While I think it’s a good idea for kids to learn another language, I think it should have been done in a language class that the kid’s parents can consent to, and be forced on them.

mindy1 on February 10, 2009 at 6:59 pm

I think there are different reasons to learn a foreign language, some good, and some not so good. It is helpful to learn languages like Arabic if the motivation is to be able to more effectively fight the enemy. Not so good to learn Arabic if the motivation is to become entranced by Muslim culture and its ‘superiority’ to traditional American culture.
It is good to learn languages like French and German in order to become an educated person and read the great literature of those languages, or to learn foreign languages for business reasons, although now, those motives are becoming interfused with the loss of American jobs, and helping to take jobs from our country, so not as good as it was.
But most people who learn Spanish do so because of PC reasons, compassion for the suffering of illegal aliens, or to show how enlightened they are. But I guess taxpayers are paying for everything else under the sun now, why not this?

c f on February 10, 2009 at 8:43 pm

did you get your all spanish obama propaganda in the mail? only english on both sides was the address. so I can’t tell you what it said.
My son while in high school had a choice, spanish or french, he decided neither and went to college during the summer and learned Japanese for his language credits. of course we had to pay for that, but as he said “I don’t ever plan on going to france and I can always find a gardener that speaks english”.

ender on February 10, 2009 at 8:52 pm

Forced to learn Spanish simply because of the illegal aliens. Forced to learn French becuase they’re wimps.
I find it amazing how both languages are viewed in a superioir way by these psychonuts. What about the other languages?? What’s wrong with Japanese? I’d rather learn that over the other two for one good reason….because I hear it so much in japanese animes and I pick up on alot of their words.
If my nephews told me they were forced to learn spanish, I’ll make sure their mother knows about it.

Squirrel3D on February 10, 2009 at 9:40 pm

The only phrase my kids need to know in Spanish in America.
“Ahora vuelva a su propio paÌs.”
The other only if they are in a Spanish speaking country
“donde est· el cuarto de baÒo?”

MarySJ on February 11, 2009 at 10:34 am

First, it’s up to parents to keep sounding the alarm and raising a ruckus, and the pendulum will swing the other way. Second, spread the word whenever possible. When my (national carrier) telephone bill arrived in an envelope with nothing but Spanish all over it, I complained loudly. The carrier couldn’t apologize quickly enough, but by then I’d already told everyone and anyone I could to be on the lookout for this kind of thing in their own mail and make a fuss about it. Third, how about all the grocery/drugstore items that are barely readable now? A popular brand canned milk on the prized eye-level shelf at my local Kroger is labeled in Spanish with some tiny little English printing underneath. Boycott ’em!!

Carrieann on February 11, 2009 at 11:51 am

Give me a break. That school is trying to teach Spanish to a bunch of morons in the vain attempt to give US students an advantage in the global marketplace. There is an entire CONTINENT just south of us that speaks Spanish and you can bet it will be the next big land of exploitation. My niece and nephew are in a total Spanish immersion elementary school and are already fully bilingual. When they graduate from HS and College, they are going to land the primo jobs and those idiots in Wisconsin are going to be selling beer and moose burgers at the highway rest stop because they can’t speak a foreign language. And anyone who thinks speaking Japanese is cool should strike up a conversation with a WWII vet and see what they think of those murdering, torturing bastards.

LoveAManInAUniform on February 11, 2009 at 3:07 pm

There is absolutely nothing wrong with kids being taught a foreign language as long as it is taught in a language class that has been previously selected by the student and pre-approved by his/her parents. Yes, you have a huge problem with illegal immigration but you need not get racist folks, I mean almost all of the comments here are filled with hatred and it is a shame America has come to this. I was forced to live in your country illegally some time ago when my parents chose to move there for a couple of years, I learned your language, your history and fell in love completely with American people. After graduating high school at the top 10% of my class and with honors, I chose to come back to my country for I did not want to live there illegally. To this day I respect your country as it were my own, I feel ashamed my American friends are now full of hate, no thanks to the President that was suppose to bring all races together. Learning Spanish won’t make you a Third World citizen, you can chose any other language of your choice and become better prepared to take on the global marketplace.
LoveAManInAUniform, I agree with you 100%!!

Lil on February 11, 2009 at 7:21 pm