Noonan, who campaigned against Proposition 227, is a convert to immersion.........Test scores ''hadn't moved out of the basement for many years, then all of a sudden there was a 100 percent gain,'' Noonan said. ''We thought it could be a fluke. But we saw [improvement] again and again. ... Anyone who tells me that's not significant is spouting foolishness.''

Bump!

Plus,if you'll note that the teacher said that they would be learning the "short I" sound. She's using phonics!!! These kids will be better at reading English than most in our schools.

She's using phonics!!!

Bump!

But the educrat nay-sayers don't want to acknowledge English-only and phonics.

Bump

Bump back at ya!

Being bilingual is great but if you want to have a shot at success in this country you need to learn English.

By the way, next time you are in Mexico, notice who the real entrepreneurs are, they speak English.

Someone told me that Spanish is a phonetic language and when Spanish-speaking children are exposed to "whole language" they are completely mystified. He said that anybody who knows how to read phonetically can read Spanish aloud to a Spanish-speaking individual and even if the pronunciation is off, that individual will understand what is read to him. Whole language has damaged so many children in this country.

Yes, we must keep our common language. English binds us together.

If the mother wants her children to know how to read a sign in Spanish, she can make that happen.
She did not (as did none of the others) ask for a waiver for her children to be put back into bilingual classes.
With her children learning English, maybe she too can learn English.
In time, if they all learn English, maybe parents will see that the public schools have been holding them back and ask, why?

But she resents her inability to help them with their homework and is concerned that they will not be able to read the simplest signs in Spanish if they ever visit her native Mexico.

This statement encapsulates the attitude of modern-day immigrants. They are not really interested in becoming enculturated to the United States. Their dream is to position themselves economically for a future permanent return to their country of origin, and to act as political advocates for their home country while they are here.

On another thread, there is a post of an article from an Orlando newpaper that reports how immersion is not working there. The teacher of a class of 3rd graders, none of whom are English speakers, is interviewed and observed in her classroom by the reporter. The overall tone of the article is not positive.

Whole language has damaged so many children in this country.

I suggest this should read, "The Teachers and their union have damaged so many children in this country."
Their insistance on anything that supports the teacher gravy train, (such as bilingual ed)is part of the reason this obvious "fix" took an constitutional ammendment to implement.

Maria Calderon, a mother of three Harding pupils who speaks no English, said she appreciates the efforts to make her children fluent. But she resents her inability to help them with their homework and is concerned that they will not be able to read the simplest signs in Spanish if they ever visit her native Mexico.

Oh, Maria, where to begin?

Your children just won't make it in a big way in America without speaking English, so I hope you really do appreciate it. I wonder what non-English-speaking Maria does for a living.

How about doing the homework with your children, and letting them teach you. You'll learn, and so will they.

One more thing, Maria, if you want your children to speak and read Spanish, how about you spend some time with them teaching them. I hope you're not sitting there waiting for the public school system to take care of all your needs.

After years of dem-commie-libs experimenting on the nation's children, the basic, common sense approach to teaching returns and is found to be more effective than any of the liberal fads (e.g. new math, ebonics, etc.)

Oops. Correction. The other article, link below, does NOT describe in immersion program. In fact, after looking at it again, it appears that the state of Florida does not have a standardized approach to the teaching of non-English speaking kids. Sorry for having misled. PLK

Click here to go other article

People ask why I hate liberals, and I have one very simple reason: They nearly always destroy (and ruin) in the process of experimenting with their latest (fadish) theories (education or otherwise). How many children have been condemned to illiteracy and how many futures have been blighted because the liberal education establishment decided to use children as ginny pigs?

On another thread, there is a post of an article from an Orlando newpaper that reports how immersion is not working there. The teacher of a class of 3rd graders, none of whom are English speakers, is interviewed and observed in her classroom by the reporter. The overall tone of the article is not positive.

I read that article and it struck me as excuses, excuses, excuses. I also don't like the woman's remarks you refer to.
But then, she will have to admit, we all can't have everything we want. That's life.
However, I see she didn't sign a waiver to have her children returned to bilingual, did she?

So much of our problems have come from the LIBERALS and educrats promising to pander to everyone.
The Democratic Party and the National Teachers Association Union are in LOCK step and fiercely support each other. They aren't leaders they are leeches.

Thanks for the LINK. I agree with your re-read.

Heads up.

I hope she follows your advice.

After years of dem-commie-libs experimenting on the nation's children, the basic, common sense approach to teaching returns and is found to be more effective than any of the liberal fads (e.g. new math, ebonics, etc.)

Schools of Education need to be examined very closely. The 60's LIBERALS have been training our teachers and the results are disasterous.