Thread: SPANISH-SPEAKERS ARE OUR KIDS

Spanish-speakers are our kids


The Washoe County School District's plan to launch a dual-language, English/Spanish pilot program for kindergarten and first grade students is a step in the right direction to help our community's Spanish-speaking children. The success of the Mariposa Academy of Language and Learning charter school suggests that such a program should have been launched years ago.
Some begrudge spending tax money on programs they view as not for Americans. These are often the same people who get upset about Latinos in America who can't speak English. They want them to learn English, but are unwilling to give them the means to do so. They hope that perhaps these children will just go away or magically integrate.
This form of thinking leads to children who, due to their not knowing English, are also uneducated.
An essay by Deborah Simmons in the Washington Times this month says, "While local governments, educrats and the unenlightened continue to make it a top priority for people from other lands to 'learn' English, what about the children whose American roots run as deep as a Live Oak?"Let it be firmly understood: Spanish-speaking children born in America are Americans. Most are here to stay. These are our kids. They are a large part of our country's future--and future workforce--and it's both wrong and foolish to ignore them or leave them to struggle for themselves. It is in everyone's best interests to give them our time, attention, and yes, funding. Such programs do not leave "American" kids behind to serve "foreigners." They are a realistic look at who makes up our country now, and who makes up its future.
The U.S. Census projects that by 2050, half of the nation will be Anglo, 25 percent Hispanic (Washoe County has nearly reached that figure already, at 20 percent), 15 percent African-American, and 8 percent Asian. http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=309223

African-American are leaving Reno.

The role of education in decreasing crime, poverty and improving the economy is well documented for all social and ethnic groups. It is no different for Spanish speakers--more than 20 percent of whom tend to drop out of school, according to the Census.
No one is saying to stop teaching English. Nearly no one is calling for Spanish to become the national language. This is about looking at changing demographics and being realistic.
And while we're at it, it's not a bad idea for English speakers to learn Spanish. Bilingual speakers are becoming increasingly necessary in any industry that involves human interaction. Learning Spanish also reduces the most common source of friction among speakers of different languages: fear of the unknown. Knowing both Spanish and English can turn fear and frustration into communication, cultural exchange and sometimes friendship.



I read the above in Reno News and Review and got angry all over again.

Spanish speaking children should learned English before entering school. Their parents should have been the ones who learned English and taught them. They should have learned it before coming to this country. The children that attend the Mariposa Academy (found throughout this country), funded by the tax payer, are children of illegal aliens. Those children born here to illegal aliens are not American citizens. The 14th Amendment do no apply to children born to illegal immigrants. They are citizens of Mexico. Some of those children are in this country illegally and is not entitled to be privately taught English with the taxpayers money. Public school are failing because time and funds are taken away from public schools teaching Americans and spent on spending extra time with children who do not fully understand English. This is not right and that is why most Americans are against illegal immigration. The cost of illegal immigrants to the tax payer. It is staggering because the flow of immigrants is not controlled. Not only is it costly, it is not fair to Americans. 20 million illegal immigrant in this country is a tragedy. The biggest tragedy ever to befall America’s society.
Controlled legal immigration is what is best for this country. The destruction of America will be because of illegal immigration and not anything else. Amnesty will only speed the destruction along.
Ice, continue to raid businesses that hire illegals. Fine employers and deport illegal workers with their anchor babies who are citizens of Mexico. No amnesty and no more automatic citizenship for children born to illegals.
American cannot take any more of this abuse of our immigration laws.
To you pro-illegal immigration advocates, who aid and abet illegals, you are also breaking our immigration laws and committing a felony. Our immigration laws will be enforced because our voices will be heard. We will make them heard.

A friend of mine who teaches public schools says it will be a cold day in hell before she learns spanish for her job!! She's frustrated by all of the little "immigrant" children who come to school every year and struggle to keep up with her lessons. The reason is the parents don't speak English at home and it further retards these kids in the classroom. God forbid when they get in trouble, and she has to find an aide who knows the lingo when calling parents of these poor 'immigrant' children because she not sure if they're relaying the correct message over the phone. This person is an excellent teacher, like sooo many others across the country, who is finding it tough to maintain high standards in their schools because every vote-seeking, money grubbing, pro-illegal supporter wnats to "DUMB" down everything so these poor "immigrant" children can keep up with American children. I'd better stop right here, as I feel my blood pressure rising!!!!

These "poor immigrant" children were either brought over our border by their illegal parents or they are their anchors. Either way, we need to get a handle on this illegal invasion and to pass legislation that no longer allows birthright citizenship to kids of illegal aliens. No more footing the bill to educate illegal foreigners that overcrowd our classrooms and slow down our American children and no more scam of our citizenship!!!

All I can Say is AMEN...which means Let it be
I hope we can change the course this country is on
I am praying really hard and I know he will help

These “anchor babies” qualify WIC, food stamps,medicaid with full dental and glasses, health care, prescriptions, Nevada check-up, Tri-Care, Health plan of Nevada plus the free school breakfast, lunch and summer lunch program. And my grand-children whose parents makes too much money, working 3 jobs between them to make ends meet) to qualify and not enough to afford health insurance, dental and glasses are paying, with taxes, for the these benefits extended to ‘anchor babies.”Haven’t we had enough? Are we angry enough to demand that our immigration laws are enforced? The time for talking is past and we must act by protesting, striking, etc, to show that we have had enough, it is costing us and our children and that we do matter. We must lean harder on our leaders.

dyehard, we are in the same situation here, and we only have ONE income for four right now. No medical, no dental, nada, zip.

We struggle to keep them fed, and to pay our regular bills (and I mean ONLY our regular bills, our only luxury is the internet).

We also have been forced to homeschool becasue of that dumbing down of the system. Our son was in fifth grade, and he had been behind from first grade on due to a teacher who preferred to speak Spanish to he Latino students, rather than in English, then, he kept falling farther behind, and they kept trying to blame it on us.

To make matters worse, our youngest hit kindergarten, and all they did was play and learn some Spanish words. By the time she left in June, she did not know the difference between her letters and numbers!

So, I know directly how this kind of skewed, idiotic thinking really hurts American kids. Plus, these kids get away with all sorts of BS in class, and it is written off as a "cultural difference". I say BULL!!