Thread: What will be impact of Spanish-only preschool classes on you

Sarum, thank you for sharing that, immersion is the best method with kids. My husbands mother came to the U.S. at six years old from Germany in 1932. She and her 7 year old sister were sat in the classroom, and taught, in English. They began to learn and within 6 months were proficient in English.

I have seen Hispanic kids in our complex who at four and five years old cannot speak English. My own son, in first grade had a Spanish speaking teacher, who conducted the ESL classes, and pretty much ignored the Engish speaking kids. She read stories in Spanish, did spelling in Spanish, and from that our son was heavily behind in second grade, he could not read at all. We assumed she was doing her job, but found at the end of the year the truth (although during the year we had numerous talks with her, she kept insisiting he was having problems...).

If parents come here, even illegally, and love their kids enough and want them to be successful, they would make sure speaking English was a priority.

My daughters never took english classes and they all speak perfect english and perfect spanish. At the age kids enter preschool they know the same english with spanish, so it is not necessary for them to be in a bilingual program. i think that the kids to put bilingual classes because the parents do not speak english, not because the children need it.

I can tell you first hand the devastating effect this has. I have a 7 year old going into 2nd grade. 3 years ago when she was in kindergarten, there was only a pre-k and K program that taught kids in spanish only. 3 years and an increased property tax later, the SAME school has to teach spanish all the way into 4th grade. The classrooms are segregated, which is something that I thought we were waaay past.

My neighbor is a good example of this. She is an anchor, but is also a friend of my daughter. She is in the 3rd grade. At the end of this year, I began to quiz her on multiplication. She doesn't know any. My kids other friend who is also in 3rd grade, knows her multiplication flawlessly. Somehow, the anchor that doesn't know what she is supposed to know already was promoted to 4th grade. Now, her class will be held down because she doesn't care about her education. I am now her tutor during the summer to make sure that she doesn't fall behind. Her parents don't really care about her education, where I am trying to make sure that she becomes a productive member of society. In other words, I am making sure that she assimilates properly into American society.

Welcome to ALIPAC Bridget

Thank you!

Yes I fail to understand why some kids get it and others do not. I know children from other nations who came here before they were school age and they also cannot speak proper English. They do not have an accent but they order their words and use phrases and concepts from their first language. They do not use American English order for words and concepts and some of the phrases really have no meaning in English or got lost in the translation somehow. Why could they still not get it? I don't know. Their family are all bi- and multi-lingual in the home. They have 3 and 4 languages each. It is not just Spanish speaking children having the difficulty.

Well, in our area it is. We have a lot of Russians, Romanians and Bosnians, and even most adults have msatered English quite well, and many within a shorter time frame. Of course the kids, you would never know that another language was their families mother tongue.

I can only say, the main frustrations I have come across around here is all other groups come here and make a point of learning English, but those adults here from Mexico and the Central American nations do not. They use their kids for all transactions that need English, and this is so unfair to the kids, more so when they are younger.

I can only say, this is attributed to a desire to learn, and maybe the mindset that they cannot possibly learn? Might be some think they are just here to work and earn money, and of course liberal government has completely accomodated them, so they continue to expect language accomodation versus just learning English (again, there is that nanny state problem and the issues it causes).

I think that some cannot. There are many possible reasons for this including that in recent years I have become aware of learning disorders that are devastating but not commonly diagnosed in the general population of US citizens - so I imagine that some of them have these as well.

Mostly it is a militant reconquista attitude preventing use of English even if they can. They want to stress us out and cost us as much as possible in hopes of chasing us out of our own land. They have been fed lies that they once lived here and are coming back to their land.

I think that we erred in providing translators for them - they should have been forced to bear the cost themselves. We are being devastated by our own liberal policies and they are laughing. Just like these people who ask for and give cell phones on Craigslist and Freecycle could be terrorists wanting to set off bombs with our own waste - and have a good laugh about it.

When we are tourists spending money we get translators - otherwise we get kicked. Same all over the world.

Perhaps these other children that could never learn the English properly was somewhat a result of Arizona's poor reputation in the public school department as well? The family moaned and said it was because of 2 home languages plus having to learn English and having the Spanish forced on top of it - but like I say - the Europeans do it. How?

The majority of Americans have to PAY for any pre-school (aka daycare) for their kids, but somehow for anchor babies and their illegal sibs, this is a taxpayer funded freebie?!?!?!?!!!

I learned English via total immersion. There is no other way. The reason most of these hispanic kids don't (or won't learn) is because their parents don't believe in education and are more of a hinderance to their own kids. I know, my parents were like that also. Making money was what it was all about, not "wasting time" in a classroom.

Coddling them will yield no results other than failure and wasted millions of $$$$$$.

Some very good points and good insight as well, Sarum and Miguelina.

Miguelina, where we live, on the outskirts of town, near many farms and nurseries, we all too often see kids as young as 12 and 13 simply not in school, and I KNOW they are not being homeschooled. I also see many of the teens simply working, and came across a couple of them who did not really know how to spell.

I could say sure, maybe there is some with learning disabilities, but highly doubt it is so with so many of them all at once. My own daughter, now 27, went to a high school where many Hispanic students, most children of illegal aliens went. She said when a teacher would come down the hall and tell everyone to get to class, they would do the "qué, yo no hablo Inglés". They did this in class as well (while snickering and giggling). She said they spent a great deal of time in the halls screwing around, and then when finally in class, very disruptive.

This is mainly the parents fault. A few had parents who wanted their kids to be more successful and pushed them to go further, and these are people that have to be congratulated, that is a good parent. Our complex's maintenance guy has been here some time, he has three smaller kids, and his little girl, about 7, her English is so impeccable, you cannot detect an accent, but she can turn around and speak Spanish fluently as well. He speaks English and Spanish to his kids.

I suppose, a good many of us would have a little better feeling about people, although here illegally, who at least did all they can to be part of things here, made the effort to speak the language of our nation, and try to be decent neighbors....but, what we have seen around us is what we have gotten from them, so being here illegally, plus, makes us want workplace and border enforcement even more.