- Jul 1, 2011
- 27,739
- 21
Single common language and tax dollars, plain and simple
I've never heard of this coming to a vote the parent/tax payer were involved in. The admin makes the decision to spend the money on their own.
JMO YMMV
Am i wrong for seeing this as a problem?
- Thread starter RandomHero
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Mexican_Hippie
TGT Addict
Common language and taxation for a local ISD are local issues.
Local citizens vote on the school board, and school board meetings are posted locally. People choose not to be involved.
You're perfectly right. This is a problem I'm a 1st generation immigtant. I speak Filipino and English. I understand a few spanish words but not nough to be conversant. If I move to Spain or Mexico, then I will force myself to learn the language. I would not expect the Spaniards to speak to me in my local language. That's the whole point of immigration. When you're in Rome, you do as the Romans do!
You made some very valid observations there, something to consider.
I get bothered by the fact that people come here and won't bother to learn the language. It's frustrating, but whatever. HOWEVER, what really gets under my skin is the fact that people who can't speak English will go into a business establishment, ask if they speak Spanish, and when no one there does, they get upset as if they are entitled to have a translator at every business in America. Now days you don't see many places that don't have someone that speaks Spanish, but immigrants are not entitled to that. If I moved to Russia I wouldn't expect any of those people to learn English on my behalf.
If someone wants to speak Spanish to their friends/family just because they would prefer it, that's fine (and it could be any language) but don't expect me to give two craps about your inconvenience because you decided to call America home and didn't learn the national spoken language and are having a hard time communicating. I don't really agree with having Spanish on the flipside of cards, or having it sit right under every little sign, particularly at schools. I think it would be better off for the kids to have to actually learn the language so that they have a better chance of success in our country. But then again, before too long English probably won't be the dominant language here anymore :-\
If someone wants to speak Spanish to their friends/family just because they would prefer it, that's fine (and it could be any language) but don't expect me to give two craps about your inconvenience because you decided to call America home and didn't learn the national spoken language and are having a hard time communicating. I don't really agree with having Spanish on the flipside of cards, or having it sit right under every little sign, particularly at schools. I think it would be better off for the kids to have to actually learn the language so that they have a better chance of success in our country. But then again, before too long English probably won't be the dominant language here anymore :-\
- Jul 1, 2011
- 27,739
- 21
I'm sure he was speaking generally, not strictly related to this thread
Why does something this small get under a lot of people's skin? It's retarded to say it is wrong. Texas is a border state with mexico. If you guys don't like bilingual notices from your kids school you have two options: home school your kids or gtfo of Texas. stop bitching about people not being able to "speak" English. Last time I read up on this thread it was about reading in English not speaking it. Because I can keep a conversation in Spanish no problem. It can I read it And understand exactly what I'm reading? No, so think about the people who can speak choppy to little English but have trouble understanding exactly what they are reading. If they have it in their native language it helps them understand what the school wants parents to know. Stop being narrow minded about shit like this. And for the record, not all people who benefit from the Spanish side of the notice are illegals!!
- Jul 1, 2011
- 27,739
- 21
You have GOT to be shitin' us!!! Time to learn a little history big guy. Just because you don't like the fact that Texas won her independence, doesn't mean you get to rewrite history to suit your wants.
Definitely need a troll blocker here.
There's nothing wrong with the Spanish language, and well, some things may just be a necessity, rather than "catering". But when you live in a city like Houston you are going to be surrounded with Spanish..it's just how it is in any major American city, especially one that was actually PART OF Mexico at one time. For the record though, I do understand what you are saying, this is not Mexico it is the U.S.A. and yes learning English should ALWAYS be standard in this country. But you do have to stop and think about it for a minute....Texas is made up largely of people of hispanic descent. Mostly from Mexico, because, well, just like Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, it is right next door. I mean when it comes down to it, you can't just say, "oh well, the parents don't know english well then screw them!". If it is an important message regarding their children then they have to know, english or spanish. I hear people saying things like that all the time and it's BS if u ask me. If someone is actually doing something WRONG, then F them. But people getting pissed at Mexicans or hispanics because their first language is Spanish....that's just a little harsh if you ask me. If you ask me, I'd say that if the U.S.A. wants its Latin American immigrants to be fluent in the English language before coming here, then they should mandate them to learn it as a condition of them staying. Then they should make damn sure that it actually HAPPENS. But then they are of course called bigots and racists for even suggesting something like that. Not to mention the absurdity of what Former Illinois Senator Barack HUSSEIN Obama calls "a secure border", in which illegals are flooding in by the 10's of thousands per day, (a problem that also can't be solved because of the ever counterproductive race card), it becomes impossible to have a society where you have the luxury of never having to see SPANISH written in America. If you ask me there's nothing wrong with Spanish but there is something wrong with our government (if that's what you wanna call em) opening the flood gates and expecting US to adapt, instead of the other way around.
Now, letting illegals rush our border, get here and get FREE EVERYTHING, along with the other endless list of perks they receive....THAT is catering.....and that is a crock of shit if you ask me. But, as I just finished posting in another forum, when you hear the word "Mexicans" you are doing yourself a dis service to only think of those wastes of flesh hanging out on the corner doing whatever no good acts they are doing....or bumrushing your truck cause they think you are there to bring them to work..
There are, as I've said, a WHOLE LOT of really good Mexican people here who are just as disgusted by all the nonsense as everyone else. Plenty with VERY strong family values that have not existed in typical American families for decades. Highly educated, friendly, and trustworthy people who would literally give you the shirt off their back, and do not want to be placed in the same category as gang bangers, junkies, illegals (of any kind), etc....
I'm married to one, she's a software engineer and a true genius. Her entire family is an "engineer" of some type. But my wife is the only one FLUENT in English, cause she lived in Canada, to devote 6 months of her life to learning the language. It's not as easy as we might think to just "learn English". But it is another example of how our gov't is failing us. Blame them, cause as usual, they are the main problem.
Glad to see they are proudly upholding those standards we are all so proud of.....Ya know.....I'm just kinda guessing here....but I'd bet that no hw rule is the result of some teacher being called a racist for holding their students of another ethnicity accountable....just sayin', wouldn't shock me...God Help us!
ROGER4314
Been Called "Flash" Since I Was A Kid!
Why does something this small get under a lot of people's skin?
We feel that it important for our nation to standardize under one language. The OP asks if he is wrong for seeing that as a problem. It IS a problem for our nation and the citizens within it. I'll rephrase my previous posts:
1) As a citizen, I was disqualified for jobs because I didn't speak Spanish. This is the USA and we speak English here. That is wrong!
2) By supplying Spanish language communications, we remove incentives for the new resident to LEARN English.
3) Spanish is not the only "other" language spoken here. How fair is it that we grant special assistance only to Spanish speaking citizens?
Before I came to Texas, I was a teacher in a high tech vocational school in Oklahoma. I had four adult students who were technology instructors in their country in Africa. Although they were from different regions of the same nation, they each spoke a different language. In fact, the only language they had in common was English! They were neat guys and I enjoyed getting to know them. What disturbed me though, is that their nation had NO common ground and they acknowledged it would always be a "backward" nation until their language was standardized.
By encouraging several languages to be accepted here, we are going backwards in our development as a nation. I speak as a "Mutt" who has many different nationalities in my background. I am an American Citizen and I speak English..... not Scotish (Gaelic and several others), German, Swiss (French, German, Italian) or a myriad of other languages from my ancestry.
We are US citizens. We speak English here.
Flash
We feel that it important for our nation to standardize under one language. The OP asks if he is wrong for seeing that as a problem. It IS a problem for our nation and the citizens within it. I'll rephrase my previous posts:
1) As a citizen, I was disqualified for jobs because I didn't speak Spanish. This is the USA and we speak English here. That is wrong!
2) By supplying Spanish language communications, we remove incentives for the new resident to LEARN English.
3) Spanish is not the only "other" language spoken here. How fair is it that we grant special assistance only to Spanish speaking citizens?
Before I came to Texas, I was a teacher in a high tech vocational school in Oklahoma. I had four adult students who were technology instructors in their country in Africa. Although they were from different regions of the same nation, they each spoke a different language. In fact, the only language they had in common was English! They were neat guys and I enjoyed getting to know them. What disturbed me though, is that their nation had NO common ground and they acknowledged it would always be a "backward" nation until their language was standardized.
By encouraging several languages to be accepted here, we are going backwards in our development as a nation. I speak as a "Mutt" who has many different nationalities in my background. I am an American Citizen and I speak English..... not Scotish (Gaelic and several others), German, Swiss (French, German, Italian) or a myriad of other languages from my ancestry.
We are US citizens. We speak English here.
Flash
Well put. And as for expecting this kind of thing in Texas because we border the country? I lived in Ohio for the first 19 years of my life. It was an issue there as well, and each time I visit I see more and more people speaking in Spanish. It's NOT just a Texas thing or states that border Mexico. If this was happening with, say, German immigrants and they weren't wanting to learn English on a huge scale, we'd all be pretty pissed off. This is not a race issue (For me, at least, and I am sure for most of the folks on this forum). It's strictly a "dems da apples" situation where if you want to come live in our country, and become citizens, then one of the requirements is learning the language. Simple as that. I am fine with LEGAL immigration in our country. But this political correctness BS of saying "Oh it's so hard to learn two languages, we need to give them a break" or whatever other argument you want to make is total garbage. It's the frickin price you pay for going to a new country. That is actually one of the lamest arguments I've ever heard. And if they aren't willing to learn a second language because it's too hard, then it forces citizens here to have to start doing it so they can communicate with people who don't.
Sorry, not trying to piss anyone off, I just don't see much validity to arguments suggesting that foreign citizens who decide to live in America shouldn't need to learn English, and that Americans need to learn the foreign language. It just doesn't sit well with me. I want to go to Germany and Russia some day just for traveling. Before I even go there for a short duration I am going to try and become somewhat fluent in the languages so I can communicate with them. And If I was going to live in that country it would become one of my #1 priorities.
Josh
Well, this is just a difficult issue for everyone, Americans, immigrants (legals and illegals), or anyone else for that matter. I agree 100% (and so does my Mexican wife who is watching me type this) that if someone moves to the U.S.A from another country, then they should, in fact, be required to learn English. Why? Because no matter what the circumstances were a few hundred years ago that determined ENGLISH as the official language of the U.S.A. (I'm pretty knowledgeable about early American history, and I can say this much, that WAS in fact the result of some of the views of the biggest racists and bigots that have ever walked this earth....regardless, I love my country and every country has some skeletons in their closet), English IS the language, it IS our common means of communication, and having a substantial chunk of our society that can't speak it, is, well, counterproductive to say the least.
Still, however, when you are talking about notes to parents about their kids from the school, the school really has no choice to make absolutely sure that the parents are fully aware of where to pick their children up after school. The school can not just say, "screw it, the parents don't wanna learn English, then they can look for their child all day, I could care less", like many people would say. That is just downright hateful and wrong, and if you ask me it is discrimination for sure.
Yes, immigrants should be required to not only learn English, but speak it fluently. No, illegals SHOULD NOT be allowed in this country, except to be put on the bus and shipped back to wherever they came from. The reality is that many Latin American families are here, the parents (for one reason or another), do not speak English. That does not change the fact that their children have needs and can't just be neglected because their parents aren't assimilating fast enough (and it is also the schools responsibility to thoroughly ensure that each Spanish speaking child get up to speed in English and QUICKLY). But when someone says things suggesting that these people deserve zero consideration as human beings because they are not assimilating fast enough, it is reminiscent of some of the most bigoted ideologies in our nations early years. One of which lead to the Trail of Tears. If you aren't sure what this is you should read about it. It is truly a sad story. I thoroughly commend General Andrew Jackson for stomping the Brits out of New Orleans, but his treatment of the Cherokees in Georgia (after they DID assimilate even..) was just wrong and that is putting it lightly.
But really, stop and think about it for a minute, I mean, I have never been to Europe, but from what I understand, multilingualism is pretty common in European countries. In Europe you have several nations packed pretty closely together, most of them have their own distinct language. These nations are about as big as an average U.S. State. So traveling between these countries would require some central means of communication (I'm sure it is English). As is the case here in the U.S.
In midwestern states such as Ohio, the influx of Latin Americans isn't NEARLY as heavy as it is here, but that doesn't make a difference.
I will sum up my post by just saying this:
I agree 100% this is the U.S.A. and our language is English, and English only. All immigrants should be required to learn English for an endless list of very good reasons...
But...
To treat these people as if they were sub human because their first language is Spanish is cruel. When people say, "why should we have to do this, or why should we have to do that...", I say to them, "who's making you do ANYTHING?" Or does it just disgust you that bad to see words written in Spanish? Maybe there is something I'm not seeing here, but I just don't see why it is that big of a deal.
Again, blame the gov't for not enforcing the immigration policies, and blame them for not securing our border. Blame ANYONE who uses race as a reason to justify unjustifiable actions or speech (such as "Justice for Trayvon, killed for the color of his skin....that is a crock of sh*t and Jesse Jackson knows it)
Yep....I agree. I'll say this much, what PISSES me off, is hearing about illegals coming here and getting free medical care, on MY tax dollars, while I can barely afford to go to the dentist. What else pisses me off is illegals marching through our pourous border, invading South Texas farmland, and causing once peaceful farmers to patrol their property with AK-47's (not that I have anything against AK's, I just like AR-15's better haha). Illegals committing violent crimes (one guy was murdered in Port Fourchon, Louisiana by an illegal immigrant. Don't think the illegal got any punishment except for a free ride back to Guatemala or wherever he came from).
What DOESN'T piss me off, is seeing things written in Spanish. Kinda like when I drive through Chinatown and see Chinese writing. I don't CARE! Whatever! I have much more important stuff to worry about!
NOW.....if I picked my child up from school, in the United States of America, and was handed a notice written ONLY in Spanish, I would be just downright dumbfounded. That would be unacceptable, but ya know, the way things are going in this country, it wouldn't shock me to see that happening in 10 years or so. Then them telling us, "Learn Spanish or GTFO!".
Sometimes with all this talk of Texas secession I honestly wonder how that would all play out. So many people have so many different viewpoints but the ones who think Latin Americans have ZERO business in this state and feel that this state should only be for people of American descent, are in for a hard dose of reality if and when that ever happens. The fact is Texas WAS part of Mexico. Yes, we were annexed to the United States after the Battle of San Jacinto, but that doesn't mean all the Mexicans just up and left. I'm just being real here, they aren't going anywhere, so it is better to at least TRY to be objective, (that goes for Americans AND Latin), both sides make an effort to compromise, become a TEAM, and we can form one of the strongest nations in the history of the planet. If we keep citing racial, linguistic or national differences as a reason to stay divided, we'll never amount to anything in the long run. Like the once great United States of America used to say, "United we Stand, Divided we Fall", well, we're divided, and we're falling....but those of us who live in Texas are truly blessed and we should take a look at the mistakes of the rest of the nation we are currently a part of, and not let that bring our Republic to its knees in the future.
I will not go into my personal beliefs about who should speak what language........I'll just relate what gives ME the warm and fuzzy feeling when caught in one of "those" situations.
I have perfected over the years, my own language. I can speak a combination of Middle Eastern, Asian, French and Spanish sounding words that mean absolutely nothing but uttered in a way it MIGHT be a language. Just last night I had the misfortune to end up in WalMart of China and found myself blocked in an isle by a group of Spanish speaking TV buyers. My mild mannered "excuse me" to get by was ignored THREE times so I let out a loud rant of "Myese", directing it to the whole group.
The confused look on the faces was priceless and I suppose my tone told them I meant business, so the mass got very quiet and parted to let me by. I bowed slightly while performing a left handed salute and muttered a three syllable grunt. Sure was hard not laughing out loud!
I use Myese often because it makes ME feel good...... and my grandmother always taught me "turnabout is fair play".
I have perfected over the years, my own language. I can speak a combination of Middle Eastern, Asian, French and Spanish sounding words that mean absolutely nothing but uttered in a way it MIGHT be a language. Just last night I had the misfortune to end up in WalMart of China and found myself blocked in an isle by a group of Spanish speaking TV buyers. My mild mannered "excuse me" to get by was ignored THREE times so I let out a loud rant of "Myese", directing it to the whole group.
The confused look on the faces was priceless and I suppose my tone told them I meant business, so the mass got very quiet and parted to let me by. I bowed slightly while performing a left handed salute and muttered a three syllable grunt. Sure was hard not laughing out loud!
I use Myese often because it makes ME feel good...... and my grandmother always taught me "turnabout is fair play".
Lol, "Myese"? Is that a real word or one you compiled out of those 3 languages? (I'm serious, I'm really asking). If it is one you made up then that is hilarious. Especially since they moved haha.
Mexican_Hippie
TGT Addict
I agree. It's just not that big of a deal. Now if they were spending a bunch of money to have translators, etc, then you should bring it up at the annual budget time, but just the notice? eh
As for homework, read this... School Homework Offers Little Benefit, Australian Study Finds
I'd rather kids be invovled in sports, raising animals or extracurricular activities after school. It teaches you more about life.
