Arizona Bans Teachers with Accents (home, unemployed, living)

[crazyme4878]

But it should be done at the school level, with clear, concise steps for parents to follow if the individual school does not correct the situation. (Steps within the school system that will actually bring results.) Again, who is to decide what "heavy" exactly means? Who is to decide if one accent is easier to understand than another? I believe schools need to evaluate their teachers throughout the school year(s) to ensure the children are learning. Yes, it is a problem if the students cannot learn because they cannot understand their teacher's accent. However, there can also be issues if the teacher doesn't talk loud enough, mumbles, is unable to regularly express ideas clearly and on the students' level, etc.

[Gandalara]

Could they also please enlarge this law to include telephone customer service reps?

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Gandalara

Could they also please enlarge this law to include telephone customer service reps?

Wouldn't that be great, Gandalara?

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by KarmaPhx

Where does it say it specifically targets teachers brought here to teach in Spanish?

<<<In the 1990s, Arizona hired hundreds of teachers whose first language was Spanish as part of a broad bilingual-education program. Many were recruited from Latin America.>>>

I copied and pasted this from the article. It's in the tanned section in the article a ways down the page. It went on to say that this was changed in 2000 though. What I wonder is why are they bringing this up NOW? Just trying to blacken our eyes some more? Grrrrrrrrr....

Ooops. Sorry I misunderstood your question. Thought you were wanting to know when they were recruited not targeted. I need a nap!

[krudmonk]

Eveyone in the world has an accent.

[SunFl0wer]

Any parent, teacher, or counselor will tell you that students are expected to do all they can to bring their very best to the classroom. What are the students to do when they indeed do bring their very best, but then are saddled with teachers who aren't able to present their lessons properly because of a language barrier?

Isn't it possible that teachers with built-in language barriers aren't bringing their very best to their students? Communication should be at the highest level in a classroom atmosphere.

Should the teacher who continually is unable to be clearly understood be allowed to continue to teach? Conversely, should a student be allowed to fail a class, when it has been verified that the teacher is actually the problem?

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by SunFl0wer

Any parent, teacher, or counselor will tell you that students are expected to do all they can to bring their very best to the classroom. What are the students to do when they indeed do bring their very best, but then are saddled with teachers who aren't able to present their lessons properly because of a language barrier?

Isn't it possible that teachers with built-in language barriers aren't bringing their very best to their students? Communication should be at the highest level in a classroom atmosphere.

Should the teacher who continually is unable to be clearly understood be allowed to continue to teach? Conversely, should a student be allowed to fail a class, when it has been verified that the teacher is actually the problem?

That is fine and rational. But again I ask why is it necessary to have a state law that focuses on a single incompetency? It is the responsibility of school administrators to evaluate teacher performance and get rid of those who don't pass muster. I fail to understand why the legislature, few if any of whom are experienced educators, is getting involved in this rather narrow issue other than to promote their anti-Hispanic biases.

[jaada]

Originally Posted by KarmaPhx

I am surprised no one else has posted this yet.

Arizona Teachers With Accents and Ethnic Study Banned (http://digg.com/d31Pudv - broken link)



Makes sense to me, if you can't speak English correctly, how can you be expected to teach it?

is that for real cause there are some teachers at the college with real heavy accents and there are still there.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

That is fine and rational. But again I ask why is it necessary to have a state law that focuses on a single incompetency? It is the responsibility of school administrators to evaluate teacher performance and get rid of those who don't pass muster. I fail to understand why the legislature, few if any of whom are experienced educators, is getting involved in this rather narrow issue other than to promote their anti-Hispanic biases.

Also they interviewed these teachers...why now? And in what geographic areas in the state are they teaching? And when hiring an English teacher would they hire someone who is not proficient in the language grammatically?

[observer53]

Who decides when an accent is too heavy, and what criteria do they use? I've seen many native English speaking teachers that could not correct spelling and grammar errors. More reactionary xenophobia is not the answer.