I'm looking at this debate more from a standpoint of learning and/or fluency in more than one language is good for all U.S. students and the way that U.S. schools implement their second language programs is done at a time when learning a second language is most difficult for them.

Obama's statement and all the hullabaloo about pleasing Europeans, getting rid of American arrogance, etc., doesn't do anything to help immigrant kids. It's a pet peeve of mine because it's become a political football while little kids in areas with high migrant worker concentrations struggle through crappy schools with very little in the way of language tutors, extra instruction, etc.

Most of these kids learn English simply by immersion but do they learn the written language quickly and well enough to do well in high school and go on to college? Some do but lots don't, I'll bet.

For Obama to say Americans should be worrying about teaching their kids spanish while that's going on is an insulting joke.

Would you be against all school children having learn a musical instrument i.e. the paino or violin or would that be pandering to the Asian kids (tongue in cheek)?

My point is if you want to be against bi-lingual schools that is fine, just give me a better reason than, "You're in America speak American!" Show me a study that shows that a child learning two languages at a young age is more harmful to them than only learning one.

Did your grandmother's children attend a bi-lingual school or would they have been better served if they had?

I'm not sure what your point is except to call other people racists or ignorant, same as the Reverend and unfortunately same as Obama's comments.

Good points! I agree that math and science would also be a good focus. Basically, I'm pro education in any sense…with maybe the exception of teaching I.D. in schools.

Like the Rev touches on, my main problem with the second language discussion is that most people who are against going bi-lingual in schools have a weak, invalid agruement against it that is really just a mask for their own racism.

You mentioned your family in the Latin community, but lets not forget that in doesn't only happen in the Latin community. In every big city in the U.S. you have a little Italy, Chinatown, Koreatown, etc. If an immigrant wants to only function within that community it is easy for them to do so. However, their offspring will most likely learn to function inside and outside of that community. Granted it is going back awhile, but my grandmother tells stories of how her grandparents immigrated here and never bothered to learn English. With the Eastern European community in Cleveland at that time they didn't have to, so she would speak to them in German and Bohemian. Now, nobody in my family with exception of my grandmother can speak anything but English.

I don't disagree with the concept of teaching children younger than high school, however if you look at the possible benefit scenario, a stronger focus on math and science at earlier grades would be just as beneficial and could possibly have an even larger impact than them learning spanish. If we were doing this from a global market place aspect we would not be worrying about spanish.

The demagoguing of this Spanish/English thing is so embarassing. White supremacy-minded folks are making an issue out of multi-lingual teaching in a pathetic display of white American exceptionalism.

Many, many white immigrants to America didn't speak English at first. Many never, ever spoke it well.

I dislike this particular political ballgame more than some others. It is just so silly.

I have been teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) in Korea for the last four years. I have worked with every age group from kindergarden through business people in the 50s and 60s, there is no question that the younger kids pick up the language much easier then the adults and older kids. There brains more readily absorb the second language in much the same way as they learned their first language, while the older students have to really study and generally don't get to the same level of fluency as the students who started studying an earlier age.

A couple examples:

1. At an English kindergarden I worked at, students come in their first year with zero English ability. By the end of the first year they speak in full sentences, can read age appropriate books, and write simple sentences. They have no problem interacting and understanding (for the most part) the Western teachers. By the end of the second year they are writing paragraphs and can have a normal age appropriate conversation with teachers in English. These kids are typically between 4-6 years old. Granted their English isn't perfect, but it is far better than my Spanish was after studying for two years in High School. Also keep in mind that at home and everywhere outside of school they are speaking Korean.

On the flip side, I have a couple of adult students I've been working with for the past year who have had very little improvement in their overall ability.

2. A good friend of mine has a Japanese father, Korean mother and was raised in Hawaii. He told me when he was younger he would switch between Japanese, Korean and English without a second thought. It was automatic and he didn't have to "study" to learn any of the languages.

As for "only helpful is they learn English well," doesn't that go without saying? In fact, if you watch or read an interview with just about any American born pro-athlete, it is pretty obvious their English ability is extremely poor. English is their first language!!! What is their excuse?

To sum up what I'm trying to say:
Only speaking English = Bad
Only speaking Spanish = Bad
Learning more than one language = Good
Starting as early as possible to learn a 2nd language= Really Good
Education = Good
Xenophobia = Bad

The world is not getting any bigger. Those who can communicate effectivly with the most people is sure to have a better chance of being more successful.

I have to disagree with your belief if done at a young age it's helpful, it's only helpful if you learn English well and don't rely on Spanish. If you rely on Spanish to the point where you can not hold a regular conversation in English it's not helpful and many of my husband's relatives can not function in English, some living on the east coast, those in Puerto Rico especially. My brother in law stayed with us for a month last summer, he barely spoke English, I barely spoke Spanish, it was quite an adventure. The only good thing about it was when he went back to Puerto Rico he enrolled in adult English classes so that when he comes back to visit he can communicate with the rest of us rather than only being able to speak to his brother…

Do you have children? If so, are you rasing them to be bi-lingual? The people I know, my son included, have no complaints about being able to communicate in more than one language. If it is done at a young age, the children have little to no hardships picking up two languages.

I think Obama is talking about the importance of knowing more than one language, more so than enabling non-English speakers to continue to not learn English.

However, after 9 years of being together and being around his family and watching those who have not tried to become better at speaking English suffer from a job and communication standpoint?

No habla espanole is the reality…

1. Of the 50 most widely spoken languages in the world, Spanish is 3rd with 332 million people (Mandarin Chinese is 1st and English is 2nd). While it would make a lot of sense to have students learn Chinese as a second language, as far as practical application goes someone in the U.S. would likely have more opportunities to speak Spanish than they would Chinese. Heck, if we had more interaction with Quebec, I'd say French.
2. Studies show that if you only know one language, your ability to learn a second one decreases dramatically by around 13, which is when most U.S. schools start their second language programs. If however, you already know 2 languages by that time, learning a third or fourth langauge is that much easier.
3. Many economists see Brazil (I know, they speak Portuguese) and the rest of Latin America as becoming the next "China" within the next 20 years, so learning Spanish can help citizens become competitive.
4. My comment about science (from earlier post) had more to do with asking what skills will enable a U.S. citizen be competitive in in the future? With the belief that the more skill sets a worker has the more likely he/she will be to find success in the workplace. It will also help to hedge against changes in the job market.

Obama is one hilarious dude