RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish?

RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (Full Version)

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[Poll]

Should schools require students to learn Spanish?

Yes, across the country (please specify starting grade)

19% (10)

Yes, but only in certain states (please specify state and grade)

5% (3)

75% (39)

Total Votes : 52

(last vote on : 12/28/2011 7:00:18 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )

Message

zenny -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/29/2011 9:03:21 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: gungadin09 My question is: why does speaking English equate with being American? You already said English was either the language of the vast majority of the USA legally or de facto. Last I checked to acquire citizenship one has to show good command of English. Across a country many things will be different (city/suburb/rural, buildings/architecture, views on work/life, etc.). One of the few universals is language. Also, why would you make it easier for people to break our laws? Why would you not want to encourage people to learn the language of their country and the one that is oft used in business around the world? to add: How is it American to refuse to be American? To live in a community that largely reflects your country of origin, to not only refuse to learn the customs and language of the country but to avoid it as much as possible.

SexyBossyBBW -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/29/2011 10:50:25 PM)
I think it would be good if schools required uhms to learn a second language, beginning in the second grade. The sponge like lil ones, ought to have to remember something different than the bad words that escape you in their presence. I think most countries require a second language, in their schools. Should the chosen language be Spanish? Absolutely not! Schools should give uhms the choice of one or two of the world's 10 populous languages. M 1. Mandarin Chinese - 882 million 2. Spanish - 325 million 3. English - 312-380 million 4. Arabic - 206-422 million 5. Hindi - 181 million 6. Portuguese - 178 million 7. Bengali - 173 million 8. Russian - 146 million 9. Japanese - 128 million 10. German - 96 million

gungadin09 -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/29/2011 11:10:41 PM)
i think i'm gonna have to bow out. Something wrong with my computer. pam

zenny -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 1:44:29 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SexyBossyBBW I think it would be good if schools required uhms to learn a second language, beginning in the second grade. The sponge like lil ones, ought to have to remember something different than the bad words that escape you in their presence. I think most countries require a second language, in their schools. Should the chosen language be Spanish? Absolutely not! Schools should give uhms the choice of one or two of the world's 10 populous languages. M 1. Mandarin Chinese - 882 million 2. Spanish - 325 million 3. English - 312-380 million 4. Arabic - 206-422 million 5. Hindi - 181 million 6. Portuguese - 178 million 7. Bengali - 173 million 8. Russian - 146 million 9. Japanese - 128 million 10. German - 96 million Could work with rigorous testing. Something along the lines of having to pass a fluency test by sophomore year of high school. There will be problems with language availability for the 50ish percent of the population that lives in rural USA. Also, while only tangentially related, most students would benefit more from a return of trade skill classes. quote: ORIGINAL: gungadin09 i think i'm gonna have to bow out. Something wrong with my computer. pam That's quite alright. I hope it's fixed expediently.

SexyBossyBBW -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 1:49:23 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: zenny quote: ORIGINAL: SexyBossyBBW I think it would be good if schools required uhms to learn a second language, beginning in the second grade. I think most countries require a second language, in their schools. Should the chosen language be Spanish? Absolutely not! Schools should give uhms the choice of one or two of the world's 10 populous languages. M 1. Mandarin Chinese - 882 million 2. Spanish - 325 million 3. English - 312-380 million 4. Arabic - 206-422 million 5. Hindi - 181 million 6. Portuguese - 178 million 7. Bengali - 173 million 8. Russian - 146 million 9. Japanese - 128 million 10. German - 96 million Could work with rigorous testing. Something along the lines of having to pass a fluency test by sophomore year of high school. There will be problems with language availability for the 50ish percent of the population that lives in rural USA. Also, while only tangentially related, most students would benefit more from a return of trade skill classes. I don't love vigorous tensting, unless that is the singluar book to be taught in every school, with the expectation that the students can have basic conversation skills at the end of the year (2-6 semesters). Same test for everyone, who has been thoroughly exposed/oriented to the material. M

zenny -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 2:02:56 AM)
I don't either. But I don't see how retention will be high without it. Frankly, baring multi-language households I see this as infringing upon childhood which is why I'm against it (learning a language takes a lot of time without constant exposure). I don't want to compare it to how the Japanese "learn" English as their school system has a different setup but it is the closest to what we're proposing that I know of. And it doesn't seem to work well at all.

Termyn8or -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 2:10:16 AM)
NFR How about this, all the kids learn Spanish but Hispanics are not required to learn English. There's a twist. Who would have the advantage now ? Racist ? Prilly(sp??) Nationalistic ? Separatist ? No, common fucking sense. Maybe it would be nice if we know what they're saying all the time and perhaps the reverse is not true. Ever wonder what you're NOT overhearing ? Know what else ? Couple of Semitic languages and Japanese and Chinese as well. Where the fuck is our head here ? Our haughty attitude "Thou shalt speak our tongue". Stupidest thing you've heard in a long time eh ? It just seems natural. It just seems right, but it ain't. We are at a serious disadvantage world wide. It's too late for me, but oh well. Right now it would help me to at least read Chinese. I'd love to know about five languages, but I can barely handle English. It's a damn shame. T^T

SexyBossyBBW -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:00:14 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: zenny I don't either. But I don't see how retention will be high without it. Frankly, baring multi-language households I see this as infringing upon childhood which is why I'm against it (learning a language takes a lot of time without constant exposure). I don't want to compare it to how the Japanese "learn" English as their school system has a different setup but it is the closest to what we're proposing that I know of. And it doesn't seem to work well at all. How about a proposal: any student who attains an A or S grade on a foreign language, will have his/her overall average up a level ( A- to A; B- to B, etc). Learning a different language and culture, definitely is a smart thing to do, in relations to one's performance in the world. M

GreedyTop -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:23:55 AM)
~FR~ I think students (the younger the better) should be 'required' to learn at least ONE globally accepted 'businesss' language, and another. If I am not mistaken, Chinese (which dialect, I am not certain0 is currently the fastest growing gloibal businss ;anguage. I think French and/or Spanish is a good second option. (ok, typing without my glasses on// forgive typos, sil vous plait)

DeviantlyD -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:34:38 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: gungadin09 Just to clarify, the topic of this thread is not whether U.S. students should be required to learn a second language at all. They are required to do so, in high school. The topic is whether Spanish should be required, and, if so, in what states, and from what grades. To answer your question, no, I don't think there should be a requirement to learn Spanish. Why haven't those Spanish speakers, who have relocated here, learned English? Just because there are large numbers of native Spanish speakers (and I use the word "native" in the language sense) doesn't mean the current citizens should have to learn it. Are those same Spanish speakers heading up businesses, at the forefront of society, or part of any other beneficial aspect where learning the language would make it advantageous to learn? I realize there is the "easier to communicate" aspect, but that wouldn't be present if those speaking Spanish also knew and spoke English. Here is some food for thought: Why are Spanish speakers on the rise? That is really more of a rhetorical question. I do agree with many of the other posters though, that learning a second (or third or fourth) language is an excellent idea, but there should be an option as to which language. And, in terms of when to start learning? The earlier the better. quote: ORIGINAL: BonesFromAsh As a child enters jr. high, I believe other languages like German, French, Russian, Mandarin and Japanese just to name a few could also be offered as choices to go towards the language requirements needed for graduation. To properly learn a language you need to start far earlier than Junior High School. quote: ORIGINAL: littlewonder I find not knowing Spanish, especially where I live where the majority as of this year, now speaks Spanish, it would make my job a lot easier and communicating with others less troublesome. Wouldn't it be less troublesome if Spanish speakers learned English? Why is the onus on you to learn Spanish?

SexyBossyBBW -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:36:07 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop ~FR~ I think students (the younger the better) should be 'required' to learn at least ONE globally accepted 'businesss' language, and another. I agree completely. M ETA: If they are foreing born, and alread adept at a foreign language, the requirement should be to learn English first, than any other language they wish to learn. M

tazzygirl -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:39:46 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Termyn8or NFR How about this, all the kids learn Spanish but Hispanics are not required to learn English. There's a twist. Who would have the advantage now ? Racist ? Prilly(sp??) Nationalistic ? Separatist ? No, common fucking sense. Maybe it would be nice if we know what they're saying all the time and perhaps the reverse is not true. Ever wonder what you're NOT overhearing ? Know what else ? Couple of Semitic languages and Japanese and Chinese as well. Where the fuck is our head here ? Our haughty attitude "Thou shalt speak our tongue". Stupidest thing you've heard in a long time eh ? It just seems natural. It just seems right, but it ain't. We are at a serious disadvantage world wide. It's too late for me, but oh well. Right now it would help me to at least read Chinese. I'd love to know about five languages, but I can barely handle English. It's a damn shame. T^T When i read this thread, i thought.... We cant agree on a national language. We are being told to have english as a national language is unfair and unjust to those who do not speak it. Now we are being told our kids should be required to learn spanish? If I had a kid now, he/she would be learning mandarin.

SexyBossyBBW -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:43:58 AM)
I agree, and am giving some thought into that myself, for the lil one. M

zenny -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:48:40 AM)
That's a great idea Termyn8or! And while we're at it, Everyone in China will give up Chinese and learn English just because! And what do you mean "our" haughty attitude? Last I checked, the world was that way. Other countries happen to actually enforce their laws. Accomodations can only go so far before lest one be taken advantage of. You may want to give the language a try anyways. You'll almost assuredly never be fluent if you don't talk with others but if you put real effort into it you'll be able to read and write in it. I always get tired of hearing the, "I'm not young enough to learn a language," excuse. It seems the reality is those who give it don't want to put the effort in but don't mind forcing others to. Because adults always know what's right, eh? quote: ORIGINAL: SexyBossyBBW quote: ORIGINAL: zenny I don't either. But I don't see how retention will be high without it. Frankly, baring multi-language households I see this as infringing upon childhood which is why I'm against it (learning a language takes a lot of time without constant exposure). I don't want to compare it to how the Japanese "learn" English as their school system has a different setup but it is the closest to what we're proposing that I know of. And it doesn't seem to work well at all. How about a proposal: any student who attains an A or S grade on a foreign language, will have his/her overall average up a level ( A- to A; B- to B, etc). Learning a different language and culture, definitely is a smart thing to do, in relations to one's performance in the world. M It would certainly help second generation Mexican/Chinese/Japanese/German students keep their grades up. Learning about other cultures can be quite interesting and as I recall some of the times that even the worst students paid attention in history class. But they already learn about them in history. A language certain helps if you're working in a city with a large immigrant population who also don't know English (i.e. illegal) or if they know that they want to be a high power trader in international goods at age 10. Regardless, if you can't get them to get A's in their normal classes why would they in a language class? How does this help the majority of Americans who don't care to go into "the world"? Instead you've added more to their plate at an earlier age that they won't use. Let those children who express interest, do it, regardless of other academic standing and then put a minimum language grade to stay in. Because lets face it, not all people need, want, or care to go to college, much less learn another language.

Palliata -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:49:33 AM)
Those who need Spanish will learn it on their own. Those who don't ought not be forced to. Having people who will never come into contact with non-English speakers that they NEED to speak to learn a language against their will is a waste of public resources. I have spoken Spanish for years and the only use I've gotten out of it is cursing at the occasional person for hiding behind their language to insult people without their knowing it. I never used it in any job, I didn't use it abroad, and honestly I'd like those months of my life back.

tazzygirl -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:55:28 AM)
Something else to consider for those with small kids. The best age to learn a second language is from birth. The best age to learn a foreign language is during infancy. At birth the human brain is wired to learn language, though not any particular language. A baby can just as easily learn English as Chinese, French as easily as Hopi. It is the baby's early experiences that modify the brain, influencing it to be able to learn one language as easily as another. This means the best time to learn a foreign language is during the first few weeks of the baby's life. ........... The reason this is the best age to learn a foreign language stems from the way the human brain is structured. This can be seen early in the first few months when a baby begins to babble. At first the babbling includes every sound a human is capable of making. As time goes on, the baby's babbling becomes focused on sounds that she hears in her environment. The child who is surrounded by English will mimic the phonic of English, and the baby who is surrounded by Chinese will learn the phonic and tones of this language. http://www.helium.com/items/1377046-best-age-to-learn-a-foreign-language-birth-infancy Hire a nanny, or babysitter, who is bilingual. [:D]

LaTigresse -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 3:59:57 AM)
My son graduated high school and was not required to learn a second language. At that time, there was no way to know that a second language would be important to him. Now he is working for a man who's business holdings are international. He has been in South American for all but two weeks, since the first of September last year. To say that knowing Spanish would be helpful to him, is an understatement. His boss is not thrilled to have to pay for an interpreter to follow him around as well as a body guard and driver. The attitudes expressed on this thread only serves to underline why we, as a country, are losing our status in the business world. Our stubborn narrow minds are doing a great disservice to our children and their children.

DeviantlyD -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 4:18:24 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LaTigresse He has been in South American for all but two weeks, since the first of September last year. To say that knowing Spanish would be helpful to him, is an understatement. Not all of the countries in South America are Spanish speaking. Most are, but Brazil, for example, is a country of Portuguese speakers.

tazzygirl -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 4:19:59 AM)
In the restaurant where I work, all the cooks speak two languages... their native and mandarin. Seems mandarin is the way to go!

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Should schools require students to learn Spanish? (3/30/2011 6:19:29 AM)
Well, it wasn't required - but I do remember that when I lived in California, Arizona and Texas as a child I took Spanish (2 years) and when I lived in Louisiana, I took French. They were electives that may not have been required but they were very strongly recommended. To the point of seeming to be a requirement. After trying to fascilitate teleconferences between our company and China, I can say the language barrier in a Global economy is a real bitch. My sister was a missionary in Russia for 5 years. If you asked many of the people there if they spoke English the most common answer was, "Of course! I am an educated man (or woman)." Her children aren't even in school yet, and can speak 3 languages. I don't know that I think it should be REQUIRED, for a State with a 25% or higher Spanish speaking demographic, but if my child lived in one, I would personally be making sure that their chosen electives included Spanish.

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