My first year sympathies to those that have legal gained entry to the USA .. but during that period they need to "get up speed", "put a little English in it", so to speak. This is ESPECIALLY true for kids of school age .. at the risk of being an ass .. if the young - who's only job is to be a sponge and learn - do pick it up quick, they're not trying.

My first year sympathies to those that have legal gained entry to the USA .. but during that period they need to "get up speed", "put a little English in it", so to speak. This is ESPECIALLY true for kids of school age. At the risk of being an ass .. if the young - who's only job is to be a sponge and learn - do NOT pick it up quick, they're not trying.

This is a test comment.

Good points JDR!

Shalom

[[if the young - whose only job is to be a sponge and learn - do not pick it up quick, they're not trying.]]

Multiply that by at least three, JDR, unless you're specifically defining "young" as toddler or preschool.

I started taking Spanish in ninth grade. At the end of three years, I had gotten inducted into the Spanish Honor Society, but it was a long, hard slog. And I had more help than most: a large family of Cuban emigres next door, including two who were in most of my classes and their grandfather, who seemed to have little better to do with his time than coach me.

Expecting most older kids to pick up English in just one year, even if their native tongue is of the Romance (i.e., Latin-derived) or Germanic variety, is unrealistic. Younger kids of the type I mentioned above who grow up learning to speak in both English and a foreign tongue do better, but the ESL students here don't all fit neatly into that category.

I'm going to absolutely RUIN your day, JDR.

Ready ... ?

I AGREE 100% WITH YOUR POSTING!

Please ... hara-kiri is not really necessary. So messy, don't ya know!

The problem with No Child Left Behind and ESL kids is the nutty notion that every child, no matter how late in childhood he/she learns English, should have exactly the same outcome and career opportunities at exactly the same time. (This is the special nuttiness where PC liberalism meets PC conservatism.) Look at every generation and every ethnicity. The original immigrants came as adults, or possibly as teenagers. Unless they were initially Anglo's, they struggled with English, did the best they could, and hoped their children would do better. The children learned English in the US, probably their parents' language as well, and usually did better economically. This is everyone's story. It's a lot easier now than in the past. Many people all around the world know English before they come here. And the schools have more resources for language teaching. Equal opportunities of course. But we cannot and should not expect everyone to have an equal outcome irrespective of the age at which they first came to this country, first learned English, and how hard they tried. BTW, my grandparents came to this country as adults 100 years ago and did not know a word of English.

Test comment.

Children who are not US citizens should not be allowed in our schools.

No Child Left Behind should only apply to US citizens.

People who cannot speak English should not be allowed to be US citizens.

If necessary, build a new school for children who are US Citizens but do not speak English as their primary language.

I'm sorry, but as far as I'm concerned crossing the border legally is only half the issue. It is not the Government's job to teach the English language to people who immigrate to the US.

If you truly want US citizenship, stop, think, and learn the official language of the country you've entered. It's time people started taking responsibility for their own actions.

Moving to another country for additional opportunities isn't a free ride! Non-English speaking immigrants should want to assimilate. By that token, learn English on your own. I see no reason why our already financially strapped school systems should inject tax dollars into something immigrants should have already learned. I don't know about you, but my taxes are high enough as is.

Honestly, if we start teaching English to immigrants for free, we should start giving free college tuition to citizens who have lived here all their lives.

Bishop, hold your breath waiting on the free college tuition for those native residents! I rest assurred that when you pass out from holding your breath, you will begin breathing again automatically!

That is more than I can say for the fairly valid point that is brought to the forefront.

Shalom

As I have stated many times, I have no beef with paying taxes. I am in an almost 40% (total) tax bracket. Being able to work and contributed to those less fortunate is a privilege. No one is more blessed than I am. Many folks have much more than I do but that is not a measure of blessedness imho.

I am, however, more than a little weary of illegals being welcomed into this country and given a free ride (with my tax monies). What angers me most is the attitude of entitlement that these law-breakers bring with them. This sense of entitlement is accepted by the US government and many citizens.

While I realize it is not the fault of the children that are brought into the US by their parents, we are allowing ourselves to be used by accepting these children into the school systems here. I think separating non-English speaking children from English speaking kids is a viable option. We have to pay for interpreters anyway so why not form segregated classes.

Also, classes for at least one parent of non-English speaking children to learn English should be mandatory (if that child/children is/are enrolled in public schools).

We are not under any legal obligation to provide school for those who are not citizens of the US. Remember this when you vote again.

My WASP kid--so WASP she will eat only WonderBread, like her bourgeois mother--goes to a school where only Spanish is spoken and she does fine.

Concerned Parent's comment about the nuttiness of expecting equivalent results is spot on. I propose we change it to "No more than 10% of Children Left Behind."

... I LIKE it, Brian. Both more honest and realistic!

brian444,

Been thinking of the same for my kids. How's that Spanish Immersion working for you?

Bishop,

"Stop, think, and learn the official language of the country you've entered"

So, they've made it official now? That's great!

Yvonne,

"What angers me most is the attitude of entitlement" AMEN!!! Don't believe it? Try shopping at Wal-Mart on Wendover on a Saturday afternoon.

Nit,

Sorry, I think you misunderstood. I'm saying that since English is the official language of the US. Immigrants should learn it, or am I missing the sarcasm?