I'm having a classroom debate and I absolutely need at least a minute of clear statement giving my 10 strong reasons as to why we need to get rid of Bilingual Education here in America. Please I need your help people! I'd really appreciate your response. Many thanks in advance:)
217981
Bilingual education promotes the isolation of the people who must learn English by grouping them with other non-english speaking people.  The fastest way to learn a language is by total immersion.  I read something on this many years ago about russian sailors that were placed on an American ship and  only English was spoken, in fact I belive that they could not speak with each other in their native language, if I remember correctly with in about 10 days they had learned the fundamentals of English.  Of course this  reading was done pre-internet and I can't find a reference to this but total immersion is the way to go.\n\nBTW: I am in no way saying that Americans should not learn a 2nd language.
238475
Absolutely.  A common language is an absolute necessity for a nation formed of disparate heritages.  Official English, then English only.  End bi-lingual programs and put the students in English immersion classes.  If Berlitz can teach adults a foreign language in 6 weeks (and they do), our schools can teach children in a semester.\n\nAnd as for the illegals-----ROUND THEM UP AND SEND THEM HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
180105
Yes i have lost faith in the American education system by reading some of these questions. When i went to school during the mid 70s Thur the 80s they taught you how to spell and proper grammar.I do not know how some of these young kids make it through college, because they must write reports with proper spelling and grammar. Sigh, they are going to be our future leaders.
325999
I agree with you on one thing (but I'll proofread mine)... "If you give people to take the path of least resistance, generally they will take it."\n\nBeing unable to use the native language of the country of one's residence renders one poor, and it's true that options are few. Soooo many people here don't learn English EVER because there are Spanish newspapers, television, books, services of all kinds, Hispanic businesses where some of the staff don't speak a lick of English, etc etc. Almost everything Southern California has to offer has a Spanish version of it. People can come here and live out most of their lives and still never learn English. A shame, that's just laziness. I mean, night school is FREE! However, there's really no incentive if everything is in Spanish. That should change, I believe that citizenship should be contingent upon learning English. No need to be a master at it, but enough to communicate decently in public.\n\nHowever, to say that they don't belong here, I will COMPLETELY DISAGREE with you. This country is for immigrants, no matter where they're from and no matter what language they speak. Once they're here, they do have the obligation of learning American ways, including the language, this is true. But how dare anyone say that a certain group "doesn't belong" in this country!!! I'm Hispanic, and find this VERY OFFENSIVE.
103401
I wish I had an answer for you.  This is a sore subject with me.  You forgot to mention that not only are out schools overcrowded but they are also doing bi-lingual teaching which, if memory serves me correctly, is illegal in CA, and it hinders the learning process for the children who are english speaking only.  How do I know this?  Because my child went to a school where literally most of the teachers only taught in spanish and neglected the english only speaking students and my childs grades and learning abilities went into the toilet along with friends.  I quickly yanked my kid out of that particular school, went into another school district where  the non-english speaking children were taught in a different class for a certain amount of time during the school day so the other children were not distracted by the different language and they did not suffer in their studies.   Oh and let's not forget that it seems like all the stores now have all their signs posted in spanish first and english second, if we are lucky.\n\nOur country seems to do so much for the illegal aliens yet don't do jack crap for the citizens who were either born and raised here or who came to the country legally.\n\nLike I said, it is a sore subject with me so I guess it's time to get off my soapbox.\n\nps:  I highly doubt that California would be crippled economically if there were not illegal immigrant workers (illegal aliens).  The illegals don't pay taxes so the State already suffers.
671032
Maybe you need to get it out of your head that to force bi- or tri-ligualism on everyone is a good idea.  The idea of language is to be able to communicate.  If you have everyone in a school, or anywhere for that matter, all speaking different languages it does not help the situation at all.  Whenever I get an operating manual for a new tool I have to look all over for English; 3/4 of the pages are wasted resources.  Once I went to Home Depot and saw an enire skid of something-or-other all printed in Spanish.  Last time I looked I did not live I Spain.\n\nGoing to school in America, especially public schools, should mean learning to read and write English, and not a bunch of other languages.  If you want to learn another language,  such as Mandarin Chinese or Farsi, do it on your own.  Spanish, French, and German has no use in day-to-day communication in America. When I was in high school I took a couple of years of French.  What a waste of time.  Thes programs are forced on us by people who think  it's a good idea but have no clue as to why.\n\nI, for one, am getting sick and tired of having to press 1 for English.
390890
It is called the dumbing down of the American society! As a nation we can only assimilate so many non-English speaking immigrants. Because of the overload of immigrants dumped into the school systems, the focus has shifted to learning English rather than learning correct grammar and an advanced vocabulary.  The curriculum has to be watered down, or better yet Dumbed Down to a level that they can then understand at their grammar level. \nMix this with a bunch of people who cry for illegal immigrants rights to an education, even though statistics show that they will most likely drop out and prove that they were a waste of an education anyways. \nBAM! A DUMBED DOWN society where our children are not able to focus on the basics of proper English and writing skills because little "Juan" couldn't keep up and it was against his rights for others to be taught more than he is able to learn because of his initial inability to speak, read or write in English!
459599
Who's refusing?  I love studying languages!  However, should we alow a secondary language to be official?  I don't think that's necessary.  We're creating a new language with the Spanglish and all the other wonderful linguistic creativity that is alive & well in the US
226770
I'm a first generation immigrant from England, and I just want to say that I think it's hilarious so many Americans want Mexicans & other South Americans to learn MY country's language! I know folks from all around the world, but it's only Americans that you can rely on to only speak a single language!\n\nHaving said that, it's not so hard to come here legally.  \n\nWe'll sort this mess out before long.  If all Mexicans stop going to Walmart & Starbucks (as I heard on the radio today) the WalMart will fix the problem.\n\nHow about we just give EVERYBODY the citizenship test, and everyone that fails (including those born here) gets shipped out?
188173
It started off nice but toward the end, the last comment I have to disagree. I think even though someone is from another country its good to learn the English language but a person should not be forced to one language or to change what one believes in. When a person is diverse, it breaks down racial and ethnic barriers. We should show loyalty to our country but this country does not solely run  on its own. This country also depends on foreign imports and exchanges for goods and products. We should have loyalty to whom God has said "Love Thy neighbor as you would yourself". God did not specify that you had to American to apply this to your life. There are plenty of people that were not born in America that have made great contributions to this country that we all benefit from.
192005
I would have to say that the Asian family will probably win the case since this is a clear case of discrimination.\nWhat about other cultures such as Hispanics?  Do they get their own school too?  Why not continue to teach ESL at the "regular" school that all the other students go to?  You can't just single out one race and tell them to go somewhere else.\n\nI'd have to say the commentor below is very naiive and uneducated...try going to another foreign country then when you ever go on vacation and speak ONLY THEIR language.  I think if you live in a country then you should definitely learn the countries native language but how ignorant if you're saying that you should just forget your own language all together.
559616
English is the dominant language of the US. It is the common language of our culture. It is also the language for economic success in the US. \n\nHowever, one of our nation's strengths is our diversity. Passage of an "official language" would automatically impose discrimination against those who have legally immigrated and who have gone through the long, rigorous process of acquiring citizenship...many of whom just haven't had time to learn English yet. Learning another language can be quite difficult. \n\nGenerally speaking, those who immigrate from another country and learn English as a second language master it somewhat, poorly, or not at all. Their children, however, who grow up in the US will learn English in the schools and on TV;their mastery of English will be substantially better and not markedly different than the children of non-immigrants. Finally, the grandchildren of the immigrants will identify almost completely as American, their command of English will be every bit as good as any other American's, and almost all of their cultural values will stem largely from American culture. \n\nThere was a time when everyone was fearful of all those German immigrants...or Italians...or Eastern Europeans...etc., etc. But, they're all Americans now, and no sane person is going to suggest that we ban hot dogs, Columbus Day, or the polka.
247657
No, it seems that most people who work towards legal citizenship already work at learning English because they realize that is the language of this country. What it will do is allow us to stop wasting tax payer money on providing services in multiple languages for people who tend to be here illegally. Of course, it's hard to say if this will happen or if states will continue to offer bilingual education, services, etc. The new legislation does not force states to stop offering these services, it just allows them to stop if they decide to.\n\nCheers :)
246529
I think you're confusing what people are saying.  Nobody's suggesting that Spanish is somehow a worthless language that nobody should ever speak.  As a matter of fact, every school I've been in since elementary school has taught Spanish.\n\nWhen people say that immigrants should learn and speak English, they're talking about assimilating into the United States instead of setting up their own little corner of it for themselves.\n\nWe don't want the U.S. to turn into a chaotic collection of warring tribes.  Refusing to learn English separates you from the rest of the country.  It's not in the country's interest to encourage that.\n\nLook up the term "balkanization" and see if that makes any sense to you.
18893
As a recent immigrant, I've noticed that the three most obvious differences to Europe are...\n\n(1) Tenure. Underperforming teachers must be fired. Tenure is ridiculous.\n\n(2) Underfunding is common world-wide. However, bizarrely in the US, non-critical programs are not cut first. In Europe underfunded schools focus on Math and English, all else is sacrificed before these. However it appears social studies and other non-critical courses continue regardless of overall funding.\n\n(3) You must stream kids based on skills. It is ludicrous to think a "no child is left behind" system will work, a more apt name would be "no child allowed to get ahead".\n\nBeyond this, I would suggest, get parents out of the class room, (no idea why this is thought to be a good idea in the US) and bring back discipline.
333889
First, quit stereo typing U.S.citizens.\nsecond, if you know anything about United States history, The pilgrims who settled here, were mostly English, so they brought the language here, and it has been here since. They spoke proper, or the Queens English. But over the years, it has evolved into American english. They didn't give us the language. Now, the settlers introduced english to the native americans, and many of them learned it very well, as many of the settlers learned some of the different dielects of the native american language. Africans learned english from the white settlers who went to africa, and set up colonies. The africans eventually learned english, some chose to keep their native languages also. Nobody is saying the Mexicans are destroying the english language, what people are saying is that we want english as the primary language in the united states. Spanish can be secondary. we need a primary language, so that people can effectively communicate. can you imagine what it would be like if every language here had to have seperate schools for the children. Besides that, one language will help to provide a common bond. If we don't have a common bond through one language, then we might as well go back to the cave man days. How funny we would all look if we had to have a thousand interperators following us around all day long. Wouldn't it be really noisey?
26014
Hey Al, are you talking seriously? Where do you live? My question is because, if you live in the United States, there are thousands of academies, institutes, schools and the like, where you can study English either paying or free. But if you live outside the U.S. it's a different story. Where do you live now? (someone should translate this for you.)