Comments on: Immigration and education http://journal.starwidget.net/2007/05/03/immigration-and-education/ First year teacher extraordinaire! Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:33:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Miss Fox http://journal.starwidget.net/2007/05/03/immigration-and-education/comment-page-1/#comment-104 Miss Fox Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:57:30 +0000 http://journal.starwidget.net/2007/05/03/immigration-and-education/#comment-104 I apologize if you lack the ability to click on links to check sources. Perhaps you should also reconsider typing "no offense" and "you're an idiot" in the same paragraph. Anyway, I want to address two things before I have to get to school: 1) I do believe that students and parents and workers should try to learn the language of the country they are going to. I also know that ours is a difficult language to learn, and that most people coming here without learning it are coming from poor countries where they don't have the resources to learn the language. Most foreigners I encounter (be they Latino, German, Asian, etc) actually do want to learn English. It takes time, more as an adult, to pick up a language and be able to speak it fluently. Many are desperate when they leave their homes to come here to live in shitty conditions - learning a language is something they will get to when they have the time. It's difficult to judge when you've not spoken with them. 2) Also, the Chinese didn't have the ability to petition for equal treatment the way people do, now, so that is a rather moot point. I'm sure there were some that were doing their best, but the reality was very different then than it is today. Also, comparing your ability to learn a language when you are overseas for work and a migrant worker's ability to learn a language are two very different things. I'll hazard a guess and say that your employer probably sends you, and that they provide language training for you. Even if that isn't true, you are probably not going overseas because you are too poor to live in the United States, so you probably have the resources and money to learn new languages. I'll also guess that you aren't fluent in those languages, but that you learn just enough to get by (it takes many years to become fluent in any language), which is what many immigrants do as soon as they get here. Being intimidated by people doesn't exactly help the situation, I might add. I apologize if you lack the ability to click on links to check sources. Perhaps you should also reconsider typing “no offense” and “you’re an idiot” in the same paragraph.

Anyway, I want to address two things before I have to get to school:

1) I do believe that students and parents and workers should try to learn the language of the country they are going to. I also know that ours is a difficult language to learn, and that most people coming here without learning it are coming from poor countries where they don’t have the resources to learn the language. Most foreigners I encounter (be they Latino, German, Asian, etc) actually do want to learn English. It takes time, more as an adult, to pick up a language and be able to speak it fluently. Many are desperate when they leave their homes to come here to live in shitty conditions – learning a language is something they will get to when they have the time. It’s difficult to judge when you’ve not spoken with them.

2) Also, the Chinese didn’t have the ability to petition for equal treatment the way people do, now, so that is a rather moot point. I’m sure there were some that were doing their best, but the reality was very different then than it is today.

Also, comparing your ability to learn a language when you are overseas for work and a migrant worker’s ability to learn a language are two very different things. I’ll hazard a guess and say that your employer probably sends you, and that they provide language training for you. Even if that isn’t true, you are probably not going overseas because you are too poor to live in the United States, so you probably have the resources and money to learn new languages. I’ll also guess that you aren’t fluent in those languages, but that you learn just enough to get by (it takes many years to become fluent in any language), which is what many immigrants do as soon as they get here.

Being intimidated by people doesn’t exactly help the situation, I might add.

]]> By: lfutbol http://journal.starwidget.net/2007/05/03/immigration-and-education/comment-page-1/#comment-96 lfutbol Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:02:22 +0000 http://journal.starwidget.net/2007/05/03/immigration-and-education/#comment-96 well no offense, but seriously.... Bleeding heart liberals are doing a great job bringing this country down. No where did i see sources (your a teacher, right?) and not only that your logic, quite frankly sucks. What if someone speaks german, french, spanish, cantonese, or even pig latin?!! Guess why the chinese never had to petition for equal treatment? They worked their ass off. When I am over seas for work, I learn the language. I don't expect them to adapt to me. I hate your blog. You're an idiot. well no offense, but seriously…. Bleeding heart liberals are doing a great job bringing this country down. No where did i see sources (your a teacher, right?) and not only that your logic, quite frankly sucks. What if someone speaks german, french, spanish, cantonese, or even pig latin?!! Guess why the chinese never had to petition for equal treatment? They worked their ass off. When I am over seas for work, I learn the language. I don’t expect them to adapt to me. I hate your blog. You’re an idiot.

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