The 15-year-old sat down and refused to participate. She also caught it all on video:
“I just thought it was out of hand, I didn’t think it was right,” she told The Blaze. “Reciting pledges to Mexico and being loyal to it has nothing to do with learning Spanish.”
She said she was particularly offended because the presentations in teacher Reyna Santos’s class took place during “Freedom Week,” the week after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and on U.S. Constitution Day — the same day as Mexico’s Independence Day.
“Why are we doing their independence when it‘s Freedom Week and it’s also Constitution Day?” Brinsdon said.
Brinsdon said she complained to the school principal, Yvette Cavazo, who told her it was part of the curriculum and that she should participate. Her father, William, also got involved, calling the school district superintendent to complain.
When Brenda made clear she would not stand up and recite the pledge, she was given an alternative assignment: an essay on the history of the Mexican revolution.
Meanwhile, other students continued with their presentations, which took place over the course of several days.
When Brinsdon talked to Santos — a first-year teacher at Achieve — about her new assignment, the teacher told her she grew up in Mexico.
“She told me that she loved Mexico,” Brinsdon said.
School district spokesman Mark May defended the presentations, saying it’s a state requirement for upper-level language classes to teach about foreign culture.
According to the state’s Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards, students are expected to gain “knowledge and understanding” of other cultures and use the language to demonstrate understanding of different practices and perspectives. There are no specific requirements about learning to recite pledges or anthems.
May said it’s up to the teacher how to interpret and teach the standards.
“It wasn’t required to pledge loyalty and renounce the U.S., they were simply spreading the culture of another country,” May told The Blaze. “In my mind it’s no different from memorizing a poem or memorizing a passage from Shakespeare.”
William Brinsdon took issue with that notion, saying if that’s the case it cheapens the pledge.
“You‘re taking their allegiance and their oath from Mexico and cheapening it just as a grade or words don’t mean anything,” he said.
May reiterated that the lesson was all done within the context of meeting the state requirements, and that the school did its duty providing Brenda with an alternative assignment when she objected.
“The students came away with a better understanding of the culture, heritage and customs of a neighboring country where Spanish is the primary language,” he said.
May added that the lesson was “well received” by other students and parents.
“There’s always going to be people that always feel a little bit differently,” May said.
William Brinsdon is still having a hard time fathoming the idea of reciting foreign pledges and anthems in a U.S. public school in the first place.
“Our kids don’t even know the [American] national anthem and here we are…teaching them to memorize and perform the national anthem for Mexico,” he said. “I just think it’s so backwards.”
The Blaze’s Jon Seidl contributed to this report.
This is another attempt to move America towards Aztlan.
Color me near raging over this.
Beck is interviewing the father of the girl right now.
un f’ing acceptable
What will happen in German class when they start
talking about National Socialism??
"What say you, Governor?"
Imagine if she had had them memorize the Lord’s prayer in Spanish! The principal would have been all over her.
Liar. Show me a shred of proof that Perry had anything to do with this. What is it with liars like you? You just hate so much that you don’t care what the truth is, you just spout your hatred and lies. You might as well be a liberal, because no real conservative would post as you have—conservatives have too much integrity.
new border fence route, between Texas and Louisiana, Arknasaw, Oklahoma and N Mexico... Perry for president of the New, New Mexico...
I don’t know if he knew anything about it, but he sure as heck better say something on this fast, or he might as well go home.
lol!
While in French class, I learned French anthems, songs and French pledges. We recited them, but never _pledged_ them. Every morning we pledge our own allegiance to the American flag. I didn’t feel the two were the same.
We just learned them, as a speaking exercise. We also had french exercises where we had to pretend to order and comment on wine, baguettes and the Champs Elysee. I didn’t get any wine, nor feel the grandeur of main street, Paris. It was just an exercise.
As far as actually “Pledging” to their flag, there is no reason for it. Requiring us to do so is tantamount to the President.. I dunno... Bowing to a foreign dictator as a sign of subservience.
Oh wait.
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