language Immersion program in public schools (Lake Barcroft: students, boundaries, percentage)

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Because pretty much everyone here speaks English and and our kids generally don't move to or seek jobs in non-English speaking countries?

which is going to hurt our children in the long-run in an increasingly interconnected, global economy. And learning multiple languages young helps children in other subject areas, as well.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by hilsmom

which is going to hurt our children in the long-run in an increasingly interconnected, global economy. And learning multiple languages young helps children in other subject areas, as well.

Not really. The international language of business is English. i predict most other languages will die out in the next 100 years.

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Not really. The international language of business is English. i predict most other languages will die out in the next 100 years.

Good luck with that prediction....

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

It is certainly advantageous to be at least bilingual, trilingual even better.

However-- I am $#%@ tired of seeing Spanish everywhere in this country. After just one hour of clipping coupons with "Ahorre" on it as well as "Save," why is it I now remember the Spanish word for save but the Spanish speakers here aren't expected to remember our word for ahorre? I have also picked up plenty of random Spanish words from my cleaning products. And the aisles at Home Depot. It is ridiculous to pander to the people who are here illegally, and before anyone gets defensive there is no other reason for so much Spanish to be everywhere.

European countries are great at picking up an extra 1, 2, 3 languages (it helps that they are so small that their citizens can easily travel from one country/language to another) but most have ONE common language to unite them. Where there is more than one (ex: Belgium) there is bitterness.

Let's enrich our kids' lives with foreign languages -- It is advantageous in other ways, too, as hilsmom said, such as building brain synapses. But let's bring our own country together with English-only. If you are here and can't clip coupons or run your dishwasher w/o a translator, that's a problem.

[claremarie]

Agree with CAVA. Honestly, why would any global employer hire a white kid who sort of learned Mandarin in high school, when they have their pick of Chinese immigrants who are fluent in both Mandarin and English, and who also have firsthand knowledge of the culture? I have never understood the argument that our kids will be disadvantaged by not knowing Mandarin/Hindi/Spanish.

The kids who never learn standard English will be disadvantaged in the global economy. It's a travesty that there are children born in this country to Spanish-speaking parents who enter kindergarten without knowing any English.

[car54]

Originally Posted by claremarie

....It's a travesty that there are children born in this country to Spanish-speaking parents who enter kindergarten without knowing any English.

Yeah, but it's absolutely amazing how fast they pick it up!

I used to do a Bailey's Elementary run...which is 90 some percent Spanish. First day of school....lots of kindergarteners that speak not a word of English climb aboard the bus. By Christmas, they're talking to me and asking questions about stuff...often without even an accent!

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by claremarie

The kids who never learn standard English will be disadvantaged in the global economy. It's a travesty that there are children born in this country to Spanish-speaking parents who enter kindergarten without knowing any English.

I think the real travesty is how many native English speakers can't write a coherent letter/essay/paper. I'm not sure what is going wrong, but if you have gotten through middle school at the very least, you should be able to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys, I guess?) and come out with something your reader can understand.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by car54

Yeah, but it's absolutely amazing how fast they pick it up!

I used to do a Bailey's Elementary run...which is 90 some percent Spanish. First day of school....lots of kindergarteners that speak not a word of English climb aboard the bus. By Christmas, they're talking to me and asking questions about stuff...often without even an accent!

Your bus run may have been 90% Hispanic, but Bailey's itself is 54% Hispanic. I think it has a magnet program that pulls in a lot of non-Hispanic students.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Alltheusernamesaretaken

Where there is more than one (ex: Belgium) there is bitterness.

How DARE you compare our hard-working Hispanic immigrants to those shiftless Walloons? I mean, even the FRENCH make fun of them for being lazy!

[car54]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Your bus run may have been 90% Hispanic, but Bailey's itself is 54% Hispanic. I think it has a magnet program that pulls in a lot of non-Hispanic students.

Mmmm, I was guessing about the Spanish percentage at Bailey's....but it sure seemed higher than 54%. Maybe if I said 90 percent of students are immigrants, that might be more like it.

I also drove a magnet bus out of Bailey's for a couple of years and I never figured that out! There are only about 50 out-of-boundary magnet students at Bailey's (chosen by lottery from about 300 applicants), and there are only two requirements for acceptance....1) proficient in English and 2) at or above grade level.

Plus, many of the magnet students were from decidedly low-brow schools like London Towne and Eagle View. Why would anybody want their kid bused clear across the County (over an hour each way!) to attend another crappy school? I know why FCPS wants the magnet kids at Bailey's, but what's incentive for a parent to send them?

Pure conjecture, but the only theory I can come up with is....many of the magnet kids played musical instruments.....and the place is called Bailey's Elementary School for the ARTS and Sciences....maybe the better music teachers are assigned to Bailey's?

On second thought, some of the parents did look like hippies....so maybe the "diversity" thing was enough for them...LOL. One family sent all three of their kids to Bailey's...for the whole 6 six years (K-5)!