http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119393,00.html
-"It's an issue in every part of the country."
This article discusses the issue of discriminiation today in the classroom. There is a segregation of students who are native English speakers and who are not. Public schools are not fulfilling the Brown vs. Board of Education decision that states that there should be "equal access to education opportunity for all." The problem here is that the students who cannot speak proper English successfully are being separated from the students who can. This is discrimination. Just like we have discussed all semester, students who do not naturally speak proper English should not be denied an education. They should be given just as much, or even more attention by teachers so that they can learn proper English. In the article, a 17-year old student named Jackson Gao said that the high school he attended did not even have an ESL program. Do you all think that this is unfair to him? Why should be be denied an opportunity to learn through the English language?
On the other hand, some non-native English speaking students are completely lost when they are placed in English-speaking classes with no help. Should these students be separated completely in school? Or, should they be a part of English-immersion classes, like the article suggested? There is a need for more teachers who are trained in teaching bilingual classes . Should teachers be responsible for this type of language discrimination? Shound more teachers be able to speak a second language fluently? I know that here at LSU, I will be fluent in Spanish by the time I graduate! Either way, failing to address these language issues in the classroom denies education for students.
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First of all, I doubt that the Brown vs. Board decision could see far enough into the future to predict a situation like this would one day be a problem. But would the outcome have been the same? Most likely. When it comes to politics, I am one to be very strict on immigrants. Despite the fact that America is the land of opportunity, I do not like the idea of foreigners coming into our country and not being able to speak a single word of English. How are they to become productive citizens, if they have no way of communicating with the majority of the population? I also do not like the idea that immigrants simply rely on the government to provide a means of obtaining English skills – through public education.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I am slightly agitated this evening, but programs like this apparently cost a lot of money. Meanwhile, American born children struggle with simply learning to read and are forced to attend school in mobile trailers due to overcrowding. Why should these few non-English speaking students inhibit the learning process for other children? Since when does the minority get to have control over what the majority does? It seems like there are so many other issues to deal with in education regarding the Native English speaking students. Why should they have to take a backseat to someone who essentially just moved in? Oh, that’s right, it’s a discrimination thing. I do not have a problem with separating foreign students from those students who are native English speakers. It would probably be better for their initial intensive learning, and would not distract or slow down classes of regular English speakers. When the student has a general knowledge of the English language, immersion into general classrooms would be great exposure to everyday language and would easily acclimate the student to the culture of American classrooms. I’m all for equal opportunities and fair education for everyone, but just as long as everyone is getting those equal chances.
Just out of curiosity, if anyone's still reading this blog now that the semester's over: where did your families originally come from, and how did they learn English? My great-great grandparents came from Denmark; their children learned English in public schools. Were they among the "foreigners" that are so agitating?
ReplyDeleteIf we (English-speaking Americans, I suppose) want them (Americans who don't speak fluent English) to become "productive citizens," and if speaking English is a requirement of doing that (both are certainly arguable), isn't it in our interests to provide them with the means to achieve that in public schools?
Also out of curiosity: what would be the alternative?
Good words.
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