Bilingual Classes in Elementary

Whats your opinion on the Biligngual classes that are offer in the elementary school level?

I'm against such option but not because the "financial" defficiency that many people look at (education is never a bad to invest in). My con against it coinsides on how students are limited to their abilities and how everything falls in their shoulders once entering a higher level schooling. Meaning, their not able to apply for advance courses or honor programs. Bilingual courses also increases the barrier of assimilation.

Well. i took bilingual classes when i was in elementary school and i was able to assimilate just fine most kids who take such classes don't take them out of choice but as a way of learning the language until they can comfortably take full English classes. In my opinion bilingual classes are a really good thing and i find no cons against it, but then again its just my view point.

Hmmm....this is actually an interesting question and one that Tancredo LOVES to argue about on the House floor.


My humble opinion:


I, personally, was forced to take a semester of ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages] in pre-school because of my Spanish last name. Trouble was, I already knew English and didn't know more than a couple phrases in Spanish. I think schools like to stick kids in ESOL classes just because of their nationality or surnames and they don't really test them or at least let them see where they are with their control of the English language. My brothers took ESOL and they didn't really need it either. If anything, ESOL impeded their learning of the language because the teachers would always speak to them in Spanish.


I don't really think ESOL is necessary because kids pick stuff up [when they're younger] extremely quick. Just by watching television, my brothers' gained so much more than in an actual ESOL class. At my high school, I would see kids in bilingual classes for years with no intention of ever learning the language because their friends spoke Spanish and if that was the case, why should they bother learning English, you know? And, at my school, that only lead to a fragmented minority group which included more "assimilated" Hispanics that had better control of the English language and non-English speakers. It not only created a rift between those two groups but with minority groups in general because there were also the Haitians in ESOL classes that stuck mainly together and there were always fights between them and ESOL Hispanics. It bothered me quite a lot now that I think about it.


I take it that not every bilingual experience is like that but I do believe that there is some level of discrimination as to who takes it [mostly people with foreign surnames even if they have full command of the language] and who doesn't. If anything, I think the children that need extra help can take normal remedial classes that are already offered for other children and since it'll be an English-only class, they'll learn it at a more expedited rate. That's just my opinion though.

I strongly agree with HOPEFULDREAMER. I was also stuck into one of those ESL classes and honestly I havent learned shit in those classes and I got out as soon as I could. I was taking "normal" english classes in parallel and that was a MUCH better learning experience.

I also strongly believe that these ESL classes are a tremendous barrier to assimilation. I have friends who came to the US the same time as I, but they stayed in those ESL classes for years and years, just because they wanted to be around "their people" or w.e. The result? While I am completely fluent in english and even think in english, they still strugle to carry on even a simple conversation. Its no joke, those classes are the devil!

They are meant to teach people english, to make the transition easier or whatnot, what they accomplish is raising students that do everything half assed because all they have to say is "i doesnt understand" and the teacher will reply "aaaah, aint that cute, well dont worry its ok that you cant speak english after 4 years in high school".

Excuse me for going on a bit of a rant here, but I think that is, bottom line, the BIGGEST problem with American education, the expectation that you only have to be half assed at everything you do! Counselors always saying "will you please pass this", and we all heard and used this horrid phrase "yey, I passed!" Educators stress the importance of "passing" while they should be stressing the importance of doing your best. And its OK to say that someone is stupid for god sakes, and its ok to use red ink, and its ok to tell someone that their current best is not good enough, and its ok when 60% of people fail an easy ass test, they fail not because the test is too hard, but because 60% of people are raised by the system not to give a flying fuck about how they do as long as they pass. The day we stop lowering standards to fit the curve is the day that students will start raising theirs.

I've been in this country since I was 3 years old.
Which means my entire entire education has been in the American school system.

Because I was Hispanic, I had to take ESL classes in elementary.
Gosh I hated that stuff.