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Mexican Herbs and Spices

Whoa.... Calm down everyone, I for one can attest to the fact that they still teach math, English, spelling etc. and it is harder than ever. My 3rd grader brings home her work every night! She goes to a totally integrated school with students of all ethnic backgrounds and I see her work daily, and a whole packet of work weekly! I went to racially and ethnically mixed schools, Spanish was taught as an elective which I gladly studied 9th thru 12 grade and it did not hurt me one bit! I wish I remembered more and spoke it better to this day, esp. now that I am married to a Puerto Rican and in an environment at work where if I were bi-lingual I could better communicate with my customers. And they always appreciate my efforts to communicate no matter how botched my spanish. Being bi-lingual is a gift and also you get paid a little more if you have multiple languages. That other crap the schools teach that IC mentioned would not be tolerated if parents would get involved and fight the "system" but unfortunately that would go against the grain, and would be politically incorrect...so just remember to re-teach your children at home. And Janie any time your neice complains about being taught Spanish just remind her that different languages are fun and so interesting! Many of the words in our language came from a mix of all languages, greek, latin, etc....
 
I'm all in favor of children learning any language they want - I do not like the fact that Spanish is crammed down everyone's throat.

They have no choice.

Parents?? They are too busy in their own little world to care about their kids enough to try to fight for what is right. They'd rather keep their heads in the sand and only pop them out long enough to get a lawyer to sue the school for some strange reason.

I take care of 2 little ones - 4th and 1st grade - I see their paperwork on a daily basis. I help with homework, correct homework and try to broaden what that piece of paper is about. Sad. No books. I taught for years - today - they don't teach. Their pay raises, perks and tenure is more important. Once tenured - you don't have to care anymore - you're set till retirement.

The problem - school boards. Get rid of them. Make the principal responsible for the education. It will save the taxpayers tons of money. The school board does nothing but get paid.

I just wish we could go back to the fifties!
 
And Janie any time your neice complains about being taught Spanish just remind her that different languages are fun and so interesting! Many of the words in our language came from a mix of all languages said:
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Jon's two nieces go to a private Christian school.
She will get over the class. She is just grumbling right now lol.
 
I think there is a misperception about classes called "English as a Second Language". These are classes taught to immigrants who come here- whose first language is another... so that they can learn the English that all of us here hope they learn. Most times among those in an "ESL" course speak not a lick of English, so these classes are an excellent resource.

I am so glad America is the true melting-pot that it is. I cannot imagine what our nation would be like without all the various cultural influences. I prefer to live in smaller, rural areas- but one thing I love about big cities is all the big ethnic neighborhoods, with the different accents, the unique music, and the diverse foods.

Some folks seem to fear or mis-trust folks who show any evidence of being "foreign". I myself have never understood this, as I've always been drawn to the different, the unique, the exotic...

I do however wish that immigrants of today leaned more toward the direction those of the past did- toward more successful integration. I mean- I don't want them to become "pale clones" like me- I respect and celebrate their cultural heritage- America wouldn't be the same without it- BUT I like the idea of us being more united- more "together" and scrapping this whole "African-American", "Mexican-American", Italian-American", "Swedish-American" thing... And flying the flag of another nation OVER the stars & stripes? NOPE. NOPE. NOPE.

I LIKE DIVERSITY, but I expect GOOD BEHAVIOR, too.
 
This sort of debate has been raging for a few hundred years. When all the Irish came as indentured servants people hated them. The Irish are going to take us over they said. They propagated many unfair stereotypes and it took the Irish a long time to “melt” into America. The same thing happened with the Germans and the Italians, Asians etc, etc. We have many words already in American English that they don’t use in Brittan and that’s because we adopted words and phrases from other cultures. So now it’s Mexicans and after that it will be something else. It’s hard right now because they aren’t integrated yet but in 100 years they will all be speaking English with a few Mexican words thrown in. They will all be integrated and we will be angry about those dang people from Bora Bora who are coming in by the truck load.
 
...makes sense, jfain... but in the meantme- we're supposed to be charitable, kind, welcoming Americans. Why do we WHINE & BELLY-ACHE, so?
 
Well for one people don’t like change.

Then two it’s very annoying when it seems like you are being highly inconvenienced. I do try to be kind but I have to tell you I have struggled with this myself. I never had any feelings one way or another about Mexicans until they started moving into the apartment complex where my husband and I used to live. We had lived there for 6 years before they started moving in and we really liked it there. It was quiet, we had considerate neighbors all was well. Then they started moving in. We had them on both sides of us. All of a sudden there were no parking places. They were living 10 to an apartment and were parking not only in their assigned spaces but in everyone else’s too. I had them towed 2 times a day but it didn’t matter they would still park in my spot. Then there was the REALLY loud music at all hours of the day and night. Then there were the gangs of their young men hanging around outside and yelling at me when ever I would leave my house. Then there were the roaches. We never had roaches in 6 years until they moved in. Needless to say we bought a house about 6 months after they moved in beside us. We bombed the apartment our new house and everything we owned twice. Luckily we didn’t take any of those little pets with us. This is why there is animosity. As much as I understand this is a transitional time for us as a country there are growing pains and it hurts.
 
jfain -

Exactly! the Yemenites all live 30 to a room as well - they all use a dozen different names - they want everything for THEM as if they were in their own country and they will not conform here. they recieve rent subsidies, free utilities, food stamps, free medical, grants to open convenience stores, etc. while hard working americans who have hit hard times cannot get any of this.

In the Latino/Spanish/Mexican part of town - just like you said - and their music can be heard blocks away. They have their gangs, they walk the streets all hours of the day and night, they do not go to school after a certain age, many deal drugs right out of their homes, and they have many children living in those homes.

Funny thing about them all - speak english to them and they don't understand a word you say (so they act) so they get away with more.

On the other side of town there is a large concentration of Macedonian - and they live the same way - only quieter - and when they move out they take the wall plugs, light fixtures, bulbs, door knobs, plumbing, sinks, woodword, etc.

Makes ya wonder.................
 
I'm a "love everybody", easy kind of guy... so red flags pop-up for me when I see words like "they", "them", "we" and "us". I just prefer more inclusive- less divisive terms- afterall, I feel we're all in this together. That's just how I roll...

To me, the "them & us" talk didn't sound pretty a 100, 75 and 60 years back when folks spoke derogatorily about Itlaians, Irish & Japanese... and it don't sound pretty to me today when talking about today's immigrants.

I remember stories of American children being told to stay away from such-and-such "foreigners" for fear of lice, scabies & fleas... not to mention even worse. And of course we all remember horrors of extreme "them & us" situations throughout history regarding folks of different blood, different race, different economic status, and different- well, anything.

I remember as a kid, one poor neighbor boy being humiliated and harrassed practically to death by bullies because he was born w/ no thumbs! Another because family was made to pay hell 'cuz they were poor and ran barefooted all summer long... And while "no thumbs" and "no shoes" is different than someone speaking with an accent- in ways, it's all inter-connected...

I imagine cave-men did the same... and I imagine beings on Mars will warn their children against us when & if we finally get there, too!

Some of us just see things of this nature far differently, I think. I wouldn't ask you to change- and I ain't about to, either.

Ain't no big thang, I guess. All i know is, when my familiy's forefathers arrived here- I'm glad they weren't ran-off, or shamed into fleeing elsewhere...
 
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I would also like to feel peace and harmony with everyone but it takes all sides to make it happen. If immigrants want harmony they have to integrate. Eventually they will and then we will all be in one big happy melting pot but until they do it's kind of like when you get a daughter in law that you think isn't acting the way she should. It takes a long time before she feels like family.
 
I agree- it takes two. Or at least ONE willing to go the extra mile and over-compensate. But TWO who butt-heads stubbornly, and who enjoy the clash more than the commraderie? that has potential to get ugly. We see it all the time. And it also leads to wars. Yuch. Sometimes it just takes an attitude adjustment.
 
Well the last two times Jon has gone for PT I went next door to the Mexican store and it is closed with some sign on the door I cannot understand and what looks like 1-2 on it.
What a bummer they start closing right when I am there.
 
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