[Scrubbin_Bubbles]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10372148/

yeah, they already got a lawyer, and Im guessing they will win this one.

[MSP]

I can see the school's position, but they will lose. I speak some Spanish every day, and I'm by no means fluent.

[Jamsan]

just wow.... i could understand if he was speaking it in the classroom, but wow ... in the hall ... I guess the only argument they really have against it is that they told him to not speak it before, but again, I can only agree with that if they asked him not to speak it IN the classroom.

[MSP]

Well, this is actually a huge problems for schools. Throughout history there has always been a huge influx of non-English speaking people. The difference now is that lots of immigrants are resisting English, and the government passed the No Child Left Behind legislation. Now schools are required to teach these kids, and in fact their funding and survival require that the kids do well on standardized testing. Well guess how expensive it is to teach in multiple languages? Anyway, putting their foot down and insisting that only English be spoken on school property seems pretty reasonable to me. That said I believe they will lose in court.

[basketofkittens]

It'd be funny if they tried to enforce that at the high school I went to in San Diego. More than half the students are hispanic and speak better Spanish than English :P

[Mr. Ali]

Originally Posted by MSP

Well, this is actually a huge problems for schools. Throughout history there has always been a huge influx of non-English speaking people. The difference now is that lots of immigrants are resisting English, and the government passed the No Child Left Behind legislation. Now schools are required to teach these kids, and in fact their funding and survival require that the kids do well on standardized testing. Well guess how expensive it is to teach in multiple languages? Anyway, putting their foot down and insisting that only English be spoken on school property seems pretty reasonable to me. That said I believe they will lose in court.

what? cmon man, freedom of speech = america

[MSP]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ali

what? cmon man, freedom of speech = america

There is no free speech in schools, businesses, private clubs, etc. Try telling a teacher, your boss, etc. that they are a motherfucker and see how far the 1st Amendment gets you.

The bottom line is that it was a rule and the kid broke it, repeatedly. And there are reasons for the rule. You and I don't have to agree or even understand the reasons for the rule, it doesn't matter.

[Sparky]

I still can't understand that. I mean, they teach spanish in most high schools.

[MSP]

Originally Posted by Sparky

I still can't understand that. I mean, they teach spanish in most high schools.

They teach Spanish to kids that already know how to speak / write English. What I assume this school is trying to do is something called emersion. Basically surrounding the Spanish speaking kids with English, and forcing them to use it, the theory is that they will learn it faster. My Spanish teacher spoke of doing this by living in Mexico with a host family for a while. She said within a month she was dreaming in Spanish. I believe it works.

[djsoulriot]

I don't know about you guys, but this bothered me:

"It was, like, totally not in the classroom,"

"We were in the, like, hall or whatever, on restroom break. This kid I know, he's like, 'Me prestas un dolar?'

"Well, he asked in Spanish; it just seemed natural to answer that way. So I'm like, 'No problema.' "

I don't know anyone that speaks that way. I believe the only time I've heard someone say "Like" and "Whatever" that many times was on the show Clueless, which was a complete exagerration in itself.

But like, totally whatever, I guess..

[Bear]

Originally Posted by djsoulriot

I don't know about you guys, but this bothered me:

"It was, like, totally not in the classroom,"

"We were in the, like, hall or whatever, on restroom break. This kid I know, he's like, 'Me prestas un dolar?'

"Well, he asked in Spanish; it just seemed natural to answer that way. So I'm like, 'No problema.' "

I don't know anyone that speaks that way. I believe the only time I've heard someone say "Like" and "Whatever" that many times was on the show Clueless, which was a complete exagerration in itself.

But like, totally whatever, I guess..

You'd be surprised...

[ShabazKillaX]

Originally Posted by MSP

There is no free speech in schools, businesses, private clubs, etc. Try telling a teacher, your boss, etc. that they are a motherfucker and see how far the 1st Amendment gets you.

The bottom line is that it was a rule and the kid broke it, repeatedly. And there are reasons for the rule. You and I don't have to agree or even understand the reasons for the rule, it doesn't matter.

Amen brother.

[trancosrt]

I agree that within the classroom walls, require students to speak English. Even though I am a hispanic immigrant myself, I feel ashamed by all the people (or the stories I hear about people) who completely resists to learn English ans stick within the people they know thoughout their fucking lives. I mean C'mon, you moved in to a country where the first language is English man!!( because of this reason I completely hate Miami since the first time I went there I couldn't speak a single English sentence).

But forcing a kid because he used English OUTSIDE the classroom is completely idiotic the way I see it. What's next? Putying micrphones in immigrants houses and sendig them jail because not speaking English in their homes?? Ban every other language other than PROPER ENGLISH (that means not street, teen, 1337, TV, or any other form of English) in the classroom, but outside the classroom, let the kids speak in whatever language they want, specially if it is pretty obvious they master English!!

[ShabazKillaX]

Originally Posted by trancosrt

I agree that within the classroom walls, require students to speak English. Even though I am a hispanic immigrant myself, I feel ashamed by all the people (or the stories I hear about people) who completely resists to learn English ans stick within the people they know thoughout their fucking lives. I mean C'mon, you moved in to a country where the first language is English man!!( because of this reason I completely hate Miami since the first time I went there I couldn't speak a single English sentence).

But forcing a kid because he used English OUTSIDE the classroom is completely idiotic the way I see it. What's next? Putying micrphones in immigrants houses and sendig them jail because not speaking English in their homes?? Ban every other language other than PROPER ENGLISH (that means not street, teen, 1337, TV, or any other form of English) in the classroom, but outside the classroom, let the kids speak in whatever language they want, specially if it is pretty obvious they master English!!

You have a point there. I can certainly respect your perspective on this given your situation, but as MSP stated schools are treated differently. The same rules don't always apply, and in this case the student had been warned about his actions previously.

Personally I would have expelled the kid for talking like a valley girl. That kind of shit shouldn't be tolerated from any male, especially in Kansas. That stuff doesn't play well out there.

[mistawiskas]

I have mixed feelings about this one. I believe that using tax dollars to cater to
non-english speaking people in a place where english is the language of the land,
should be frowned upon or illegal. You don't think they'd teach things in a bi-lingual
way in Mexico do you? I think the case is a bit out of hand at that school and that
the kid was , more or less, on his own time. He did, however, repeatedly, go against warnings and break rules that were established at his school.....no matter how dumb a rule is, a rule is a rule.