Dallas ISD chief Hinojosa says bilingual teachers 'protected'

[WriteDown]

Source: Dallas Morning News

Dallas schools superintendent Michael Hinojosa said today that bilingual teachers were largely protected from recent layoffs because of the district’s student population.

Students with limited proficiency in English now number 53,785 in the Dallas Independent School District, or 34 percent of total enrollment.

Some teachers complained after the district's recent layoffs that bilingual teachers, and particular those recruited from other countries, were not impacted.

“Because of what the student needs are, they were protected,” Dr. Hinojosa said after delivering a speech on dual-language education at the Texas Association for Bilingual Education conference in Arlington.....

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/102208dnmethinojsoa.139ebe62d.html

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Amazing the number of students in Dallas with no or limited grasp of the English language. If I ever have kids, they will never be attending the Dallas public school system. These morons couldn't run a lemonade stand let alone a school district.

[EFerrari]

1. Yeah, the @ssholes are retaining the more highly trained teachers

and have improved their bilingual ed program. Morons.

[Dora]

2. Hee.

:thumbsup:

[WriteDown]

3. Immersion is the best way to teach language....

If you teach half and half, you end up with students who don't know either very well. Hinojosa is the Bush of the DISD and if he is involved, you can guarantee that it is the wrong thing to do.

[EFerrari]

4. It's a matter of equity. Those children lose grade levels with English only.

Immersion doesn't work as well for subjects that aren't as intuitive as language.

[WriteDown]

5. I've learned 3 other languages by immersion....

classes in languages are great for picking up bits and phrases, but you never really "learn" a language. It is likely that the students that can't speak English will lag behind their entire academic careers. It would be better taking these students and putting them in intense English training for the 1st year when they just enroll in school. They may be held back a year, but it will pay in spades later on.

[EFerrari]

6. You can't learn the order of operations if you can't understand the instructor. n/t

[WriteDown]

7. Order of operations? nt

[EFerrari]

8. That's from algebra. n/t

[WriteDown]

9. You missed my point....

No math, no history, no social studies for the 1st year. Just English. Would give these kids the headstart they need for the rest of their academic careers.

[EFerrari]

10. No, I didn't miss your point. And that's not a great use of time

because kids can only do the same task for so long.

It's sort of funny because I may be a textbook case of what happens to kids who are forced into English only.

I barely spoke English when I got to public school although I could read and write in Spanish. (Nobody bothered to find that out, but that's another issue.) I didn't do well at all for the first three years. They had me in all the "slow" groups.

But because I was a bookworm and in spite of the school, I managed to catch up after three years although I had very serious deficits in math and science. They skipped me two grades when my English proficiency caught up. But, I had to deal with math and science deficits for the rest of my public school years because math and science classes -- mainly math -- are on a pretty inflexible schedule. If you don't understand division, you aren't going to do well in algebra and it just snowballs from there.

Also had to deal with the racist assholes who never bothered to find out if I wanted to go to college and so, never bothered to care if I was at or above grade level in math and science.

My deal turned out fine. Turns out I was admitted to Berkeley with nice scholarships and turns out, I'm great at math. But, that was no thanks to the English only crowd and it probably meant that I wound up in English and Shakespeare instead of in engineering which I loved.

Bi-lingual education isn't perfect but it's a much better use of time than immersion and it creates fewer problems down the road.

[WriteDown]

11. Or you could be like the 99% of other cases....

Who only learn basic English through their whole academic careers and end up doing poorly in all subjects, don't go to college, never get any degree beyond HS and end up mowing lawns or in construction. It is a much more likely scenario played out time and time again in Dallas. Sounds like you were able to succeed based on your own desire and drive. Unfortunately, many students lack those qualities. Take a look at many Japanese schools for a good example at how it should be done. Trust me, they would never tolerate teaching you in anything but Japanese in their public schools.

English is an essential skill in all walks of life in the US and it must be stressed. Our grammar in the US is woefully under taught as it is. In the past, I've been rear-ended by someone who could not speak a word of English. Let me tell you how fun THAT is. Gets even better when they have no auto-insurance, but that is a different issue.

[EFerrari]

12. Yes, I've long understood your basic hostility to Spanish and Spanish language speakers.

Bi-lingual education is a tool used around the world.

And unless you have data to support you "likely scenario", it's your opinion in the context of your hostility.

:hi:

[WriteDown]

13. Pretty funny...

Considering I am regularly mistaken for a "Spanish language speaker," that seems unlikely :). Although, there are considerably less of my people around. I just cite the poor and uneven success we have had with bilingual education in the past.