Pushing Spanish......

[Pete]

Some Fl law makers are looking to make it mandatory for kids to learn Spanish. It would be K through 2. Other programs would have to be cut so the school day would not get longer.

I don't agree with this at all. If you move into this country, learn english. Our local school system wastes thousands every year in extra printing costs on report cards alone that are done in multipal languages.

Speak what you want at home, but don't waste my tax money teaching kids a language because imigrants could care less about anything except gettng everything they can out of the system.

I know this subject has been hit before, but people who migrated to this country years ago took pride in learning the language, customs, and becoming Americans.................. They didn't forget their native customs, just adopted some news.

[FlyinO]

We need to deport all illegal aliens as soon as possible!

[stevenaa]

Some Fl law makers are looking to make it mandatory for kids to learn Spanish. It would be K through 2. Other programs would have to be cut so the school day would not get longer.

I don't agree with this at all. If you move into this country, learn english. Our local school system wastes thousands every year in extra printing costs on report cards alone that are done in multipal languages.

Speak what you want at home, but don't waste my tax money teaching kids a language because imigrants could care less about anything except gettng everything they can out of the system.

I know this subject has been hit before, but people who migrated to this country years ago took pride in learning the language, customs, and becoming Americans.................. They didn't forget their native customs, just adopted some news.

Agree 100%. My wifes family on her mothers side is from Mexico. (legally). They all learned English and for those who were born in this country, English is their language.

[twa]

I have no problem with kids being required to learn a second language,but requiring it to be spanish is BS.

Kids here are required to have a foriegn language credit for graduation.

My son took spanish and my girl french.(course she talks like a mexican)

[Destino]

I agree with the idea that kids should learn a language earlier. You learn faster at a younger age. However the language should be up to the parent based on the ability of the school to provide it of course.

I also agree that forcing people to learn spanish is BS.

[Shallow1]

I would love for my son someday to learn spanish, there are alot of latinas out there. On a side note I once made it to 3 interviews for a job with Fredricks of Hollywood to be a South American/Caribean rep for them. I would have been involved in marketing and setting up fashion shows with tons of latinas in there undies but the big hurdle was I could not speak spanish. I hired my own personal teacher during the interview process just to show how I was commited to the job and was willing to go the extra mile. Anyhow I did not get the job they needed someone right away and hired a former female model, but the girl I hired to teach me spanish gave me "alot of homework" and we had fun for awhile. I couldnt have imagined having that job now, I dont know how long I would have lived.

[75004]

I agree that no one should be force to learn or attend something that they don't want to learn or do. Everyone that I know is proud to learn and adjust to the languages and culture. Let's not get out of track and focus on the race here. Let's focus on the Lawmakers pushing or making kids learn the language.

[HSF]

I also agree that no one should be forced to learn another language.

As a Hispanic, and FYI, most Hispanics are intimidated to speak English and they feel they will loose their culture and heritage. Again this is stating a fact among Puerto Ricans.

I think that if immigrants move to the US, they should learn English and speak it. By doing so, it doesn't mean that they loose their culture, it opens doors and enables them to grow and gain more opportunities not only professionally but personally as well (case in point, better relationships with their neighbors).

[Huly]

I never had the choice of learning Spainish my private school only offered French or Latin.

[Huly]

I also agree that no one should be forced to learn another language.

As a Hispanic' date=' and FYI, most Hispanics are intimidated to speak English and they feel they will loose their culture and heritage. Again this is stating a fact among Puerto Ricans.

I think that if immigrants move to the US, they should learn English and speak it. By doing so, it doesn't mean that they loose their culture, it opens doors and enables them to grow and gain more opportunities not only professionally but personally as well (case in point, better relationships with their neighbors).[/quote']

Except when she forgets she is talking to me and speaks 1/2 spainish 1/2 english! :laugh:

[HSF]

[Quote}

Except when she forgets she is talking to me and speaks 1/2 spainish 1/2 english! :laugh:

Can't help it. :cool:

SOMETIMES YOU CANNOT TRANSLATE! THE SPANISH WORDS CAPTURE THE TRUE EMOTION AND DEFINITION BEHIND WHATEVER I AM SAYING! LOL!

[Larry]

I would love for my son someday to learn spanish, there are alot of latinas out there. On a side note I once made it to 3 interviews for a job with Fredricks of Hollywood to be a South American/Caribean rep for them. I would have been involved in marketing and setting up fashion shows with tons of latinas in there undies but the big hurdle was I could not speak spanish. I hired my own personal teacher during the interview process just to show how I was commited to the job and was willing to go the extra mile. Anyhow I did not get the job they needed someone right away and hired a former female model, but the girl I hired to teach me spanish gave me "alot of homework" and we had fun for awhile. I couldnt have imagined having that job now, I dont know how long I would have lived.

Suddenly learning Spanish doesn't look like such a bad idea.

[ntotoro]

I believe that people should learn at least one other language than English starting early in childhood, preferably a Latin-based one like Spanish, Italian, etcetera. It actually helps increase your comprehension of English, believe it or not. Growing up in a household that spoke four languages (including English), I was able to understand and relate things a little differently.

I don't believe, however, it should be forced upon people. We have a national language. My Grandparents learned it. My Great-Uncles and Aunts learned it. No one else should be treated any differently. We're not comparable to Europe or the Middle East where people speak several languages. We're having people come to this country who refuse to learn English and want everyone else to change for them. That's not acceptable.

The one thing I absolutely detest is seeing people from other countries speaking only their native tongues to their children and making them learn English outside the home. There's no better way to keep a child unable to socialze with his or her peers, especially when the only company the family keeps speaks the same native tongue.

[Destino]

[Quote}

SOMETIMES YOU CANNOT TRANSLATE! THE SPANISH WORDS CAPTURE THE TRUE EMOTION AND DEFINITION BEHIND WHATEVER I AM SAYING! LOL!

This is true. I find myself doing the spanglish thing sometimes as well.

[Kilmer17]

I think that's a great idea.

We sent our oldest child to a pre-K program over some others SPECIFICALLY because they started teaching Spanish that early.

[The Evil Genius]

Well, considering that Latinos are the majority in Florida, Texas, and California - I can see where having spanish speaking skills could be helpful.

We can ***** about how people should learn English - but it's not going to stop Spanish from being spoken here in the States.

[zoony]

Pete I appreciate your sentiment, but learning Spanish at a young age will be good for your children.

I wish I spoke it...

.......

[ntotoro]

Pete I appreciate your sentiment, but learning Spanish at a young age will be good for your children.

I'd prefer Italian, but not for practical reasons...

Italian is more complex than Spanish when it comes to advanced grammar. Not necessarily super advanced things like future/past/subjunctive, but also things like commands, pluralization, articles, etcetera. The rules themselves are more complex. It gets the brain working more.

I feel that both languages will help a child grasp the rules of the English language a bit more, though, as strange as that may seem.

[NavyDave]

How about forcing people to speak English?

I didn't expect my landlord to speak english when I lived in Spain, Sicily and germany and I didnt expect the waiter to say my I take your order when I was n nearly every country overseas either. I had a language book for the country I was in.

[The Evil Genius]

Why force people to learn English when its apparent many posters here haven't grasped it yet?

And yes, irony intended.

[endzone_dave]

I hate to say it but I think the time spent teaching kids a second language is a complete waste. How many people you know who took four years of a foreign language in high school can speak that language fluently 10 years later. My wife took four years of Spanish in high school and when I turn on one of the Spanish channels on tv I ask her if she can understand what they're saying. She says she doesn't have a clue. I also seriously doubt any of my friends who took four years of French (I grew up close to the Canadian border) are fluent.

Countries are kicking our butt in Math and Science but at least our kids can speak two languages (until they get out of school and forget it all).

[endzone_dave]

One of my favorite songs which was sung by Cheech:

"Mexican Americans love education so they go to night school

and take spanish and get a B."

[SkinInsite]

I hate to say it but I think the time spent teaching kids a second language is a complete waste. How many people you know who took four years of a foreign language in high school can speak that language fluently 10 years later. My wife took four years of Spanish in high school and when I turn on one of the Spanish channels on tv I ask her if she can understand what they're saying. She says she doesn't have a clue. I also seriously doubt any of my friends who took four years of French (I grew up close to the Canadian border) are fluent.

Countries are kicking our butt in Math and Science but at least our kids can speak two languages (until they get out of school and forget it all).

Most foreigners are bilingual, and they don't forget once out of school.

[ntotoro]

I hate to say it but I think the time spent teaching kids a second language is a complete waste. How many people you know who took four years of a foreign language in high school can speak that language fluently 10 years later. My wife took four years of Spanish in high school and when I turn on one of the Spanish channels on tv I ask her if she can understand what they're saying.

A lot of that stuff is colloquial. Language classes don't really emphasize accents, either. I grew up speaking a Lebanese dialect of Arabic (read: broken Arabic), but can barely understand a word on MBC, which is primarily Egyptian dialect.

My family only spoke Sicilian, but I can understand RAI because I was forced to speak proper "Tuscan" dialect when I used to teach beginning Italian to children. The children picked it up immeasureably better than the adults.

[ntotoro]

One of my favorite songs which was sung by Cheech:

"Mexican Americans love education so they go to night school

and take spanish and get a B."

I'd laugh, but that happened to me... :laugh:

I just laughed, didn't I.

When I took Spanish in High School, I always got better grades than a girl in my class from Colombia. I guess a lot of the problem with her was with grammar rules more than anything else.