Gingrich and Bilingual Education

[bigred760]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/31/gingrich.bilingual.ap/index.html

Gingrich has got to be some kind of moron. I'm all for making English the official language of the U.S., but insulting those who speak another language, and no other, is not the way to go about it. For starters, English is not that easy to learn - Spanish is easier to learn than English. Gingrich needs to get his head on straight and learn that insulting people is not how to win over people.

[electriclite]

The white people need to to start learning spanish.

[Lynn7]

I agree with Gingrich. It is impossible for us to accomodate every other language. We need to teach people who want to live here English. Immerse them and they will learn quickly. It is the same way in every other country. Most of us are descendents of people who had to learn the English language when they came here.

[electriclite]

Originally posted by Lynn7
I agree with Gingrich. It is impossible for us to accomodate every other language. We need to teach people who want to live here English. Immerse them and they will learn quickly. It is the same way in every other country. Most of us are descendents of people who had to learn the English language when they came here.

Yes, but like those other countries, they have the courtesy to know some of the language of their neighbors, for when they interact, which is often because as I said, they're neighbors.


Most Americans don't speak anything other than English.

We should be pushing for bilingual education to more than just the immigrants. I don't exactly see the harm in that option.


And Gingrich needs to watch his shit. "the language of living in a ghetto"?.... Motherfucker, it ain't ebonics!

This is just further proof of how far a gap there is between these rich, politicians and the rest of the citizenry who live in an atmosphere much lower than on the Hill, and why they make such fucking boneheaded laws and rules that affect the middle-class so devastatingly!

[KcMsterpce]

I agree that those who wish to be American citizens ought to know enough English to survive and interact with people when they need to get a task done. It's very rude to move into America not knowing a lick of English, then to live here for 20 years and STILL not speak it!
It's one thing if you've just arrived, and the first couple of years you're WORKING ON learning English. OK, if you're showing effort then I won't think too badly of you.

However, those who decide to live here and plain refuse to learn English for any number of reasons... I would say there are sooo few acceptable reasons to not learn the language of THE COUNTRY YOU'RE LIVING IN.

On top of that, I would highly encourage foreign language learning at all schools. I think it's an extremely important step into not just communicating with foreigners, but it also introduces a whole new way of using the brain and learning about other parts of the world and their cultures. I'd encourage EVERYONE to at least learn a rudimentary level of another language. It would be nothing but beneficial.

[Lynn7]

Yeah, when kids are taught in their own language in American schools it handicaps them from learning English and then will hurt their immerison into society. It will affect their relationships with others and their hopes for getting good jobs. That is what Gingrich was saying I think.

Our kids do learn foreign languages in school but the methods are so bad that few every can speak anything when they graduate. That is a problem with our educations system. They just keep doing the same things over and over again whether they work or not.After about 9 years of French in school I can speak French about as well as a French 2 1/2 year old. :D

[bigred760]

For the most part, I agree with what Gingrich is saying - that English should be the language in which classes are taught in schools, but I just disagree with how he said it. "Language of living in a ghetto"? Are you kidding me? He needs to wake up and realize that that is not the case, not even close.

[Badbird]

This seems an exclusive argument towards Spanish language. You don't hear outcry from French Canadians moving to the US that nothing is French, etc.

When I was in elementary school, there was a family from Finland that moved here because the dad was a doctor doing some kind of work. They stayed for a few years. their son was in my class, I believe it was third grade at the time. When they arived, he didn't know a lick of English. Within a year or so, he was a fluent as anyone - even down to slang and American speech patterns, humor, etc.

Yes, it's easier to absorb and learn a laguage when you are young, but it's impossible to learn a language if you don't try. As long as we offer more and more resources for Spanish language speakers, they will never feel the need to learn English.

[Criminal Rock]

I say it's fine the way it is...

[The Postmaster General]

I don't see why my fellow Americans act like they are so offended that someone doesn't speak English.

What is freedom of speech if not to possibly be incomprehensible to another citizen?

The thing I think is most funny about these debates is that it seems like usually the less people interact with Spanish-speakers, the bigger a problem they have with people speaking Spanish. And vice-versa.

My wife taught in an English as a Second Language school, and go figure - those kids learned more English than my wife learned Spanish. But OH NO! These sorts of programs are a burden for lazy ass prideful Americana who're too busy being numbero uno to do anything other than belly-ache about things that pertain to them as much as a 1040 pertains to an illegal immigrant.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go run errands before the massive French-Canadian population gets up and hits the roads.

Que?