Not even teachers can speak English

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | September 1, 2007

[RightWhale]

Have you come across a street urchin selling peanuts to tourists in more languages than one needs for a doctorate in philology? Sure, speaking is one thing and writing another.

[13Sisters76]

It isn’t just spanish. Try grading papers by some of these kids who’s families have been in the US for over 400 years.

The education system in this country is BROKEN. The destruction began when the government got involved 150 years ago and has continued unabated to this day. The result is, kids who are stupid and proud of it, demand respect they have not earned, disrupt the classroom KNOWING there is nothing you can do about it, can’t write their own names (and these are SENIORS), cannot do math and have absolutely NO knowledge of history that doesn’t include misinformation about slavery and civil rights, America’s “oppressive past” and the plight of the “native” Americans.

There are teachers out there who actually care about this, but are branded as “troublemakers”. Others gave up a long time ago and many, MANY, younger ones who are “education majors” and not much more academically advanced than the kids.

Public education is a mess. An out-of-control MESS; an administratively top-heavy tax money “black hole”. I always laugh when someone complains about “interest groups” and “lobbyists” “running the country”. I always ask them if they know which one is one of the biggest and most powerful lobby groups in the country and then watch the reaction when I tell them it’s the NEA.

[Jakarta ex-pat]

I couldn't agree more.

However, it is reading and writing that many presume to be rote learning.

[darkangel82]

homeschool ping

[Oatka]

From what I've heard from others (I don't speak Spanish), many of the recent Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. are fluent in neither English nor Spanish. I'd guess their Spanish is the street lingo you mentioned.

I was a volunteer reading tutor at a local Nevada middle school that was trying to bring kids up to grade level. Over 90% were Hispanics, the rest were whites with attitudes.

The teachers told me of two problems: One was that many of the Hispanics couldn't read in any language. The other was that while the Hispanic kids wanted to learn English, their fathers forbade them from speaking or reading English at home. "Spanish is your heritage." they were told. These parents, legal or not, are colonists, not immigrants.

[Polybius]

Here is what I am trying to figure out. I have several students from Puerto Rico, a US TERRITORY, yet the main language is Spanish. I have one student who barely understands anything I say in the classroom. Maybe I’m just naive to think that the main language in a US Territory would be English.

SHORT ANSWER:

Yes. You are naive.

LONG ANSWER:

You are not a History teacher, are you?

When Jesus was preaching, Judea was a Roman province gained by Roman conquest of the region. Did you think that Jesus, the Apostles and the rest of the Jews of Judea at that time spoke Latin, the language of Rome, as their main language because Judea was a ROMAN TERRITORY?

Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony from 1842 until 1997, gained by British conquest of the region. Did you think that from 1842 until 1997, the residents of Hong Kong spoke English, the language of Great Britain, as their main language because Hong Kong was a BRITISH TERRITORY?

The Philippines were:

1. Spanish territory from 1571 to 1898, gained by Spanish conquest of the region.

2. U.S. territory from 1898 to December 1941, gained by U.S. conquest of the region during the same same Spanish-American War that made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory.

3. Japanese territory from December 1941 to October 1944, gained by Japanese conquest of the region.

4. U.S. territory again from October 1944 to July 1946, gained by U.S. reconquest of the region.

Did you think that the main language in the Philippines was Spanish from 1571 to 1898, English from 1898 to December 1941, Japanese from December 1941 to October 1944 and then back to English from October 1944 to July 1946?

No. The Filipinos continued to speak the local languages that their parents, grand parents and ancestors had spoken for hundreds of years.

Map of the dominant linguistic groups of the Philippines.

Puerto Rico has been a Spanish-speaking island since the early 1500's and the vast majority of Puerto Rican families have been native Spanish speakers for hundreds of years.

Expecting native Puerto Ricans to speak English as their main language in Puerto Rico simply because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory is as naive as expecting Jesus, the Apostles and all the rest of the Jews in the Holy Land at the time to speak Latin as their main language simply because Judea was a Roman province.

Give the kid a break.

If Jesus had been sent to school in Rome by Joseph and Mary, one of His teachers could have been saying:

"Here is what I am trying to figure out. I have several students from Judea, a ROMAN TERRITORY, yet the main language is Aramaic or Hebrew. I have one student named Jesus who barely understands anything I say in the classroom. Maybe I’m just naive to think that the main language in a Roman Territory would be Latin."

[Old 300]

The Republic needs more patriot women like you. Speak up. Speak up often. And be relentless. One woman with courage makes a majority.

[gitmo]

I’ve received notes from my sons’ teachers that were unintelligible. They have no grasp of the English language even though they grew up in the US. I’ve returned notes with the request they be rewritten in English.

[sushiman]

“I doan make chainch eeder... ” Que ?

[Kimberly GG]

What a kind thing to say. Thank you so much! More often than not, I am told just the opposite, so, it is sincerely appreciated.

[OldEagle]

Are people born in Puerto Rico US citizens and do they pay US taxes?

[Ahithophel]

“who” is used when it’s the subject of the verb, “whom” is used when it’s the object of the verb.

[Polybius]

Are people born in Puerto Rico US citizens and do they pay US taxes?

** Are people born in Puerto Rico US citizens? .... Yes.

** Do they pay US taxes? .... They do NOT Federal Income Taxes UNLESS they are Federal employees, do business with the U.S. Government or are Puerto Rico based corporations that send funds to the U.S. They also pay Federal import/export taxes, Federal commodity taxes and Federal Social Security and Medicare taxes. They do pay Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Income Taxes.

** If a Puerto Rican moves to your town in the U.S., all the tax laws and voting rights that apply to you will apply to him.

** If you move to Puerto Rico, all the tax laws and voting rights that apply to the Puerto Ricans will apply to you.

"Wow!! U.S. territory. Old Glory flying over the Post Office. No Federal Income Taxes!!!! WOOOHOOO!!! Hey! Honey!!! Get on Travelocity and get us two one-way tickets to Puerto Rico! We're moving!!!! And send the nastiest e-mail you can think of to the IRS!"

"Ummm... Wait a minute ...... What's the catch? ..... There's always a catch."

Yep. There's a catch.

"Honey! Don't buy any plane tickets yet and hold that e-mail to the IRS!"

The Puerto Rico Commonwealth Income Taxe is .... sit down for this .... WORSE than Federal Income Tax. For married couples the top tax rate of 33% starts at $50,000 after a $7,310 deduction.

Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of) State Income Tax Information

In addition, remember those "voting rights" I mentioned?

** Are Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico allowed to vote for President of the United States? ...... No.

** Are Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico allowed Congresscritters with a vote in Congress? ... No.

** Are Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico allowed to fight for the U.S. and do they fight for the U.S.? ... Yes. 150,000 Puerto Ricans from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

Puerto Rico's ... 65th Infantry Regiment U.S. Army

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" ......"The Free Associated State of Puerto Rico") is a self-governing, unincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status whose citizens have freely chosen at the ballot box to have their special relationship with the U.S. They are legally allowed to choose Independence, ask for Statehood, or retain their Commonwealth status by majority vote. By repeated votes, they have voted to retain the Commonwealth relationship with the U.S.

Puerto Rico is like grown-up sons and daughters. We are "family" with them but we do not "own" them. If they are always at family re-unions it is because they, of their own free will, want to be and stay part of the family.

[Niteflyr]

America, is going to have to take it. This is the way things are. Learn Spanish. Buy a good security surveillance system. Make lots of money so you can bribe government officials because this is where we are going to end up. Spare me the talk of civil war or revoltion, it isn’t going to happen. Civil war or revolution should have occured a long time ago. Learn Spanish, the language of your betters.

Over my and all my friend's dead bodies....

[OldEagle]

Why do they call it “State” Income tax?

[Polybius]

Why do they call it “State” Income tax?

For the same reason that a Spaniard drives a Volkswagen "coche" (literally, "carriage") that he will "estacionar" (literally, "put into a stationary state") after he gets to where he is going but a Puerto Rican drives a Volkswagen "carro" (a word derived from the English noun "car") that he will "parquear" (a word derived from the English verb "park"). After he parks, the Puerto Rican could go "lunchear" ( from the English word "lunch") with his Spanish friend who is unsuccessfully looking for all these strange words in his three inch thick dictionary of the Spanish language published by Real Academia de la Lengua Española, the Spanish Bible of proper Castilian.

The English translator of this Government form is directly transliterating the Spanish word "Estado" to the American English word "State" although they have different meaning in common usage.

We must remember that the English language is not primarily an Anglo-Saxon tongue. About 80 percent of the entries in any English dictionary are borrowed, mainly from Latin. That is thanks to the Norman Conquest of William the Conqueror that reintroduced a Latin based language into Britain whether King Harold and the Anglo-Saxons liked it or not.

The English word "State" is such a word derived from the Latin word "status" meaning, well, "status". ( About 10 percent of the Latin vocabulary has found its way directly into English without an intermediary.)

In Latin, "status" can be used to describe a form of political condition or mode of operation.

In Spanish, the derived word is "Estado" and, in English, the derived word is "State".

In the U.S.A. in common usage, the people have gotten used to thinking of "State" as meaning "California", Texas, "Florida", etc.

Outside the U.S., the equivalent word for "State" is used to mean "a form of government": Irish Free State

The official title of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" --- "Puerto Rican Associated Free State") is exactly the equivalent of "Irish Free State", except with "Associated" thrown in. (The Irish of the Irish Free State were not really "free" and wanted to tell Britain to bugger off. The Puerto Ricans, although legally free and legally allowed to vote for Independence, have repeatedly and freely voted to stay "Associated" with the U.S. as a Commonwealth. We treat our kids better. Our kid, Puerto Rico, still loves us and wants to stay part of the family. Britain's kid, Ireland, was being kept in the family by force of arms and was not being allowed to vote for total independence or vote for a Republic. Their kid eventually ran away from home and never came back.)

So, in Puerto Rico, they shorten up "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico", quite a mouthful, to simply "Estado" when talking about the governing body: The "Estado" did this, the "Estado" did that.

The Government translator simply transliterated "Estado" into "State".

Technically, to maintain a common usage perspective, the translator should have used the full "Associated State" or "Commonwealth".

Aren't you sorry you asked? ;-)

[Bernard]

They will never speak English fluently unless it is forced on them.

But their kids will, if for no other reason than to spite their parents. That is a universal imperative of all children.

[metmom]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. If you want on/off this list, please freepmail me. The main Homeschool Ping List by DaveLoneRanger handles the homeschool-specific articles.

Every few years in Buffalo, the high school teachers are given a high school proficiency exam of some kind, similar to that that your average high school student is expected to pass to show basic competency required for graduation. Many of the teachers cannot pass this test yet are expected to be teaching their students enough to graduate. Instead of addressing the problem, cries of racism usually follow and the fallout eventually blows over. The *teachers* still *teach* and kids continue to graduate illiterate.

[Clintonfatigued]

It says much about our education system that most of us aren’t even shocked by this news.

Even parents who aren’t particularly well-educated could probably do better.

[HungarianGypsy]

Meanwhile, Mesa School District claims that their drop in attendance has nothing to do with competition from charter schools (where I am betting the teachers apeak English).