North Carolina School Secretary Claims She Was Fired For Speaking Spanish To Parents
North Carolina School Secretary Claims She Was Fired For Speaking Spanish To Parents
Latina Lista is reporting that Ana Mateo, a bilingual school secretary, has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, claiming that her civil rights were violated after she was allegedly fired for continuing to speak Spanish to parents. Local Charlotte station WSOC broke the news:
The lawsuit against Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is now in federal court because a former employee said the CMS violated her civil rights because she spoke Spanish to parents even though she was hired to be the school’s bilingual secretary…
She claims in September of 2008, when a new principal came to the school, a new rule was given to all staff members to not speak Spanish to parents. The lawsuit claims Mateo, a bilingual secretary, continued to speak Spanish to many parents, after all, the school is more than a third Hispanic, well above the district average…Within a month of the alleged new rule, Mateo was told the school accepted her resignation, even though she says she never offered to resign.
Mateo filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which issued a response indicating that there is evidence that supports her allegations. While the school district claims it does not have an official English-only policy, WSOC also found that school staff members were telling parents that they could not even speak Spanish to one another on school grounds.
In the past, the National Education Association (NEA) has slammed English-only initiatives in schools as “government-sanctioned bigotry” that only makes it more “difficult for schools to prepare students for jobs of the future.” A study posted on NEA’s website states that school administrators “must have skills and the means for communicating with Latino parents and enlisting them as allies.” “There is a critical role for teachers and schools in helping parents to support their children’s schooling,” concludes Patricia Gándara of the University of California–Los Angeles.
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Once again, the dummies have bit themselves in the butt… first they hire her for her ability to speak Spanish, then they prohibit her from doing so. Now they have fired her, caused a scandal and a lawsuit, and will end up paying out buckets of cash for their politically-motivated silliness. When do people learn?? Cuando cuando cuando?
February 12th, 2010 at 5:48 pmWell i see it did not take long for the bigots and azzwipes to show up,, wow the 1st 3 post.
are you all afraid of actually learning something? anything? new? old?
February 12th, 2010 at 5:51 pmso come explain why you all are cowards i really like to know!
Hey, maybe they can pay the ensuing settlement with Stimulus money. You know, the money that their representatives railed agains, but, took credit for while posing with those silly, oversized checks.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:51 pmGood grief. That school’s Spanish programs must be murder to teach.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:52 pmI can’t understand why people would punsish someone for being biligual? Are they mad? Being able to speak another language is an asset. This is a multicultural nation. This whole anti-immigrant has been fueled by Repugs and of course Lou Dobbs who has accused Latinos from everything to stealing jobs and spreading disease. Unreal.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:52 pmWhat harm is it speaking Spanish to the parents. She wasn’t a teacher for cripes sakes.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:52 pmP.D. I think you’re right. Bilingual students do very well in school.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:53 pmI’m all in favour of forcing education on these xenophobic pricks.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:54 pm#5, didn’t you know that our Founding Fathers intended America to be an English-only speaking country? It’s right there in the Constitution, or Declaration of Independence, or the Federalist Papers, or somewhere. Maybe Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann can point it out to us.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:55 pmRab@10, We need bilingual teachers. We need to teach OUR children other languages. Remember in scholl when you had to Spanish or French? NOW the rules have changed? Why? Because Repugs and their ilk are racist dirt-bags. I would love to speak another language. Unfortunity I failed Spanish 2 and I butchered French. Oh well.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:57 pmP.D. says:
Rab@10, We need bilingual teachers. We need to teach OUR children other languages. Remember in scholl when you had to Spanish or French?
that and music needs to be bough back to our schools as well, as it fix`s in well with a well rounded education, kinda like leaving school and actually knowing things of value as well.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:58 pm#8, it’s that whole Bi[ thingy. They’re not against anybody being able to speak more than one language, they’re just against anybody being “Bi-” anything. Bilingual, bisexual… it’s all the same to them.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:58 pm#1 who is probably #2
How did you connect a school secretary being fired for use of bilingual language to deportation of illegal immigrants?
Very off topic, far out there and stupid.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:00 pmYes, we should speak English to those who don’t understand the language. Then flog their children.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:01 pmThat’ll teach them how to communicate!
/snark.
glad my kids haven’t had to go to school in one of those reactionary redstate school districts.
the “english-only” principal this NC school is suffering from right now will probably turn out to be one of those holy-roller child molesters that are constantly in the news.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:01 pm14. P.D. No doubt about it, my nephew learned Chinese in high school and after college traveled to China and taught english for 2 years. These repugs just don’t think outside the box of how the world is changing.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:01 pmTo be English only shouldn’t you have to learn Latin, French, and German since these are the three primary languages which Engish a borrowed language comes from?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:01 pmWouldn’t it be cool if all the teachers spoke only German, Greek, Italian, French or Vietnamese to that principal?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:03 pmHe/She/It might just learn something.
Lefty@18, I just think of the lost opportunity because I didn’t stick with it. I would love to learn another language. Other countries teach their children other languages at a very early age. We start to late. Do pre-teens really want to learn another language? No. Younger children would do better.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:04 pmthe spanish speaking probably made the other district parents feel stupid, so it had to be banned.
ignorant, low self-eteem people always think anyone speaking another language in their presence means that those people are saying something bad about them.
paranoid, lightly-educated rednecks will be america’s downfall.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:05 pmGee. Do you suppose xenophobic idiots like this have a problem with Indians in Mumbai speaking English so well that they’re taking American jobs….?
Why, no – *that’s* capitalism!
February 12th, 2010 at 6:06 pmLefty Liberal says:
And art, and physical education, and literature, and…
exactly,
image a school cuts PE, now we have a obese problem (well its really all over the world). could almost make a case that the trolls and the cult party comes from school that did not have those type of class`s.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:06 pmMy question is:
What change socially has gone on giving the school district nerve to fire over the use of bilingual language? Why now?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:11 pmUnfortunately our school district is cutting all sorts of programs. Science and Socail Studies are talikg a back-seat because of ‘No child left behind’. The emphasis that teachers are putting on Math and Reading are sucking out all the fun in learning. Our Kindergardeners are going to school full time and they don’t even play. It’s all testing and Reading. It sucks.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:11 pm“The lawsuit claims Mateo, a bilingual secretary, continued to speak Spanish to many parents, after all, the school is more than a third Hispanic…”
As soon as I finished reading this I got dizzy. She was a BIlingual teacher who got terminated for speaking a second language. Baffling…
February 12th, 2010 at 6:11 pmThe Indians in Mumbai speak better English than the xenophobic pricks supporting “English Only”.
So do the Danes in Copenhagen. And the Swedes in Stockholm…the Finns in Helsinki…really, most of Europe. And South Asia. I guess Africa, too…when taught English, they speak it much better than people demanding that everyone in this country speak only English
February 12th, 2010 at 6:12 pmI don’t care what language it is, music will always be the language of love.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:12 pmLefty Liberal says:
And art, and physical education, and literature, and
Music which is one of the best to help a young student develop his or mind for all subjects especially with math and science.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:13 pmUnless its Salsa, Merengue, or Tejano…
February 12th, 2010 at 6:14 pmSeptember of 2008, when a new principal came to the school, a new rule was given to all staff members to not speak Spanish to parents.
WHY?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:14 pmOff Topic… Does anyone know what Lou Dobbs is up too? He seems to have dropped of the face of the Earth.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:21 pmLefty Liberal says:
We need to be starting with multiple languages as early as Kindergarten, if not before. I see no reason why many students shouldn’t be speaking 3 languages by the time they graduate from high school.
–
What about civics classes? So many people hardly know anything about how our government works.
And IMHO it’s not just the curriculum that needs changing. Throughout elementary, high-school and middle-school…about half of my teachers were not that involved in the class. They would give you the information but it almost seemed like they were bored out of their minds doing their jobs.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:22 pmP.D. says:
Off Topic… Does anyone know what Lou Dobbs is up too? He seems to have dropped of the face of the Earth.
–
February 12th, 2010 at 6:27 pmThe last headline I saw about Dobbs was from the NYU Local: “Lou Dobbs Eats Entire Journalism Class.” The headline is funny but the article was basically Dobbs railing on journalists while the writer of the article sucked up to him.
*
thank you, Ana Mateo.
very brave of you … stay strong, lady.
.
there are not enough whistle blowers in this land…
February 12th, 2010 at 6:33 pmthey need to know there is support and reward for their efforts…
these stories are good news… and a good lesson – do the right thing.
The lawsuit claims Mateo, a bilingual secretary, continued to speak Spanish to many parents, after all, the school is more than a third Hispanic, well above the district average…
She was hired to be a bilingual school secretary, and when she did her job, they fired her. That school district better brace itself for some damages awarded to Mateo.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:38 pmI couldn’t agree more. I was actually going to point this out and I saw your comment. Also as mentioned before, the arts and sciences, too. Those are absolutely crucial forms of a civil, modern society & a way to express yourself as an individual; and they get cut by the hundreds.
It’s disheartening, in a way. And the arts & sciences are always first to go – next to sports.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:40 pmWas Italian/French/Polish etc. also banned?
Oh, just Spanish…mmmm, I see.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:41 pmso what nazi complained?
This didn’t happen by mitosis. This woman was hired as a bilingual secretary.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:43 pmshut up pOSTaL,
nobody’s slamming english, you hopeless idiot.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:47 pmChrome Child (Sponsored by Hudsucker Industries®) says:
bizarrobrain (Sponsored by Tysons chicken in a tube!) says:
What about civics classes? So many people hardly know anything about how our government works.
I couldn’t agree more. I was actually going to point this out and I saw your comment. Also as mentioned before, the arts and sciences, too. Those are absolutely crucial forms of a civil, modern society & a way to express yourself as an individual; and they get cut by the hundreds.
It’s disheartening, in a way. And the arts & sciences are always first to go – next to sports.
–
Science class funding would be great and I know how bad high-school science classes are…I was in AP chemistry and occasionally we had to ration materials such as various powders, or metals and various acids. Same with drama classes when we were forced to cut the prop and scene budgets. The extra money went to fund the sports teams.
Did you have a similar experience in high school?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:48 pmBuckie Boy@48, don’t forget Latin.
Romans go home!
February 12th, 2010 at 6:48 pmAna Mateo is being punished for using both sides of her brain in North Carolina.
I reckon our trolls would fit in perfectly there.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:48 pmtombaker,
Him and hunt are trolling the crap out of the other threads.
F***ing retards.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:49 pmNice republican move on the little guy (gal): insinuate she tendered a resignation letter by “accepting” it.
BTW, Subordinate conguy, isn’t checking the status and deportation our party’s solution for everything?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:51 pmthis SC town will pay for letting their nazi’s call the shots.
I think it’s funny and sends the right message.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:51 pmHave you read the rules? Hello, is this thing on?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:53 pmWould it be safe to say you dumb-assed troll has declared the school not guilty as charged w/out even reading the court docs?
February 12th, 2010 at 6:54 pmIt’s you that’s plain and simple, Olberfreak.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:56 pm¿De que color es el cielo en su mundo chalado?
OSTLL says:
The woman broke the rules. Plain and simple.
Takes someone plain and simple, to know about plain and simple.
Ohh, no, I di’nt!!
February 12th, 2010 at 6:58 pmAs a teacher in a predominantly Hispanic school, I understand well the frustration that accompanies the inability to communicate clearly with parents.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:00 pmYes, I wish the parents all spoke English; I also regret that I’ve forgotten much of my high-school Spanish.
Thank goodness for those on our staff who are able to communicate with the parents and bridge the gap. The tricky part is reaching the parents; many are working multiple jobs to make ends meet and to provide better lives for their children.
OSTLL says:
Would it be safe to say you “people” have declared the school guilty as charged w/out even reading the court docs?
Reading the above idiot, it’s pretty clear my party only stands up for guvmint schools when they find one that’s a microcosm of teabagger ideology.
Right, idiot?
February 12th, 2010 at 7:01 pmWhich is illegal as you will see.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:01 pmBreaking the rules is only important when it comes to teabagger tenets. All other rules, however, are tyranny, because OSTL and his teabagging ilk have to follow them.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:03 pmSome rules are stupid and arbitrary, and deserve to be broken — especially when one is exposing the racist attitude of the school adminitration.
Imagine a school not allowing the school secretary to communicate effectively with parents about their children, especially when that’s exactly why she was hired. That leaves children at risk.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:08 pmFor what? The Vote Down that I gave you?
February 12th, 2010 at 7:11 pmDe nada, pulga.
It’s freedom ™, you see, the ability of a school system which regards itself as an unruly conglomerate to box an employee in from doing her job.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:12 pmcause employers are always right and employees are always wrong and no one is ever treated unfairly in the workplace.
We get it you little nazi.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:13 pmOSTLL says:
That will get you real far in the court of law……shaking head.
Another shot at your stupidity: this isn’t even a law, it’s a school policy. The policy has to stand the test against the law; in this case, civil rights laws.
Please continue, idiot.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:16 pmOSTLL says:
That will get you real far in the court of law……shaking head.
Like Brown vs Board of Education.
You f ucking moron.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:16 pmIf the principal’s new rule was discriminatory and violated the civil rights of Miss Mateo, then the principal should be fired and fined a lot of money.
That’s the law, right?
February 12th, 2010 at 7:17 pmSo the only time the tea-baggers support the government these days is when they sponsor bigotry? What a bunch of sad little f***s you are.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:17 pmbizarrobrain (Sponsored by Tysons chicken in a tube!) says:
What a bunch of sad little f***s you are.
Pud Tuggers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 12th, 2010 at 7:21 pmFor the record: I believe the secretary.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:22 pmAuthorita craving reich wingers only feel compelled to break socialist rules. Imposed by those ‘half whites’
February 12th, 2010 at 7:22 pmOSTLL says:
More language you learned in law school?
Typical submissive authoritarian.
Children are put at risk, parents won’t be informed of issues with their children, and a woman doing her job is fired — and all you can think about are rules and naughty words.
BTW, I’m way more honest than all trolls: I never went to law school.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:27 pmOSTLL says:
“Some rules are stupid and arbitrary, and deserve to be broken”
Will I find that in Brown v BofE?
Yes, idiot.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:28 pmOSHITILLE, were you a bus driver in Montf=gmery Alabama in 1955?
February 12th, 2010 at 7:32 pmYou know what would be good? If we could move this nation forward to where we were in 1858. Following the Lincoln-Douglas Debate on October 13, 1858, in Quincy, Illinois, the Republicans moved their crowd over to the courthouse for three more speeches.
One speech was in German.
Why? Because there were people who spoke that language. (Guelzo, p.254)
Ana Mateo, dealing with parents of the school she was hired to serve, spoke to them in the language they would best understand, so that she could best be of help, to them and to their children. The Principal who made up a rule to forbid that practice–that service, that helpfulness–is unfit to be in a position of authority in any school system, of any language group.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:36 pmBC in Illinois says:
Ana Mateo, dealing with parents of the school she was hired to serve, spoke to them in the language they would best understand, so that she could best be of help, to them and to their children. The Principal who made up a rule to forbid that practice–that service, that helpfulness–is unfit to be in a position of authority in any school system, of any language group.
Well said. It’s particularly moronic in an area with such a high percentage of Spanish speakers. The principal didn’t even have to go to any extra effort or expense to accommodate the parents’ need.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:38 pmWhen my mother was still alive, and I was living in Boston, she came for a visit and we went sightseeing in many of the city’s neighborhoods. We heard people speaking Chinese on the sidewalks in Chinatowm, Spanish in Jamaica Plain, Italian in the North End, and a brogue so thick we weren’t sure it was English in Southie. When we got on a trolley at Government Center, in the thick of the Freedom Trail, there were people standing next to us who were speaking Spanish. My mother said to me, very loudly, “Why don’t they speak English? This is America. I don’t like it when I can’t understand what people are saying.” I was mortified. “Mom,” I said, “Maybe they’re from another country, maybe they are just visiting, maybe they don’t want to. If you went to Spain, could you speak their language?”
I’ve visited a couple dozen countries and no matter where I went, people not only accommodated my ignorance of their language(s), they were gracious about it. I studied French in high school, Spanish on tapes, Turkish online, and Irish Gaelic a bit, too. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how knowing and speaking multiple languages could be a bad thing, anywhere.
One of my friends is fluent in seven different languages. Another moved to Japan five years ago and makes a decent living teaching ESL because people all over the globe want to communicate more and better. Learning another language can be a key to education, opportunity, personal growth and understanding.
When ignorant, arrogant, oppressive and fearful bigots try to silence people, try to limit their ability to express what they think or feel in any language, they are closing their minds to the idea of freedom, in its truest sense. When William S. Burroughs said “Language is a virus from outer space” I wonder if what he meant was that it grows and transforms across boundaries and borders, because it surely isn’t a disease.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:06 pmSince I taught 33 years in a very red southern state, I can say without doubt that the way that Ms. Mateo was treated happens in southern schools. A principal in a school system in my area was removed from her job because she had the Pledge of Allegiance read in Spanish on the intercom every morning to help the students learn the language. When it was discovered that the state had received a federal grant to teach Pre-k students mandarin, the outrage was palpable. Many people in the south have a disdain for any language other than English and have little/no respect for the culture/religion/ethnicity/race of others. They have big dreams for their kids’ futures but do not realize that in order for their kids to function in the world of the future, learning a foreign language and learning about others unlike themselves is an essential component.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:06 pmNorth Carolina and South Carolina are the only two States in the U.S. where gravy is considered a beverage.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:07 pmAt least in most corporations, human resources policy usually requires that an employee be issued at least one warning when his or her behavior violates company policy before the employee can be fired for cause — and this is often true even when the person is employed “at will”. Although Ms. Mateo probably does hare some responsibility for the problem as a result of her decision to defy the wishes of her superior, the fact that the English-only rule was evidently at the whim of the principal and not official district policy seems to make this dismissal problematic — especially if nobody ever bothered to speak with Ms. Mateo about how the rule would change the nature of her role and if she was never issued a warning.
Whether they’re willing to acknowledge this or not, the truth is that conservative insistence on “English Only” may do the United States more harm than good in the long run. For one thing, the many inconsistencies in English make it one of the world’s hardest languages for a non-native speaker to learn — even when you eliminate the fact that it’s usually much more difficult for an adult to learn a new language than it is for a child because there appear to be developmental “windows” for language (which is one reason why the young children of immigrants often find it much easier to acquire fluency in English than their parents do). The refusal to simply provide bilingual assistance to the parents may make it more difficult for the parents to participate in the education of their children, which (if memory serves) has been found to have a positive correlation with a child’s academic performance. Increasing globalization may actually put the United States at a significant disadvantage over time in comparison with other Western/industrialized nations in which many people speak at least one other language in addition to their own.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:12 pmWe are the clowns of the world with our xenophobia and nativism on display for all to see. People in Europe routinely speak at least 2, frequently 3 or 4 languages in order to live with some dignity and ease in countries where there are many multilingual peoples. Americans (as a whole) are so stupid, they have no desire to learn a foreign language even when they travel abroad. They just normally expect everyone to speak English. No wonder “foreigners” act so superior to Amurakans…..they are.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:17 pmEnglish is not native to America. It can be the official language of England if they want, but we don’t, and shouldn’t, have one.
.
conservative guy says:
Check the parents immigration status and if illegal deport them and their kids.
While we’re at it, let’s send you back to Dumbfcukistan.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:42 pmFelicity Inkwell: hear, hear!
February 12th, 2010 at 8:42 pmWasn’t the idea of talking to parents so that they could coordinate to give the children the best possible education ?
So doesn’t it make sense to use the communication mode that communicated information best ?
February 12th, 2010 at 8:49 pmFelicity @91:
February 12th, 2010 at 8:58 pmWhile the nativists get all het up over insisting that immigrants/hispanics ‘learn English’, what they really want them to do is forget Spanish.
It really takes a peculiar (but alas not uncommon) mind-set that, when confronted with one’s own ignorance, see it as an affront and demand the world dumb down to their level.
Your mom was no doubt a wonderful person, but it takes a certain brand of American to say with indignation, “I should be allowed to be comfortable in my ignorance/incompetence!”
But, as she said, this is America.
Patty says:
——————————————————————————–
As a teacher in a predominantly Hispanic school, I understand well the frustration that accompanies the inability to communicate clearly with parents.
Yes, I wish the parents all spoke English; I also regret that I’ve forgotten much of my high-school Spanish.
Thank goodness for those on our staff who are able to communicate with the parents and bridge the gap. The tricky part is reaching the parents; many are working multiple jobs to make ends meet and to provide better lives for their children.
My mom teaches high school in a mainly immigrant area ( Falls Church, Virginia whoo hoo!), and she sees some of the same problems that you claim to see at your school with parents who aren’t exactly fluent in english, but want to be more involved in their children’t education. At least here in Fairfax, Virginia, this woman wouldn’t have been fired, because we don’t have that stupid rule here!
February 12th, 2010 at 9:18 pmpbeeg @99:
February 12th, 2010 at 9:32 pmI think that my mother had far fewer opportunities than I’ve had, in terms of education, employment, and travel for starters, and like many, she learned to be afraid of and to mistrust what she didn’t understand. But she was open to hearing what I was saying and was willing to see things from someone else’s perspective. You know, people really underestimate the power of empathy.
Felicity Inkwell says:
My mother said to me, very loudly, “Why don’t they speak English? This is America. I don’t like it when I can’t understand what people are saying.”
My best friend — otherwise a wonderful woman — does the same thing. She’ll soon be traveling on vacation to Belize, and didn’t understand why I asked her if she’d be learning some Spanish.
Some people have a real blind spot.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:37 pmJesus wept.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:47 pmOSTLL
Logic. Learn to recognize it. You will always be FAR too stupid to accomplish it. You do realize you are astonishingly stupid dont you?
February 12th, 2010 at 9:49 pmJesús lloró
February 12th, 2010 at 9:49 pmThere is no way Jesus spoke English. So he’d need an interpreter if he went to school in the U.S.
February 12th, 2010 at 10:43 pmAmericans are just so goddamned lazy and stupid.
I lived in France for four years, and I constantly ran into lazy shits from the U.S.
who were in France for almost as long as I was, and still could barely manage a “bonjour” or two.
Conservative Guy at post number 1 is one of the stupidest pieces of excrement on this blog.
Speaking another language is part of the freedom of speech, even in spite of what the teabagger shit-for-brains may think.
February 12th, 2010 at 10:56 pmQue puto cabrones viven allí en el sur. And f you conservative anus and dependent thinker!
February 13th, 2010 at 12:31 amYou can bet that there are a lot of illiterates in the Carolinas and the South in general. I could run circles around them in English and Spanish!
http://www.begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html
February 13th, 2010 at 12:39 amThere are a number of states in the SW US that could inform SC that it’s pretty fracking stupid to deny people the use of their primary language. There are usually more than enough misunderstanding based on cultural differences and hard feelings because of bigotry, so there’s no need to drag rancor due to language into it. In a lot of the SW, we went through the stupidity of telling people they couldn’t use their langauage and the payoff for that kind of bullying is just increased tension, along with worse violence when the differences and bigotry come into play.
Of course, TX and AZ are two of the SW states where they don’t like to admit that their stupidities regarding the local dialects of Spanish have provoked some continuing nastiness, but they’re usually a little behind the curve anyway. Those states have some politicians whose ignorance leads them to believe that public bigotry is a sign of manliness, but mostly it shows their stupidity and cupidity.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:33 am@ 110. Sorry, that’s NC, isn’t it? No matter; I suspect that things are even worse in SC, with regard to linguistic and cultural bigotry.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:34 am@ 107. evangenital …
Aw, come on, Evan, don’t play down ConGuy’s talent like that. He’s not just in the running for stupidest piece of excrement on this blog; he’s gotta be in the queue for a judgement on who’s the stupidest international turd. After all, he just comes on line and in one sentence, states the stupid, while a lot of the other trolls dance around it or use a whole paragraph or have completely unintelligible syntax, but ConGuy is right fracking there.
Right on the mark bigot, you might say.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:43 am@ 102. Zooey …
Actually, Belize, formerly British Honduras, is one place in Central America, the other being Panama, where there are a fair number of English speakers.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:50 amThe median reading comprehension of English of the U.S. population is at the 8th grade level.
That is just reading. Don’t ask too many of them about grammatical rules. Ask someone to tell you what a predicate is and be prepared to see the deer-in-the-headlight phenomenon!
February 13th, 2010 at 1:59 amconservative guy says:
This comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Check the parents immigration status and if illegal deport them and their kids.
Nah, I’d rather deport your masturbating to your sick fantasies of KILLING TEH GAYS ass out of here…
February 13th, 2010 at 2:34 amconservative guy is one of the worst trolls we have here…He claims to be pro-life but advocates killing TEH GAYS…he pretends to be pro-family, but is against Specialist Hutchinson when it comes to supporting her decision to put her child first…I can go on and on but you all know who he is…It would be a waste of time.
February 13th, 2010 at 2:37 amSome people have a real blind spot.
—-
February 13th, 2010 at 4:46 amI once witnessed a middle aged white US American woman berate the Chinese owner of a Chinese restaurant. The part I will always remember was “This is not how you make Moo Goo Gai Pan in America.”. I’ll never forget it. It was classically surreal…
Interesting, isn’t it, that the vast majority of Europeans who first colonized the Americas made absolutely no effort to learn any of the languages spoken by the people they found living here? (Times haven’t really changed that much, evidently.)
February 13th, 2010 at 7:27 amAs far as I know, I am not, nor am I perceived to be, stupid and ignorant. But if I was, I certainly wouldn’t be proud of it. I will never, as long as I live, understand or sympathize with these English-only people.
February 13th, 2010 at 8:20 amThe important thing is to be able to communicate. It doesn’t matter what language it is.
February 13th, 2010 at 9:30 amI guess the only “foreigners” that ordinary American people hear about are poor Mexican immigrants (legal or illegal) and naturally think that’s everything outside of America. No wonder many Americans don’t have a clue about the rapidly changing world. Typical American ignorance+arrogance+indifference and Bachmann-like fact-distorting crooks (Japanese health care = s***) don’t help either.
February 13th, 2010 at 11:40 am52. bizarrobrain (Sponsored by Tysons chicken in a tube!) says:
Science class funding would be great and I know how bad high-school science classes are…I was in AP chemistry and occasionally we had to ration materials such as various powders, or metals and various acids. Same with drama classes when we were forced to cut the prop and scene budgets. The extra money went to fund the sports teams.
Did you have a similar experience in high school?
The science issue I get, too. Same deal as far as chemistry supplies were concerned; I don’t think those compounds are cheap, so I understood the need to ration them.
Theater programs at most schools around here are safe, as far as I know.
The area I live in is good for emphasizing the arts & sciences; in fact they just built a . In Allentown there’s a cool science museum, which is great for the young ones.
The problem is, it’s not like that in a lot of areas – due to lack of funds; or even ambition, at times – and as mentioned before always get cut, so we can make sure our drone technology or building outdated fighter-jets. I understand the importance of national security, but the social & sciences programs that are at the helm is just ridiculous.
Most art liberal arts schools and small science & learning centers are almost exclusively privately funded. I don’t think the Government should write a check for billions tomorrow – it’s also State governments dividing the funds – but I feel a little less cutting to art programs is schools is essential in order to keep the younger generation. They’re losing interest in personal creativity, and gaining a want to watch garbage TV.
Sorry for digressing so far away from the Bilingual secretary who got fired, allegedly, for speaking another language. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around this…
February 13th, 2010 at 11:44 amSorry about the text cut off above. I don’t know what happened :-P
Should be:
February 13th, 2010 at 11:46 amThe area I live in is good for emphasizing the arts & sciences; In Allentown there’s a cool science museum, which is great for the young ones.
Actually, he really hasn’t — although I’ve heard that’s why he’s hesitant to travel below the Equator…
February 13th, 2010 at 12:01 pm@ 118. Bluestocking says: Interesting, isn’t it, that the vast majority of Europeans who first colonized the Americas made absolutely no effort to learn any of the languages spoken by the people they found living here? (Times haven’t really changed that much, evidently.) February 13th, 2010 at 7:27 am
That may be true, but I think that “colonized” should be doubly emphasized in this context, Blue. After all, a lot of the early fur traders and trappers, the people who went to the frontier and past it, didn’t just try to learn the tribal languages or establish a common pidgin or creole; a fair number of them assimilated or came close to assimilation with the First Nations people they were in contact with.
As for colonists, some tried and some didn’t. The failure to get past the home country’s language wasn’t limited to English speakers, although they’ve ended up as the dominant class in this country. Among the English gentry and their offspring here, the English-only predjudice isn’t displayed as much as it is among our redneck brethren. My theory is that a lot of that comes from being dragged here as prisoners and indentured servants, resenting it, and passing it down to their children. And that’s the culture that the Tom Tancredos and Sheriff Arpaio and this NC school system have assimilated to. Just asyin’, ya know?
February 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pmWell, the district is clearly in the wrong on this issue, considering they admitted she was hired to facilitate communication between the school staff and parents.
However, I do believe that public schools need to have instruction in English only, barring foreign language courses. And before everyone I normally agree with pounces on me, allow me to explain why.
While we do not have a “national language”, the dominant language has traditionally been English. When someone goes to someone elses country, they are expected to communicate in the host country’s language. If I go to Japan, for example, I would be expected to be able to at least communicate somewhat to them in their native language. My great grandparents (The Librandes) came to America from Italy during the early 20th century, arriving at Ellis Island. They learned English. They taught their children English. English was spoken in the home. These days, however, this concept has been turned on it’s head. We are expected to learn Spanish to accommodate people who don’t even wish to attempt to learn English. If the parents will not do it, we must ensure the students are learning it at school.
And never forget that in order to become a naturalized US citizen, you must be able to demonstrate skill in English. I see no issue with applying that to school instruction as well. When I go to my Japanese classes, I am expected to speak in Japanese. Why not do the same with English at the primary and secondary education levels?
February 13th, 2010 at 12:36 pmYeah. I was on KNowledge Bowl and Chess Club for four years, and we never once got new equipment. Even when we didn’t have enough complete chess sets or buzzers to compete at knowledge bowl meets. We were expected to sacrifice at the altar of the Great Football God so dumb jocks would be able to go to college and utterly fail.
February 13th, 2010 at 12:38 pmRE: Little Freep Goofballs @ 74:
“Flea?” _I_ would have called him, “pinche pendejo.”
February 13th, 2010 at 1:15 pmT.H.E.Cat says:
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RE: Little Freep Goofballs @ 74:
“Flea?” _I_ would have called him, “pinche pendejo.”
Nah I think “puta” sounds more appropriate!
February 13th, 2010 at 3:02 pmAdamkun says:
——————————————————————————–
Well, the district is clearly in the wrong on this issue, considering they admitted she was hired to facilitate communication between the school staff and parents.
However, I do believe that public schools need to have instruction in English only, barring foreign language courses. And before everyone I normally agree with pounces on me, allow me to explain why.
While we do not have a “national language”, the dominant language has traditionally been English. When someone goes to someone elses country, they are expected to communicate in the host country’s language. If I go to Japan, for example, I would be expected to be able to at least communicate somewhat to them in their native language. My great grandparents (The Librandes) came to America from Italy during the early 20th century, arriving at Ellis Island. They learned English. They taught their children English. English was spoken in the home. These days, however, this concept has been turned on it’s head. We are expected to learn Spanish to accommodate people who don’t even wish to attempt to learn English. If the parents will not do it, we must ensure the students are learning it at school.
And never forget that in order to become a naturalized US citizen, you must be able to demonstrate skill in English. I see no issue with applying that to school instruction as well. When I go to my Japanese classes, I am expected to speak in Japanese. Why not do the same with English at the primary and secondary education levels?
So there shouldn’t be any foreign language “immersion programs” in the elementary schools, where the students spend part of their day being instructed in another language ( not only do they learn how to speak and understand the other language but they also get instruction in that language for their “core” curriculum, which is usually the math, science, history, etc?). I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but it was a little unclear. While English is the language spoken by the majority here in the U.S., I think that denying that there are many other languages spoken here besides english is very enthnocentric and short-sighted. Language is more than words; it’s an entire culture/identity.
February 13th, 2010 at 3:59 pmAdamkun says:
Yeah. I was on KNowledge Bowl and Chess Club for four years, and we never once got new equipment. Even when we didn’t have enough complete chess sets or buzzers to compete at knowledge bowl meets. We were expected to sacrifice at the altar of the Great Football God so dumb jocks would be able to go to college and utterly fail.
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Did you have to bring your own chess sets from home? Or how did that work out?
Well I was kind of a jock in high school (track and hockey) but I was proud of my education as well. I belonged to several after school groups: Youth Against War and Racism (YAWR), drama club and the art club and I had a 3.7 GPA…not perfect but not bad.
February 13th, 2010 at 6:07 pmChrome Child (Sponsored by Hudsucker Industries®),
The area I live in has gotten better and has been focusing more on the arts and science classes…the high school I went to has a completely rebuilt theater facility and its really nice. The science labs have been rebuilt and have new lab counters and equipment.
I think the problem isn’t just the government or the school teachers but the parents should get involved with their children’s education at a young age. Stop letting the TV and the internet baby-sit and spend time with their children. Get them interested in reading, writing and drawing/painting at a young age. Sports are good too.
And I’m still thinking about this topic as well…it was wrong of CMS to fire her for doing her job. I know it’s going to sound naive but I thought we were beyond this kind of state sanctioned bigotry.
February 13th, 2010 at 6:51 pmWhat’s wrong with learning another language besides English? I took Spanish all four years of high school, and I can speak it pretty well ( granted the other person and I would have to talk really slowly so we could understand each other), and it helped me last year when I started my freshman year of college, because I could take the highest levels of it that my school offers.In fact, I think Spanish is my minor right now, and I want to go into Education ( ESOL or Special Ed), and it would definately help me a lot.I went to Spain with my mom and younger sister during Spring Break my sophmore year of high school (lots of fun!), and it definately came in handy.
February 13th, 2010 at 11:53 pmMy mom is Spanish teacher, so I guess I kinda had an advantage in high school..
February 13th, 2010 at 11:55 pmWait, wait, wait…A woman was fired for speaking Spanish to students’ parents at a school? How xenophobic are these a-holes?
February 14th, 2010 at 12:49 am@ 135. They’re pretty fracking xenophobic. It’s a tradition among crackers and rednecks.
@ 126. Adamkun says: … While we do not have a “national language”, the dominant language has traditionally been English. … February 13th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Traditionally? Really? You need to revisit what we know of the history of this continent both before and after the first major colonialization. The Spanish had colonies in the Americas before the English, French, Dutch, etc. Spanish was the dominant European language along the Gulf Coast and in the American SW for a reasonable period before English speakers arrived in any great numbers. The ‘tradition’ you note only holds true for the region east of the Mississippi and then only partially. For instance, French preceded English along the St. Laurence and the Great Lakes region before the English arrived en-masse.
In this region, the US SW, Spanish, or Mexican dialects of Spanish, dominated even after the Mexican American war which established Yankee suzerainity. Spanish is still spoken by a substantial plurality, and 160 to 170 years isn’t very long when considering culture and language.
And before the Spanish arrived, the Uto-Aztecan and Athapascan linguistic and cultural groups dominated this area, and there are still quite a few people who speak languages from those groups in the area.
English is a tradition only if we look at a very short temporal horizon. I won’t get into the issues of whether the language most people think of as English in this country is really English any more and how long it will remain intelligible to English speakers in other countries and the generally sorry state of literacy in this country, etc etc.
February 14th, 2010 at 1:55 pm@136
February 14th, 2010 at 3:43 pmGood job!
English, please. Thank you.
February 14th, 2010 at 3:46 pmIf the principal’s new rule was discriminatory and violated the civil rights of Miss Mateo, then the principal should be fired and fined a lot of money.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:33 amThat’s the law, right?