Question:
It would appear that in Arizona at least, the latest perceived pro bigot law
is E.S.L., by this i mean many parents of a very wide and diverse cultural
backgrounds see E.S.L. as an attempt by the state to rob them of their ethnic
roots. There are many horror stories of Hispanics and Native Americans being
very badly treated for speaking their native in school, the most common form
of punishment (in the good old days) was to have a "teacher" wash out the
"students" mouth with soap and water in front of the class. This is not a
myth, because we now have some of those same students as teachers.
The problem we now face is fact that Arizona is a very culturally diverse
state, and the parents of these children to not want to be forced to speak
another language (50 and counting) other than their own native tongue.
The fact that America does not have an official language does give them an
edge in court.
I really would like to know how this problem might be solved has any one out
there got any ideas we could try ?
You never know they just might work !
Answer:
If you want to survive in America, you need to speak English. If you
don't want to speak English, then the people who have a problem with it
should ban together and find teachers who will teach them in their own
language. I'm not sure how much good that will do. They still need
English to be able to do more than pick strawberries or whatever.
If people are concerned about their culture, then they need to decide
whether or not it is more important to live in America, or go back to
the homeland. I know many Native Americans who try very hard to teach
their children about their culture. Most of these kids have some
appreciation for it, but most would rather work, buy nice cars, and
enjoy the fruits of the American Way instead of stay on the reservation
and herd sheep.
I've also spent time in the orient. They all Want to learn English! So
they can be ahead of the game.
Why a parent would object to their kids speaking English is beyond me.
I guess if they were being coerced it would be different.
I'm not real fond of the ESL program. I like having someone in our
building who can speak the dominant foreign language and can help us
there, but our district is trying to impose ESL classes on every
teacher. I don't need anymore "How To" classes. Just enroll me in a
Spanish class! (I already know Cantonese, and no one from China ever
moves into my class!)
I don't think I gave much worthwhile imput. Oh well!
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