Situation at my kid's school - need help

[SicNTiredInSoCal]

About 3 months ago I finally got my family out of the city and into the rural area that we'd been trying to move to since 2007. The schools out here are known to be decent (as far as California goes).

When I took my kids to their new school for the first time, (they are in 4th and 5th grade) I noticed that a lot of the signs were in English and Spanish. I should have seen this as a "sign" of things to come.

Today, my son who is the 5th grader showed me the songs he is to sing for their Christmas performance this year. There are three songs total and TWO of them are in FULL spanish!!!!!!!!! When my son handed the music to me he is to practice I could just feel my face get hot! The only English song is "Sleigh Ride" The other two: "Noche De Paz" and "Paseo en Trino" - ALL spanish. Not even one paragraph in English and one Spanish switching back and forth.

Obviously this school is big on teaching/forcing the kids into learning spanish. My son also recently mentioned to me that one of the math teachers there teaches the kids math in ALL spanish. I think this teacher is the one behind all the spanish music too.

The school is a mix of white, hispanic and Native American kids. I am really feeling like they are shoving this spanish thing down my kids throat and I'm furious about it. I never had this issue with their other school that is literally a half hour away and in the same district so this threw me for a loop as I was not expecting such a drastic change.

I told my son he can stay home from school that day if he does not want to do it. It bugs him (and me) that he has to sing a song in a language and words he does not understand. If my kids want to learn spanish, I feel it should be up to them to take a class for it (as I did), but this school is shoving this multi culti BS on them and I feel like I need to resist.

If you were me, how would you handle this? Should I email his teacher? Should I just say nothing and pull him out of school on the performance day? I'd love to make a big ole stink (oh man would I love to!), and if he was younger I might, but next year he will be going to middle school with all these kids and I don't want him being labeled a "racist" by the mexicans there because of my actions as he will likely also being going to the one high school in town with all of them too!

I probably just need to sleep on this and think it over in the morning, but if anyone has any advice on how best to handle this, Im open to suggestions. Thanks!

[busygirl]

Give them options. lol
A: For the spanish songs to be translated into English, your child will sing in English and they provide a translator at their expense.

B: They give your child a personal tutor to learn spanish at the expense of the school.

Be sure to tell them that the Christmas performance is not diverse enough and remind them that English is the primary language in America.

[grandmasmad]

way back in the 50's....I was part of the girls chorus in High School....in New York.....We sang ONE of our Christmas songs in Jewish for the Christmas program......It was a fun song and to this day I can still sing "Hava Nigula....Hava Nigula....way mis mahod"

I am definitely NOT Jewish!!!! The song was upbeat and fun....

I agree with you 100% on this shoving the language on your kids......This is America!!!!!!!!!!!!! My parents came here from Germany and learned the language and were proud of this country.....are there any other american kids that are friends with your kids....What do their parents say/think about this???...maybe a GROUP of you can get together and complain

[ReggieMay]

From your description of the school, it sounds like they need to incorporate a Native American song as well.

[working4change]

yes I agree. A song in English, Spanish and Native American that is if they are interested in true diversity and fairness to all.

[Oldglory]

I know it's a bit late for it now but I would have investigated the schools in the area I was moving to before doing so. Especially since you were trying to escape this nonsense from your prior location.

I would raise such a stink about this that the school officials would be forced to change their policies. I'd write articles for the local paper about this also. We can't and shouldn't back off defending our culture and langauge out of fear of being called a racist.

[SicNTiredInSoCal]

I know it's a bit late for it now but I would have investigated the schools in the area I was moving to before doing so. Especially since you were trying to escape this nonsense from your prior location.

Thanks Old Glory - but I DID investigate first and was told over and over that the schools were on par with the one they went to before. The truth is it's extremely difficult to get away from it here. Believe me, I did not see this coming and it really threw me for a loop. It's just so over the top!

If it was up to me alone, I'd have left the state YEARS ago, but we can't so moving to a rural area was the compromise for now. I've mentioned my "ten year plan" on here before-but the way things are going around here - we might not hold out that long.

Maybe I will write a letter to the editor of the small paper we have here. I doubt it will get published as it is a bit too controversial. Right now they are up in arms about some big changes made recently to how they do stuff at the town library.

I was thinking last night and first thing this morning-this is my dilema as a parent: I need to think of what is best for my child. I would grudgingly encourage him to learn spanish for his own good. I know he is going to need it because that is the way this country is going. But I want it to be HIS choice-not because it was forced on him.

So many my age took French in high school and now wish they'd learned spanish. I took spanish in high school and barely passed the class because I didn't take it seriously. I lived in a very small town that was 90% white back in the 80's. I never heard spanish there growing up so as a result I did not take it seriously. Spanish seemed like some language for a far away foreign land...how things have changed-now it's not far away at all, but right in our face 24/7.

[SicNTiredInSoCal]

yes I agree. A song in English, Spanish and Native American that is if they are interested in true diversity and fairness to all.

Good points from both you and Reggie.

[SicNTiredInSoCal]

way back in the 50's....I was part of the girls chorus in High School....in New York.....We sang ONE of our Christmas songs in Jewish for the Christmas program......It was a fun song and to this day I can still sing "Hava Nigula....Hava Nigula....way mis mahod"

I am definitely NOT Jewish!!!! The song was upbeat and fun....

I agree with you 100% on this shoving the language on your kids......This is America!!!!!!!!!!!!! My parents came here from Germany and learned the language and were proud of this country.....are there any other american kids that are friends with your kids....What do their parents say/think about this???...maybe a GROUP of you can get together and complain

I wish. We are still fairly new here and I have not met many of the parents yet. (Thats why I came to my friends here at ALIPAC.) My husband was wishing the same thing as we discussed this last night....

[SicNTiredInSoCal]

Give them options. lol
A: For the spanish songs to be translated into English, your child will sing in English and they provide a translator at their expense.

B: They give your child a personal tutor to learn spanish at the expense of the school.

Be sure to tell them that the Christmas performance is not diverse enough and remind them that English is the primary language in America.

Thanks! I needed that!