Posted on 02/11/2006 7:35:54 AM PST by devane617
Dallas school trustee Joe May, who last week made a controversial proposal that the district look into hiring illegal immigrants, has died. Joe May Mr. May, 61, passed away Friday evening at 11:28 p.m. at Baylor University Medical Center, according to Dallas school district officials. District officials have not given an official cause of death, but will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. today. Fellow board members expressed shock at the death. Mr. May, known for getting passed a divisive proposal that requires some principals to become bilingual, was in the news much last week over his desire to hire illegal immigrants to fill bilingual teacher positions. Board president Lois Parrott said she was called to the hospital late Friday, but when she arrived Mr. May was already deceased. "Joe May will be deeply missed," Dr. Parrott said in a prepared statement. "He cared so deeply for the children and was always doing so much for the district. That's what his whole life was about-fighting for people's rights. He was a dedicated and sincere person. Without him there will be a void on the board of trustees."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1573484/posts
Will they appoint an illegal to the board in his memory?
I know many legal bilingual professionals who would be glad to teach an hour or so a day in addition to their regular jobs...but as long as DISD is controlled by corrupt/incompetent administrators and unions, there is no way in Hades it will happen. I don't agree with this guy's proposal to hire illegals. However, something does need to be done. If we're not going to deport the 50%+ of the students who are illegals, shoving them in a classroom without English skills, with a teacher who isn't bilingual, and passing them from grade to grade as illiterates, serves no legitimate purpose.
Don't let Pat Robertson get wind of .... wait a minute .... maybe Pat's on to something ......
Two cases: we had friends who lived in Chile. The girls started school totally without Spanish; before the year was out, they spoke it fine. They didn't need teachers to speak English to them; they caught on.
I am tutoring a little Chinese boy; they speak Chinese at home. His dad told me, 'Last year he didn't speak any English; I think a teacher at his preschool spoke Chinese, and so he didn't need to. This year he is in Kdg; his English has improved dramatically.
What's wrong with immersion?? It is considered THE way to learn a language later on; all the missionaries use immersion. But it is not good enough for little kids, who pick up languages the easiest of all of us?
I think it is ok to have someone who speaks another language for the parents; the moms, esp., don't often speak English. But for the kids I think it is a waste of time and it works against what you want -- bringing them into OUR culture, teaching them English, helping them belong.
And of course the problem is the absurdity of accepting the children of undocuemneted aliens. But that is driven by the greed of businessmen for cheap labor and of the rich for houshold servants.
I prefer immersion as a teaching method. However, it isn't happening at DISD. Student population is now 63% hispanic...most of whom are illegals. Most of the teachers are the bottom of the barrel...if they could get a decent job, they'd move to one of the suburbs and teach. The horror stories that come from DISD are amazing. It is common, for example, for teachers to sit in class and read a book, and let the kids entertain themselves. Thank the unions for this...and the federal government for letting the illegals in and stay. Under these circumstances, I'd rather see bilingual teachers. They can teach by immersion method...but would be more prone to actually communicate with the kids rather than sit at a desk and do nothing.
Maybe if the DISD didn't waste money on beuraucrats, trustee, board member salaries, and useless social programs, they could pay a higher salary, draw better teachers to the area, and rise to a level of competence that wasn't the shame of the state.
The problem is where is no push by the parents to learn English. School is regarded as a baby-sitting service. I must admit that this is understandable when the driving force in a family is to get as much money as possible and local businessmen are trying to keep wages as low as possible.
Two issues.
1. Congress could stop alot of this nonsense by legislation that denies citizenship by birth to those born to parents who are not U.S. citizens.
2. The U.S. Supremes found that magical right in the Constitution for illegal kids to get a 'free' public school education. Time to revisit that issue with a more conservative court.
HISD has too many admins, too.
Oh, OK. It's our fault, not the parent's fault. We have to make extra effort to accomodate the actions of their parents, who:
And you say "something should be done"? I agree. Reverse Plyler v. Doe, enforce all the immigration laws on the books, and the situation will cure itself. No need to turn the schools into a giant babysitting operation for the children of Mexico, which is precisely what has happened in California and Texas, and soon pretty much everywhere else in the United States.
Perhaps you should have read post # 11 before attacking.
I am not sure that a "conservative" court or Congress will act. They get too many campaign dollars from those interested in cheap labor, Anazingly, this includes the labor unions, because the most powerful ones are the public employees unions.
"Maybe if the DISD didn't waste money on beuraucrats, trustee, board member salaries...??"
Just FYI -- In Texas, school board trustees are entirely volunteer and thus are not paid a salary.
The Devil has called one of his minions home.
The answer is IMMERSION. It worked for every previous generation of immigrants and those from Hispanic countries don't seem any less capable of learning.
Here's how I think it works: the District gets ADA money for each student who attends. They do not care if they are legal or illegal. They certainly aren't going to check on immigration status and then turn away money. And frankly, I don't want unschooled kids who do live here hanging out NOT able to go to school.
The parents don't speak English. But my great-grandmother never spoke English. Her kids all learned English in school, all graduated from High School, in the 1890s.
So ... the problem is, then ... the unions, I think. And of course that teacher and his ilk who sit and read a book to their students instead of working. The Lazy Loafers, I like to call them.
What is DISD?
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