There are also a number of schools in Atlanta that are teaching Mandarin. I had a conversation a while back with one of these parents (uppity, liberal) who was VERY proud his little princess was being taught Mandarin. I asked if he had plans on going to China? "No." Are you going to force your little one into a job that utilizes the language? "Well, of course not." Then the language will be forgotten unless it is used...the same with anything else. I was very fluent in French when I graduated high school...can't remember sh!t about it now. He doesn't speak to me anymore. http://www.npr.org/2012/09/08/160028396/looking-to-future-ga-schools-require-mandarin?ft=1&f=1001
Well, it could be quite useful to be able to speak your masters language. who'd suspect a hayseed from peanut ville GA could understand them when they are talking about taking over your country.
I doubt they will be our masters. They really only own about 7-8% of our debt, and they've been decreasing the rate of their U.S. bond buys for years. Plus, their economy is starting to look shaky. However, they could wreak significant economic havoc if they were willing to cut their own collective throat to get at us. They probably do talk about how fat we are, however.
Aside from the political nuances of a school offering Mandarin, I think the study of languages enhances every education. Although it may seem dated, I studied Latin for 5 years with no expectation of encountering a Latin speaking culture. However, it taught me a great deal about language and the construct of speech. I also studied Greek, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Russian. I remember a great deal of the Latin, French was my family language so that was useful, I lived in Spanish, German and Japanese speaking countries. While not any longer completely fluent in any of these, I remember enough so it wouldn't be too difficult to pick it up again. The Russian was just for pleasure along with a little Polish so I could communicate with the Polish emigrees who worked for me. The study of language is never wasted any more than the study of physics or history or music or art.
We can agree to disagree. Given limited resources AND the state this country is in, it would be more prudent to learn Spanish IF you are going to be forced to learn a language in school. The odds of most people coming into contact with Mandarin vs. Spanish is quite negligible. My argument is about limited resources. Schools are doing this because they are whores....they are getting something for free. Next, it might be berber. It's a "win-win" for the school and the commies, but not for the kids. You sound like a person who learned languages for learning's sake. That's not my point. If you have the proclivity, great. But, with scant resources learn Spanish if you're in the South/Southwest. Maybe learn German if you're in areas that still have a lot of people speaking that. Learning Latin is never a waste because it is a root language and will help you tremendously in medical school (law to some extent) or to ace the SATs.
It's my opinion that the discontinuation of languages in school is part of the dumbing down of America and I agree that when budgets are so tight, those extras have to be the first to go in favor of core education. Where will we be in another 50 years though
What, the whole world doesn't speak english? Oh the Horror! Actually, as a world population, Mandarin Native speakers is nearly 3x that of Spanish speakers. So it makes sense statistically speaking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers
That is another issue...and I wasn't advocating discontinuing languages in school. Most kids don't even have a firm grasp of the English language judging from the freshmen I see in some of the classes I teach. My point is that if you're going to force a language, be prudent about it and don't choose one based on the highest bidder--a bidder who may have pernicious motives.
That's only because of their population. It is statistically more likely to come into contact with someone who speaks Spanish in this country given the rise in the Hispanic population and the open border we have.
Yep, but when our kids can no longer get a job in the United States, They may have to move to where the jobs are .. Like China
On that point, we fully agree. The demands on students to excel has slowly but surely disintegrated in favor of just getting them through the system with a piece of paper in their hands. Everyone can learn, from the high IQ student to the functioning Downs child, not all at the same level but certainly beyond the lowest expectation. Your point of funding is also valid because that's where much of the shift began. Once federal dollars are accepted, the community loses it's ability to set the standard. By chance, I ran into one of my high school English teachers a few weeks ago and was able to express my appreciation to him. He was the most demanding teacher I had and it was the class in which I most wanted to succeed. That is the type of standard I want for my grandchildren. Excellence versus mediocrity