I am an immigrant to this country. I came at a time when there was no bilingual education. I was speaking English within a year, without any special programs. Now, I have worked as a teacher, and I have seen kids stay in bilingual education programs for years and years and still not know how to speak English. When are we going to realize that bilingua education is doing a disservice to our kids. That it is actually hindering them from learning English, and that it's just falied program that has to be done away with.
2006-11-21 12:37:10 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Immigration
Yes, I agree. It makes them move at a slower pace. The best way to learn a language is to be around other people who speak the language constantly. You will learn it much faster! You come to America, you learn English the SAME way Americans do.
Oh, and I think you people are misinterpreting his question. He's not saying that immigrants shouldn't learn English....He's saying that they shouldn't be in special programs--that they should learn the same way we do. Calm down, everyone. And learn to read properly.
2006-11-21 13:58:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 3⤋
The correct program should be. If your an immigrant then you need to just get the english. Not bilingual. Until you have learned the language. Once they have learned how to speak the language and write it and read. Then we can continue with a second language because we do need the more then one language as a whole. We now live in a global economy.
2006-11-21 22:47:57 · answer #2 · answered by wondermom 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't see why the students cannot learn Farsi successfully although I do agree that banning the use of mother tongues is wrong. Here where I live a large section of the ex Persian community speak a polyglot language- Ajami, go to school and lean in Arabic as well as learning English at school and they seem to have no problems. They are usually the top achievers at school in fact. Schools in America do not teach in languages other than English although a huge raft of the population's mother tongue is Mexican Spanish and European languages. Equally I do not see government schools in the Brick Lane district of London or Bradford for example teaching in Bengali/ Urdu/Hindi. Addittion: I was not aware that Iran was made up of disparate nations. I thought it was, to use the old word, all Persia. Howecver, I still think my point stands on merit.
2016-05-22 11:09:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Being bilingual in American should be a choice not a requirement. If you want to live in America you need to speak English. If you want to live in France, speak French. If you choice to learn a second or third language whereever you live, more power to you. Only arrogant people would expect to enter a country and expect that country to cater to them. If you want to live in America, learn the language, enter the country legally, and earn your way. It is quit simple and we should not expect our systems (school, medical or any other) to bare the cost of education to immigrants. We just don’t have the money to blow.
2006-11-21 14:00:20 · answer #4 · answered by 75160 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You know it is really sad that while people complain about their cultural roots, their kids suffer. Bilingual education is not working for our kids. Parents need to take part in the blame too, you can't speak only your native language in the home and expect kids to get by in primarily English speaking schools. It's better to integrate them after immersing them, instead of creating this "us and them" mentality. My husband's mother is also a teacher(semi-retired now substituting), and the impact of not knowing English is apparent in our schools. How are kids going to go to college if they don't understand the level of reading(that's going to be in English). How will they stay in school when they can't understand basic English paragraphs?
2006-11-21 12:49:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 2⤋
The only reason the kids don't learn english as easy or as quickly as you want them to is because their parents (being immigrants as well) are not fluent in the language. The kids might be exposed to the English language while in school, but it won't help any if they're exposed to their native language once they're back home. I too was an immigrant to this country and learned english within a year of living in the united states, without any help from a program.. yet i am not bashing the programs that are trying to give these kids something to look forward to, and for the record it is wise to know more than one language and not have your mind set on english being the overpowering tongue, because as you yourself believe that the country is being taken over by Mexicans, pretty soon you'll have to answer to your overlords in spanish.. i'd hate to be in your shoes, but i love to see my friend karma at work. Good luck.
2006-11-21 12:53:06 · answer #6 · answered by ☆Karma☆ 6 · 5⤊ 5⤋
You're right...... They must have a reason to learn to speak English. The bi-lingual programs can be helpful at the very first......but we have to quit providing excuses not to learn English. Do other countries offer bi-lingual programs as much as we do? Immigrants....both legal and illegal, left their country to come to the USA for a better life. I don't think it's a lot to ask, that, in appreciation for the opportunity to live and work in this country, and to take full advantage of our generous nature, that they all could make an effort to learn to speak English.
2006-11-21 12:58:38 · answer #7 · answered by dathinman8 5 · 5⤊ 3⤋
The joke is the impulse of a monolingual education. If the USA really wants to be competitive in a fast changing planet a more open minded view for a multilingual education shall be a priority.
¿No te parece lógico?
2006-11-21 13:40:37 · answer #8 · answered by Lost. at. Sea. 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
dude if they they are not legal they shouldn't even be in school as far as I'm concerned. If they are legal they have every right to do program no matter how long it take them. I recently am finishing my own English classes! I am so proud of me!
2006-11-21 14:24:22 · answer #9 · answered by Ping 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think learning MANY languages is a good thing, enabling people to slack off and fail to learn english is, however, NOT a good idea.
English is the basic common language we use to do business, deal with government, and so forth. Knowing it is Pretty Damn Important. If people are serious about wanting to become americans, then they should be focusing keenly on their capacity to speak it and understand it...nobody's perfect, and I don't think anyone expects perfection, but a good basic grasp of our language is a great thing to have in your assimilation toolbox, there...
2006-11-21 12:47:19 · answer #10 · answered by gokart121 6 · 4⤊ 3⤋