Thread: Gingrich decries bilingual education

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/artic ... l_ballots/

Gingrich decries bilingual education
March 31, 2007

WASHINGTON --Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women.

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said.

Peter Zamora, co-chair of the Washington-based Hispanic Education Coalition, which supports bilingual education, said, "The tone of his comments were very hateful. Spanish is spoken by many individuals who do not live in the ghetto."

He said research has shown "that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers." Spanish-speakers, he said, know they need to learn English. "There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens. Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country."

In the past, Gingrich has supported making English the nation's official language. He's also said all American children should learn English and that other languages should be secondary in schools.

In 1995, for example, he said bilingualism poses "long-term dangers to the fabric of our nation" and that "allowing bilingualism to continue to grow is very dangerous."

Bilingual programs teach students reading, arithmetic and other basic skills in their native language so they do not fall behind while mastering English.

Since 1975, the Voting Rights Act has required ballots and other election assistance in languages other than English in jurisdictions where at least 5 percent of voting-age citizens are not proficient in English and literacy rates are below the national average.

The issue of a national language will likely re-emerge when Congress considers immigration legislation later this year.

If you don't speak English then don't vote!! period.

If you don't speak english you shouldn't be able to get a drivers license, bank, go to school, vote, etc. English is America's common language and should be used at all times except for in a person personnel life at home or between friends.

It's almost 30 states(2 pending) that have made English their official state language!

That's more than half of the United States. I just wrote my Rep. Chris Smith in NJ. He is going to vote yes to any and all legislation making English the official language of our state.

I hope it passes here soon and by federal legislation. Enough pandering to foreigners. Come here, assimilate like the rest of us!

He said research has shown "that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers." Spanish-speakers, he said, know they need to learn English. "There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens. Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country."

Whose research??

Here is a practical example of what does work. My two stepchildren, who immigrated here about one year ago from Philippines are thriving in school here without the "benefit" of bilingual education. These kids, one now in seventh grade, one in fourth grade, barely spoke any English a year ago. They had some reading knowledge of English from their public school education in Philippines (it is taught in the public schools there, but is not emphasized until high school. )

Their experience since arriving in the US and starting school has been total immersion in English. These kids are still not fully confident in speaking English and still have that Filipino accent, but the overall results have been amazing. My seventh grade stepdaughter has been an honor roll student all of this school year while at the same time participating in sports activities all year. She is doing better in school than she ever did in Philippines and loves it. My fourth grade stepson has been a little slower on the uptake, but he too is getting better grades than ever before and is far ahead of the Hispanic kids in his class, most of whom have been in US schools for far longer than him. These two kids don't make excuses. It doesn't take bilingual education to succeed... it takes commitment.

Bilingual education is a joke. It's not about learning English, its about making excuses. Most immigrants don't want it, they want to learn English.

He said research has shown "that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers." Spanish-speakers, he said, know they need to learn English. "There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens. Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country."

Then please explain to me why a high school graduate, US citizen, needs a translator when talking with a reporter.