tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post6875713631845499289..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: McElrath: Teachers should speak SpanishUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-70714725452215867232012-04-06T19:33:13.804-04:002012-04-06T19:33:13.804-04:00From dboz555
I disagree. What I think teachers sho...From dboz555<br />I disagree. What I think teachers should do is report kids they believe are illegal or parents are illegal to the authorities. If a teacher suspected a child was growing up in a meth house or being abused hey would report it; likewise if you suspect someone who is sucking up the resources of hard working tax paying Americans a teacher should report it. I just can’t figure out why teachers think they have the authority to up hold some laws and not others. Serve your country by participating in the war on illegal immigration. Having immigration in this country is crucial, but it has to be done in a way that we do not destroy the country in the process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-54948494436269554452012-03-05T22:40:59.300-05:002012-03-05T22:40:59.300-05:00John -
I am sorry but your anecdotal story is jus...John -<br /><br />I am sorry but your anecdotal story is just that, an anecdote. Try adopting 12 and 14 year olds, which I have done. Immersion is wonderful for acquiring English language verbal and listening skills, although in the absence of quality ESL (not bilingual, I assume you know the difference)actual writing and reading comprehension skills will not be quickly acquired.<br /><br />If you are dealing with older kids, the kind that fill high schools and consistently test well below other groups, you will realize that during this time of immersion, actual learning (knowledge acquisition) is lost. Why are you against kids learning the subject matter as they learn English?<br /><br />If you bothered to read my post, you will see I did not advocate bilingual education. But if you don't know the difference between ESL and bilingual, you really aren't qualified to post on this matter, notwithstanding having adopted a very young child.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-18144224496004058012012-03-05T18:33:01.390-05:002012-03-05T18:33:01.390-05:00Archiguy,
You simply repeat the great lie that Li...Archiguy,<br /><br />You simply repeat the great lie that Liberals love to tell about Conservatives... that we don't care about others. We do, we just disagree on who the burden should be placed on and what the Government should be allowed to dictate.<br /><br />As Americans we are promised three fundamental rights, the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.<br /><br />Liberals, currently seek to deny the first right "Life" by supporting Abortion and Euthanasia, the massive load of Governmental control, regulations, taxes and mandates restricts Liberty and both are based upon the mis-assumption that government is responsible for "happiness"!<br /><br />We are NOT promised happiness... we are only promised the freedom to pursue that happiness. The current housing/economic crisis largely rested upon the myth that things like home ownership were "rights" and even now, we see the Obama administration trying to perpetuate that myth with their mandated "reform" regulations.<br /><br />Before federal regulation of banks, I got 5.25% interest, compounded daily on my savings account... now, the government has done such a wonderful job protecting me that putting money in a savings account is like burning it since interest rates are just a fraction of inflation!<br /><br />That's government help we can do without!Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11790338138769707016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-51087258600523154992012-03-05T18:18:25.261-05:002012-03-05T18:18:25.261-05:00Anon 10:45 AM
"we don't want them to lose...Anon 10:45 AM<br />"we don't want them to lose a year of academic progress while they do that..."<br /><br />Actually, full immersion language training is the most effective and fastest way to teach a language.<br /><br />"Language acquisition takes five years to get to the academic English level encompassing listening, reading, speaking and writing at both concrete and abstract levels."<br /><br />Says who? I adopted a 6 year old from Russia with zero English and she was fluent in a fraction of that time.<br /><br />Bilingual education provides nothing but a crutch that will DELAY fluency in English.<br /><br />Time to wake up to the REAL WORLD folks! We can't afford everything we are trying to do in public education today. We have to set priorities and this isn't one of them!<br /><br />You open this door, you can't stop at Spanish, we have lots of Korean, Viet Namese, Cambodians etc... in the local area. If you do it for one, you have to do it for all. We simply can't.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11790338138769707016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-78677529721574680812012-03-05T11:41:41.540-05:002012-03-05T11:41:41.540-05:00Anon 10:45..
Just out of curiosity, what is your ...Anon 10:45..<br /><br />Just out of curiosity, what is your take on the fact Hispanics outperform Blacks in CMS, many of whom speak very little English?Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-83135557871290163072012-03-05T10:45:03.384-05:002012-03-05T10:45:03.384-05:00Wow. So much hate and stereotyping from a simple ...Wow. So much hate and stereotyping from a simple column. It only makes sense that in high Spanish speaking population schools, you want to staff with teachers who are bilingual. They should TEACH in English, but be able to EXPLAIN in Spanish when counseling or tutoring students. Yes, we want students to learn English, but we don't want them to lose a year of academic progress while they do that. Is that so hard to understand? The same people yelling English, English, will be the people complaining about bad test scores and lack of academic skills if the students aren't learning. Language acquisition takes five years to get to the academic English level encompassing listening, reading, speaking and writing at both concrete and abstract levels. You can't afford to lose five years of education just to say you did it all in English.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-65865037598085674942012-03-05T09:28:55.664-05:002012-03-05T09:28:55.664-05:00"The concept here is we're teaching child..."The concept here is we're teaching children English."<br /><br />No S--t, Sherlock!<br /><br />Maybe we should also have teachers who can't add 2+2 to teach those who are struggling with math?<br /><br />I adopted a child from Russia and she came here knowing not a single word of English but we enroller her in school and she quickly learned English. We have good programs to teach English... we need to focus on meeting the other, more pressing needs of our students.<br /><br />Geez, and we wonder what is wrong with CMS???<br /><br />Better get this moron (McElrath) off the school board ASAP!Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11790338138769707016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-62547864956884136682012-03-04T19:25:19.219-05:002012-03-04T19:25:19.219-05:00I am proud to say that I am illiterate in at least...I am proud to say that I am illiterate in at least 7 European, at least 200 African and more than half a dozen Asian languages....<br /><br />Us polyunglots are a rare breed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-10626750917940004312012-03-04T09:39:52.148-05:002012-03-04T09:39:52.148-05:00Unbelievable. If they want to speak Spanish, they ...Unbelievable. If they want to speak Spanish, they should return to their home countries.<br /><br />The real problem is that people with brains are out getting jobs that pay well, leaving only these morons to fill the school board seats. <br /><br />Really, really just stunning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-31502583134055074082012-03-04T05:49:03.427-05:002012-03-04T05:49:03.427-05:00I most every country around the world, if you were...I most every country around the world, if you were to move there and join their education system you would be immersed in the predominant language of that nation for instruction and need to seek outside tutoring for help in learning the language---period. So far in CMS, I have had to attend SIOP training (basically strategies to teach so peoples without English can learn, etc.) A previous poster is correct, many students can't read or write well in their native language further complicating learning English. State exams are in English and these students are required to take them in English--So, when the schools with large ELL and ESL populations go to take these State EOG and EOC tests--if these kids haven't learned English well enough--they bomb them--thus the scores of the school go down--I guess Mr. McElrath is OK with condemning certain schools to declining scores and if PFP or Value Add ever goes into play--he's OK with those teachers getting lowered pay as a result that their kids did poorly--but...at least the kids would get the warm fuzzies that their teachers could speak their language!! Finally, how uninformed are you, Mr. McElrath, about your own citizenry and school population to assume that speaking Spanish will help kids who come from other countries learn? I am sure the young man I have from Russia will learn much better when I engage him in Spanish! CMS is a diverse population from a diverse community---I wonder if McElrath even realizes that he is stereotyping and limiting populations the same way he talks about how African Americans were marginalized, etc. during his generation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-27007660720303919242012-03-03T22:36:13.430-05:002012-03-03T22:36:13.430-05:00I'm fluent in Pig Latin, self taught actually,...I'm fluent in Pig Latin, self taught actually, but none of my teachers ever spoke to me in my language. They just used English.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-77204878821191775092012-03-03T21:12:09.385-05:002012-03-03T21:12:09.385-05:00Proud to be half Mennonite!
- MooProud to be half Mennonite!<br /><br />- MooAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-48958764331014168752012-03-03T21:09:15.763-05:002012-03-03T21:09:15.763-05:00Amish children learn English in school
Pennsylvan...Amish children learn English in school<br /><br />Pennsylvania German is the language of the home. It is the first language an Amish child learns. Most Amish children have limited exposure to English before entering first grade. In Amish schools, instruction is in English, along with some classes in High German. Some Amish children become quite proficient at English at a young age. This phenomenon has become more common with the rise of Amish business and greater exposure to the non-Amish world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-76681743090834086572012-03-03T16:05:44.464-05:002012-03-03T16:05:44.464-05:00Having tutored ESL (ELL) students in CMS, I've...Having tutored ESL (ELL) students in CMS, I've concluded that many Spanish speaking students can't read and write in their own language. How does the state of NC plan to evaluate Spanish teachers on a pay-for-performance scale? Will a Spanish teacher's effectiveness be primarily based on Spanish speaking skills or Spanish reading and writing skills? Will a Spanish teacher at a predominately Spanish speaking school have an edge? Will an English teacher at a predominately Spanish speaking school be at a disadvantage?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-56062879341672316052012-03-03T15:54:50.256-05:002012-03-03T15:54:50.256-05:00My son was accepted into several "highly sele...My son was accepted into several "highly selective" colleges based in his ACT scores, AP classes and high school GPA despite his worst subject being required foreign language. My son will be taking his 3rd year of required Spanish 1 at the college he currently attends where it's likely he'll receive a "C" - again. His English skills are what mattered and will continue to matter as far as his future career choices. My brother graduated from Yale with a degree in physics and had to take Spanish 1 twice in college after failing the subject despite taking 3 years of Spanish in high school. My question? How critical is it really for most Americans to be able to speak Spanish while the rest of the world is trying to learn English?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-87371914550043111502012-03-03T15:49:21.546-05:002012-03-03T15:49:21.546-05:00McElrath needs to spend an entire year teaching be...McElrath needs to spend an entire year teaching before he decides to speak on policy. I am so tired of "drive by educators" thinking they know what is best for our students. If we don't immerse these students AND their families in OUR NATIVE language we become enablers. Where does the language expectations end? In my classroom I have students that speak Spanish, French, and Russian. Do I as a teacher need to spend time learning those languages as well? What effect will time being taken away from planning have on our English speaking learners? Like most teachers I work more than 70 hours a week doing "my job." I don't have time to incorporate something else into my life unless I give up my family or sleep.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-36661014805136181142012-03-03T15:36:58.867-05:002012-03-03T15:36:58.867-05:00We don't have to be as snotty as the French, b...We don't have to be as snotty as the French, but seriously, if a person wants to successfully assimilate into American culture a good way to start is by learning the predominate language.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-24694781163340037732012-03-03T14:17:33.317-05:002012-03-03T14:17:33.317-05:00In the U.S. we speak English. Attempt to learn it...In the U.S. we speak English. Attempt to learn it and I will help you. As a sales person I will help those that try to speak the language, those who Expect me to speak spanish for them will not get my help!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-74172472222796873042012-03-03T13:48:21.333-05:002012-03-03T13:48:21.333-05:00Amazing Richard is on the board? Think about who w...Amazing Richard is on the board? Think about who was District 2's last elected board rep (now their county commission rep). None other than Vilma Leake. So you're surprised they've now elected Richard?<br />The unfortunate thing is that these 2 help set policy for the whole county.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-32381285718000275322012-03-03T11:09:04.521-05:002012-03-03T11:09:04.521-05:00Ask McElwrath why he left his last school abruptly...Ask McElwrath why he left his last school abruptly. Amazing he is on the board.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-75929456857855000382012-03-03T10:21:21.873-05:002012-03-03T10:21:21.873-05:00You cant pay to find quality teachers as it is. Ho...You cant pay to find quality teachers as it is. How are you going to hire teachers that now require more skills and training.Oh,just throw more money at it.Kickbacks from the private sector?<br /><br />After the failed trend to teach Ebonics, I have only one word for why he would make this foolish statement.<br /><br />CRACKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-53529880188968756522012-03-03T10:14:09.852-05:002012-03-03T10:14:09.852-05:00Dear Richard, we are enabling an entire generation...Dear Richard, we are enabling an entire generation of Spanish speakers by telling them we will accomodate them and they don't have to do anything! In order to be successful they will eventually have to learn English, hands down. I think it is good for teachers to learn Spanish but only in so far as it helps students adopt to our country and become citizens with good "ENGLISH" speaking skills. USE YOUR BRAIN RICH!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-64139854576672312742012-03-03T06:34:26.327-05:002012-03-03T06:34:26.327-05:00CMS is a PRISONCMS is a PRISONAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-29540988698016943312012-03-02T22:49:08.822-05:002012-03-02T22:49:08.822-05:0010:18. are you in for a treat! We have had some g...10:18. are you in for a treat! We have had some good shows before with BOE's but this one is starting off like a 3 stooges marathon. <br /><br />It will only get better as these board members posture for the next superintendent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-55905355862949106272012-03-02T22:18:02.581-05:002012-03-02T22:18:02.581-05:00Anon 4:34. Thanks for bringing that up. I was star...Anon 4:34. Thanks for bringing that up. I was starting to think that the unprofessional behavior of Mr. McElrath was normal for school board meeting since not one person commented on it. I'm new here, and I hoped this was not normal behavior.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com