Our children should speak Spanish

THEY need to learn ENGLISH. No need to agree....they SHOULD learn it without argument.

I agree that our children should learn more than one language and I stress that it needs to start in Kindergarten or before. I think that if you border Canada children should learn French. If you border Mexico they should learn Spanish.

You know it would PISS the Spanish speakers off if we learned their language. Then they couldn't pretend, any more, that they don't understand.

It is not the parent's job to teach languages they don't know. It's the schools.

Why not learn another language? As long as there is a good program in place at a young age, learning another language can only benefit someone, and in so many ways.

I wish I had become fluent in another language at a young age, it was such a struggle as I got older.

What a jerk this guy is, I don't give a rats ass what Euro-peons think of my language skills and I don't plan on living in their country but if I did I'd damn well learn their language not expect them to learn mine... geez I hate this guy, you can just see and hear the arrogant attitude..

Ok learning another language is fun and it has it's benefits, but making to where its not a choose.
This is United States of America, right?
We do speak English, right?
Was the country's founding documents written in Spanish? Native American? or French?
At an Elementary School in Indio, CA , teachers have to stop the lesson in english and then translate it to the other students who speak only spanish. Thus, none of the students are learning a full lesson plan for that class. The school is just barely passing the State Testings.
And in California, the teachers barely have enough time to finish one subject before its time to start another one.
What happened to kids being in school from 8 am and getting out at 3 pm? I know that I was at school from 7:45 am until 3:30 pm or later, through out my time of having to go to school. And I went through the public school system! But not today. My kids have to be in school by 8:30 am and get out at 2:30 pm. Middle and High school is not better. 8:15 am and out by 2 pm. And those are the public schools!
Not sure what the private schools are like.
POLITICS!!
Can't run a country without them, Damn It!.

I think all children should be taught another language in tandem with english, not spanish necessarily but learning another language has been shown to improve the students performance in their original language.

I live in a particular spot in the U.S. where English is not widely spoken, and english speakers are looked down upon.

I like to joke (with snide sarcasm) with others who refuse to speak English of their predicament in life.


If I approach some dildo at the check out line in a grocery store who refuses to speak english to me, I reply, "that's why you work for mininum wage, and I do not".

I work with a lot of international professionals and they speak English. They say it is the language that all should know. Why learn spanish unless you really need it?

And this post is coming from a spanish speaker. . .

God bless america
God bless big oil

I think that what Obama's trying to get at is that it is sad that we are content to be ignorant, even uneducated. In comparison with most other developed nations, we Americans are rather ignorant when it comes to language. Hell, half of us can't even use the very language we speak correctly! Indeed, compared to the multi-lingual developed nations of the world, we are undereducated.

As for how we should feel about learning other languages:
History shows that as people move around the world, whether in a legal or illegal fashion, language changes. The English we speak today is incredibly different from the English that was spoken 5 or 6 hundred years ago.

ALSO! Just because one believes that it is a smart idea to learn the languages of neighboring countries does not mean that the person in question wants to "accomodate" illegal immigrants. Quite frankly, it is rather paranoid and bigoted to believe that learning another language is just another step to some kind of "takeover" of the U.S. If anything, more U.S. citizens understanding Spanish could facilitate in the English-speaking process for those who need to learn it.

wow, jeromecon. Til about now, didn't know Spain is south of the U.S.
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at least in Europe, which is east of the US; people know more than 1 language, where in the US people own more than one TVset...

Languages are great, it is a great asset, either way or place it is seen or practiced.

Learning a second or more languages is a good thing but if you want to live here, learn english. If I went to another country I would learn the language.

Our schools should make second language courses available before middle school, which is around when students start to have more difficulty learning a language.

where to begin ? the pandering generalizations obama employs sound more and more like bush's "good ol' boy" act . americans have no need to learn any other language , as most americans never travel overseas . sure , it sounds like a noble aspiration to have americans appear to be as sophisticated as those "europeans" who know all kinds of languages , while we are hicks , but i'd rather spend tax money on deporting illegal immigrants , and i'm pretty sure that when mexicans are required to know english to be here , they'll learn it .

IF I lived in Europe, I'm sure I would NEED to speak several languages. Italy, France, Germany, etc. are all within a day's drive of one another.
IF I wanted to go Europe, I'm sure I would try to learn the basics of whatever language so I could do what I'd need to do.

The thing is those who are coming over our borders now REFUSE to speak English.
Corporations are more than happy to oblige with store signs in spanish as well as English. They'll take your money whether it's legal or not. As long as you can read numbers, you're good to go.

This is America folks. We started out with English and we need to stick with English. Period.

He wants us to learn spanish to slowly ease us into the idea of N.A.U and S.P.P! You might think it's conspiracy, but when it begins to usher in around 2010, you will be shocked and think "how could obama let this happen" and you will learn that him and Mccain are politicians like all the others. This is something pushed forward behind the governments back by Bush and his cronies to further the idea of globalization. Our government and media doesn't want people to know about this due to the fear of retaliation toward them. Just be prepared and learn what you can about N.A.U and S.P.P before it happens.

Also i believe that learning another language is a fine idea and could make americans more culturally integrated , but i don't believe it should be pressed upon anyone. It's your life and your choice. The fact that it's an issue in his campaign all of a sudden is what makes me wonder what "CHANGE" means in his campaign. Should we "HOPE" its for the better?

oh yes, because learning other languages is just awful, right?

education in itself is awful, yes i totally get your point

While there is nothing wrong with learning new language since it helps break down culture barrier and learn more about our world, I don't think we "should" learn to speak Spanish. Why is America becoming such a push-over country?
I know we have so many illegal immigrants and this is a good way to patch relationships with Mexico, but I personally believe that the immigrants should learn English. I don't mind the signs having Spanish language below the English, but the regular dialect of America should be English.

Do people remember that America does not have an official language? Yes its predominately English speaking, but there is no official language plain and simple. We are a country of immigrants and if you want to get really technical about it, Spanish was spoken here long before English ever was (oh irony).

I think kids should be required to learn at least 2 other languages aside from English. What is the harm in learning other languages? Is becoming educated or cultural "un-American" now? Learning other languages isnt about becoming some hoitty toitty Euro trash wannabe....its about learning the science of languages (which can make you a better English speaker) and being able to travel and appreciate multiple cultures and their arts.

Isn't it going to be great to have a President that knows so much better than we do how we should live our lives, how we should spend our money, and how we should raise our children. Thank goodness Senator Obama is so much smarter than all us little people.

I've said it before and it continues to amaze me. I've never seen a more arrogant candidate for office in my life.

at one point , i was an english major with the desire to be able to read all the "classics" in their original texts - through the years , i've learned how to speak / read in 6 languages - and i can say " where's the bathroom ? " and " how much is it ? " in a dozen more i guess - and the only language besides english i find myself using in this country is , in fact , spanish , and it's only because i like to sound cool when i go to some of the dive mexican rest's i like to visit anywhere i happen to be in this country .
funny thing is , and for the most part , it's seldom the case i meet a "european" whose read any of those "classics" in their language i once prided myself on knowing , and when i even try to begin a conversation about their "classics" they think i'm being a pretentious american asshole .
the real world is an interesting place .

Learning another language is great, and it's easier to do you when you're young, so why not? My elementary school taught Spanish from grades K-5, and it was great. Unfortunately, it was optional once we got to middle and high school and a lot of us dropped it. I wish I hadn't--I'd love to be able to speak another language fluently. Especially when I think about the fact that people in other countries are frequently bilingual at least--and often know more than two languages.

Then again, my dream is to become a massive polyglot so I might not be entirely normal.

Shouldn't Obama be more concerned about what this government under the auspices of Der Homeland Security is doing to citizens' rights and the environment to take land to build a BS wall? But again, he talks about the "soft" issues. Oh, but what am I saying? He probably agrees with the clandestine unconstitutional efforts of Der Homeland Security since he voted for Bush to be able to spy on us anyway... but of course, talking about learning Spanish is so much more important in the scheme of all that is happening in the world. Our education system is also in a LOT more trouble than just having children learn Spanish. Again, more pandering for votes in lieu of talking about serious issues.

sgwhites Im with you! I went to a school where Spanish alongside English from day 1 in Kindergarten and I was pretty damn well fluent. Sadly I transfered out of the area and went to a school with absolutely no Spanish and almost no Spanish speaking children. I didnt really speak it again until High School and by then Id lost pretty much everything. Ive tried to regain my skills but its a lot harder and even now Im nowhere near as good as I once was.

Why shouldn't Obama be talking about the educational system and languages? Yes, Homeland Security and civil liberties are important issues, but they aren't the only ones facing our country. Everyone has different priorities, and we shouldn't neglect issues that affect the US just because they may not be a large or pressing as others--to some people, this may matter a great deal, and they deserve to have their concerns addressed as much as anyone else.

The point is that Americans need to relax their arrogance. English is the language of the land. Therefore, immigrants should learn to speak English. However, Americans need to open their minds to new cultures. This would allow for a more fluid, and respectful, dialogue with individuals from foreign lands.

Most of the rest of the world knows their native language and English, it seems that Americans have a fear of foreign languages, in my humble opinion.

They forced us to take it in highschool in Dallas. I guess it comes in handy when i go to get fast food, thats about all i use it for.

He's the one that wants to talk to our enemies, let him learn their languages.

I don't know about the rest of the US but what my high school Spanish classes taught me have proven very convenient in California.

Our curriculum, incisively monitored by our parents, must indoctrinate our youth via bilingual pedagogy. Achieving bilingual status is a vital feat and would only propel our society in the right direction.

let's assume i don't know italian , nor have i even been to italy , but i can deliver you a doctorate level dissertation on exactly what Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" represents / means / implies , etc. , and can even describe for you , in the most minute , mind numbingly boring detail , how "paint" was made back then ( even going so far as to detail PH balances and precisely how "paint" at the time reacted with the specific "canvas" Leonardo used ) , and , going even further , let's say i can describe for you precisely what Leonardo's diet consisted of and how it might possibly have affected his vision , and could even tell you what color his shit more than likely was on an average day , in the morning , before he began working on what is universally lauded as being his masterpiece , and the pan-ultimate embodiment of the italian renaissance ( usually considered the most brilliant achievement of italian , and even western civilization ) - could anyone in america tell me i didn't know dick about italian culture because i don't speak italian ?

I know now why he's giving his acceptance speech in Mile High Stadium. They had to find a venue big enough for his ego.

I agree with Seanalyn: learning a foreign language improves your native language skills and your analytical abilities, and makes you more valuable as an employee.

However, in my country, compulsory foreign language classes have never produced multilingual geniuses. On the contrary, they made the study of foreign languages a futile and frustrating experience for many students.
So, learn Spanish if you're genuinely interested. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

By the way, where did you guys get the stereotype that in Europe everybody is multilingual?

I'm down to learn another language (preferably not spanish), and think it is good to be cultured. But, I refuse to learn a language to accommodate border jumpers. Also, If your going to come into our country illegally, fucking learn English first!