chris

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Home : 2004 : July : 13

chris
By Carolyn

Chris, where do you work that they have such a program? Why do teachers get paid more to teach Spanish? I think that teachers should get paid more to teach English. Why reward those who are pulling the students away from
our mainstream culture. I think it is horrifying to hear about, since these poor children are not going to have the opportunities that the English-speaking children will later on. How will they ever attend college and get a decent job unless they speak English?
What you have said is what I have also read and heard about. What is happening, then, is the cultivation of two separate

societies, which is something that I really hate to think about. My feeling is that we really should just let these kids "bite the bullet" and immerse themselves in English. What you describe is just another reason why we need to closely monitor the so-called "bilingual" programs. I wish the government would pass a law that would require all students to learn English. We need an official national language, and that should be English.

I had written to Senator John Edwards, our representative in North Carolina, about my concerns. Here is what he said:

"I understand your concerns about the problems that many people attribute to immigration, including the language barrier that has been created between those who speak English and those who do not. As you may know, current
U. S. immigration laws require that applicants for citizenship learn to speak and read English. During the 106th Congress, the House of Representatives debated the Bill Emerson English Language Empowerment Act of 1999. This bill would have amended Federal law to declare English to be the official language of the U. S. Government. The measure was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as the House Committee on the Judiciary, and no further action was taken." (He does not explain what happened to this measure or why no further action was taken.)

"In the current session of Congress, the Senate has debated the Immigrants to New Americans Act, a bill that aims to ensure that immigrant students and their families receive the services the students need to successfully participate in schools and communities nationwide. Under this legislation, the Department of Education could award grants to schools that offer educational services like ESL training for immigrant studnets. This bill, S. 269, has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, a committee on which I serve. I assure you I will keep your views in mind as work in this issue progresses."

He sent this to me before he began to run for President. It would be interesting to see what he would do with education if he actually ever becomes President.

One interesting website that you might read is that of U. S. English.