Dearborn schools urged to ban Arabic

[firedupdem]

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090115/SCHOOLS/901150395

DEARBORN -- A recommendation to bar Arabic speech in the city's most heavily Arab public high school unless it is absolutely necessary has sparked a sharp debate between those who say it's necessary to help students perform better and those who say it only helps alienate them.

A study commissioned by the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency said the use of Arabic by students in the bilingual programs in Dearborn Public Schools slows the assimilation of students "into the school and American society in general" and fosters suspicion among students and teachers who don't speak the language.

Students' ability to communicate in the language they feel most comfortable with is a basic right, said Imad Hamad, regional director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.

snip

Kevin Harris, president of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers and a former economics teacher at Fordson, said a bilingual education is necessary in the school district, home to many students and parents who are new to the English language. Yet, he agreed with the report's assessment that the use of languages other than English "contributes to an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion on the part of English-only speaking adults in the schools."

"The report's concern is that there's an overuse of the native tongue when there didn't really need to be," Harris said. When English speakers choose to communicate in Arabic he said, "It does make me suspicious and I think it's rude for them to do this. If situations were reversed, how would you feel? I don't think they get that."

[Eric J in MN]

1. During lunch and in the hallways, students should be able to speak to each other...

...in whatever language they want.

It's called freedom.

[RB TexLa]

3. They should only have freedom during lunch and when they are in hallways?

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

2. Okay. So what resources do you propose to allocate help these students catch up?

Tutors? Special language classes? I really doubt it.

During my teaching stint I had a student whose English was quite subpar, and the district couldn't afford to get her a tutor (and none of the teachers could speak her native tongue). It was a very frustrating situation for everyone involved.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. Arabic, but not Chinese or Korean or Spanish

Or any of the other languages in which bilingual education is taught. Gee, no racism here. :eyes:

[NeedleCast]

5. Lawd forbid that the school encourage students to learn Arabic

You know, it's ironic. In 2004, when I came off my Army recall, the #1, beyond a shadow of a doubt thing that the Army in general and defense intelligence in particular needed was...say it with me...Arabic language speakers.

Defense contractors were and continue to pay HUGE premiums for Arabic speakers (especially Farsi if memeroy serves). If you're in high school or college now, one of the most profitable things you can do is take an Arabic language class.

[sagetea]

6. It seems they did this in another time,

and my great-grandmother, passed away at 97 with only 1/2 of her tongue.....
She was forced to NOT speak her language, when she did, they cut her tongue off.
Blackfoot Tribe, Montana.

[ogneopasno]

7. A ban is too much. But I can understand that when you're at school, you should probably be learning

English. And I say this as someone who speaks several languages that aren't English.