7 Responses to “Episode 0117 - Are You Stupid?”

1. Tom on February 12th, 2008 9:20 am

   I can’t believe that Kim is so uptight about some girls in tight shirts. What’s the big deal? Tanel wouldn’t care if I got my hair cut at a topless place (which someone should totally invent).

2. Rommel on February 12th, 2008 11:27 pm

   I’m leaving this message here; hoping that Meghan don’t stumble on this. Kim’s reaction reminds me of what Meghan might say.

   Sam… picture me giving you two thumbs up, man?

3. Tom on February 13th, 2008 2:08 pm

   You boys need some sort of support group.

4. Teacher Chick on February 15th, 2008 10:54 am

   I’m pretty disappointed on your take regarding children learning Spanish in schools. While you crack me up 99% of the time, this is the 1% in which I was not laughing.

   Had you been referring to only adult immigrants coming to this country and refusing to learn English, I would have totally understood and agreed. However, you made references to immigrant children not wanting to learn English and the fact that they are in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for way to long. With all due respect, you are not in the classroom and therefore, you have no idea what you’re talking about.

   These children are eager and actually DESPERATE to learn the language. However, not all students learn at the same pace. They also do not have the resources at home. They have non-English speaking parents that although we would love for them to all magically learn English overnight, the reality is that language acquisition takes time. Imagine moving to China. That’s all. Just IMAGINE moving to China right now and people becoming angry because Thing 3 has been in Chinese language classes for way too long and she should know Chinese by now! Then imagine Thing 3 being accused of not wanting to learn the language because of course, there’s nothing a child loves more than being totally different from everyone else and not fitting in. Yeah, kids love being the odd man out at school. They love being in special classes because they can’t keep up…. It’s AWESOME! Add to this the fact that both you and Kim are working to makes ends meet and don’t have the language skills as of yet to help her at home. It’s not easy guys and as a teacher, I see the struggles these people go through everyday. I see children cringe when asked to speak in English because they are ashamed of their accent. They didn’t ask to come to this country; it was their parents choice and they are adjusting as best they can.

   Oh, and I would LOVE for all the paperwork sent home with important information to be in Chinese, despite the fact that in my little hypothetical scenario, half the population in China are American immigrants! How fun and fair for you!

   Now, on the other hand, I agree that it is ridiculous when people have been in this country for years and years and don’t speak a lick of English. I don’t agree with that and yes, it infuriates me. It infuriates me to the point that although I am a fluent Spanish speaker, I will sometimes REFUSE to speak Spanish to many Hispanics that I know damn well should at least understand what the hell I’m saying. But when it comes to kids, it’s a different story all together.

   In reference to Spanish classes in school, children are not obligated in any way, shape, or form to take Spanish (at least not in our school district) and if they choose not to, they are not “ostracized” by being sent to the library. What the hell else are we suppose to do? In my case, if I have one or two kids that don’t take Spanish, I allow them to visit the library, read silently, catch up on any classwork they haven’t finished, work on the computer, start on their homework, etc…

   The reason Spanish in offered more than other language is because guess what? There are more Hispanics in the US then there are French, Italians, Germans, etc… so crazy us, in an effort to better prepare students for what they will most likely encounter in the real world, we offer Spanish starting in at the elementary level.

   Oh, and have you picked up a newspaper lately and looked at the classifieds? Most jobs when asking for a bilingual applicant prefer for the second language to be Spanish. Thing 1 will have a lot more doors open for her because of her Spanish acquisition. It’s just a fact. Like it or not. Good for her and good for Kim for having encouraged her to do so!

   I know this sounds like an angry e-mail, but its not! You guys are awesome but I just had to comment on the whole Spanish / English thing. So awesome are you both, that aside from teaching elementary school, I also teach undergraduate courses for education majors at the university and I have encouraged my students to listen to your podcasts for some laughs and insights on parents & children!! I encourage them to vote for you as well!!

   Hey guys, have you ever considered home schooling?

   Loyal Listner,
   Teacher Chick!

5. OurFirstMarriage » OurFirstMarriage #53: Two Scoops of Crazy on February 18th, 2008 6:30 am

   [...] got a new logo and graphics. If you aren’t seeing them, you should check them out. Are We There Yet? discussed a Hooters-eske haircut place. Tom and Tanel discuss. Tanel is NOT bringing the sexy back. [...]

6. RWTY_Admin on February 18th, 2008 7:20 am

   Hey TC -
   We really appreciate the thought you put into your email and we took it in the spirit intended. The short version of our response is that we don’t have any problem with bilingual classes, or with kids being able to choose to learn Spanish, French, or whatever other language they want to learn.

   Our issue is that the local schools have made it possible, and even very easy, for Spanish-speaking students to make it through their entire school career and never have to learn English. Related to this, some of the schools have made it mandatory for English speakers to learn Spanish in order to be able to communicate with their Spanish-speaking peers.

   That’s not good, in any way. It’s not good for the English-speaking students who have to communicate in the language of another country. It’s also not good for the Spanish-speaking students who have no incentive, and therefore little desire, to learn to speak a language that will enable them to better pursue their dreams in America.

   While it’s true that Kim and I aren’t in the school as teachers, we are heavily involved in the day-to-day activities in the school system and have seen, firsthand, the damage that excessive coddling of non-English speaking students can cause to all concerned.

   Having what amounts to two curricula and two sets of textbooks is taxing on school districts that are already so strapped for cash they can’t afford paper and pencils for the teachers. Allowing that to continue from Kindergarten through high school is a crippling expense.

   While your points about what it is like to be a non-native speaker are well-taken, it’s also important to realize that there MUST be an incentive to learn the language, and this is currently not the case, at least in your area.

   It sounds like we have two really different situations. In your area, you’re exposed to a lot of kids who want to learn English, and the school system is doing a good job in promoting this skill’s importance to the community. We envy this, because the same is not true in our area.

   Here, from what we can see, the opposite is true. The schools don’t really care if the kids learn English. In fact, the dirty little secret around here is that ESL (English as a Second Language) kids are worth proportionately more to schools than English-speaking students, thanks to the way that tax dollars are apportioned.

   As a result, the community doesn’t really see the need to promote English as a language to learn – if you could get all the way through school in your native language, would you really stretch yourself to learn a second language? As you so rightly point out, these kids don’t necessarily have a lot of extra time and the tools to make this sort of scholarship easy for them.

   Again, we really do appreciate your comments and heartily agree with you that teaching English to those who do not speak it should be a very big priority in school. We just don’t think it should continue as a viable secondary instruction track throughout the entire school career.

7. Teacher Chick on February 18th, 2008 10:15 am

   I hear ya! Believe me I do! But I reiterate: I have NEVER met a child that does not want to learn the language. They don’t want to be different. They want to be able to communicate with their peers. They want to be able to go to the latest movie with their friends and not need an interpreter. I just have never encountered this, and I have been teaching ELL students for a looooooooong time now.

   However, I do believe that much of what you say does apply to adults. Here in Miami, where there is more Spanish rather than English being spoken, you see adults that put forth no effort whatsoever. They don’t have to. Everything form store signs to store employees all speak Spanish. Unlike the children, who are surrounded by English speaking peers and who so desperately want to fit in, they create their own little “Spanish” world. They work with Spanish speakers, their friends are all immigrants as well, they watch Spanish soaps all day, etc…

   This is not the case with kids. You really have to believe this. I see kids get made fun of because they can’t speak English, or because they have an accent. I have students that want to stay after class to speak English to me and when I ask them “why me?” they respond “because you don’t laugh at me.” They are desperate to learn and they usually do. On the rare occasion that a child is in the ELL program longer than is usually expected, we later come to find that the child has a learning disability that the whole time was being attributed to a lack of language acquisition. So, the child had not learned because he was a “hoo-tard” (God I love that word!) and not because he wanted to coast through school speaking Spanish (ha-ha)

   Are students really “forced” to take Spanish in Texas? Now, that I have a huge problem with. I think it’s great that it is being offered, especially with our huge influx of Hispanic immigrants. However, I never agree with a student being “forced” to take something that is not included in their core curriculum.

   Keep up the great work!

   TC

Leave a Reply