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Why do we, as a state and as a nation, refuse to accept the fact that this country is bilingual? To put the question another way, why do we continue to speak of Spanish as a "foreign" language? I fail to see what is "foreign" about it, and I fail to see why every student should not be expected to learn both of the languages spoken in this country. I'm all in favor of teaching foreign languages to every student, too. But it flies in the face of the facts to include Spanish in the category of "foreign languages."

Needless to say, I think Measure 58 is nothing more than nativist hokum. My point is that Measure 58, and this discussion of it, is predicated on the assumption that English is and should be the sole national language of this country. Unless we challenge that assumption, then Bill Sizemore and the know-nothings will have won the debate, even if Measure 58 fails.

We can all agree that it is a good thing that every student should learn to read and write English well. But we should also recognize that English is not the only national language in the U.S., and that every student should also learn the "other" one -- Spanish -- if they don't know it already. I say: SSL for all who don't have Spanish as their "home language." AND a "foreign language" for everyone. If the Swiss can do it -- and they have FOUR national languages -- so can we.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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