Foreign Language & Math Education in the USA

[Patrick H. Crowe]

In my opinion students in the USA must be fluent in at least one foreign language to get a high school diploma. If not, they get a certificate of attendance.

Each student is given a choice of which foreign language they would ike to learn. The study can begin at any grade level but all students, by 7th grade, MUST be taking a foreign language (or two). Prior to graduation they must pass oral and written fluency tests in that language.

In most industrialized countries, other than the USA, this is common. The fact it is uncommon in the USA shocks me. Those who claim it is all up to the parents and the government has no "BIDNEZ" dictating such things are, IMO, uneducated fools or worse. If you have a child in high school & he/she is not studying a foreign language please get with it.

I regret to report that of my 4 grandchildren who have entereed or finished high school only one is fluent in a foreign language. Of my three naturally sired children all are bi or tri lingual. One son has been speaking to his children in both Spanish & English since birth. Ignorant me thought the poor child would be hopelessly confused. Reasearch now shows the brains of such children develop differently and it is clearly to their advantage. Parents please take note: Learn a foreign langugae and speak it and English to your off spring.

Math education: All students need to take math for the first 12 years of their schooling. Those who whine about it should be ignored. The parent, parents, who say "I never liked math and was no good at it" should also be told to shut up jut before they are ignored. Special ed kids are exempt, God bless them.

Patrick H. Crowe

 

[pitzerwm]

Finally, something Pat & I can agree upon. Probably another thing that you can blame the educational system for not doing. Today, you must take a foreign language in 9th grade. The grade in which all you want is out.

They happen to teach bi-lingual here in one of the districts because I called the superintendent a racist in public. That city had 50+% Mexican kids and they expected that first graders who had never heard English to "figure it out". My argument was that if any kid gets behind in school, they just pass him anyway and as a teenager, he becomes a gang banger. You pay for it now or you pay for it latter. I recommended that they start the American 1st graders in Spanish too, but that didn't fly.

BTW, this town is now over 50% American-Spanish all middle class and are the children and grandchildren of the illegals of the 60s. when the government decided to put the migrant workers on welfare during the winter so that they didn't have to go back home and hopefully would eventually vote for them.