Boy, Do They Ever Whittle Away Your Summer!

[Ashley]

Whelp, I go back August 1st for a half day. Personally, I think it's stupid. All you do is get your schedule (which I just got today!!! I guess people lose 'em. I lost mine last year, but, I got that one even before school was let out!) and do nothing in your classes. It's good for the freshmen, but, if you're a sophmore or higher grade you shouldn't have to go that day. Ya know bascially where everything is. Then the next day it's a full day, on the 3rd is a 'Stockpile Day' so no school, then we go back on the 4th

Anyway, I got my schedule today:

Fall Semester:

Spainsh 1

Biology 1

Honors Geometry

JROTC 2A

Spring Semester:

Spainsh 2

Honors Algebra 2

Honors English 2

JROTC 2B.

I signed up for German. Then, I put in my alternate choices (if a class isn't available) for French, then Latin. I can't believe I got stuck with Spainish. Oh well.

Well, since there's going to be new folks comming in, you never know, just might meet someone with Celiac too! I guess I'm ready for school to start back.

-Ash

[Nantzie]

It still blows me away that school starts now the beginning of August. When I was in school, we didn't go back until after Labor Day. Ugh.

Nancy

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Why do you only have four classes? Spanish is a wonderful language and you can get paid more knowing it in the U.S., especially in certain areas.

[Ashley]

Block Scheduling. Yet another wonderful thing our stupid school system has brought us. First block 7:45-9:15, Second 9:20-10:58, Third 11:04-12:57 (longer because of lunch, there's five different lunch periods, depending what hall on you're on), fourth 1:15-2:45.

I know, but, it's like anything else when you get your heart set on it and you don't get it; you're disappointed. I'll live though. I'm not sure if you'd know, but, would help in Tennessee for a doctor(probably what I'll be) working at Vanderbilt in Nashville? I've noticed quite a few Latino folk around here.

[debmidge]

Do you have "summer reading" to do too?

I used to resent that (I was Honors English and it was mandatory). Now in retrospect, I never would have found the time now to read all those good books as a Full time working adult. So I am glad I got to read them.

[celiac3270]

I'm surprised that you only have four classes, and that there's no history or social studies class.

I agree with you on the language. Based on the number of people who speak it, you will get more "practical application" of the language, but I preferred both French and Latin (which some haters claim is useless) to Spanish. I never took German, or had an option to until high school, but those I know who are learning it seem to like it.

You mentioned medicine. Spanish may help you with patient interaction, but German and Latin are said to be the most useful for that field.

[debmidge]

I took French and in retrospect should have taken Spanish due to how employers in our country are now demanding Spanish as a second language (which should be an illegal requirement, unless you are an interpreter).

Anyway, the days of German and Latin being needed for the medical field are pretty much over. I am sure it won't hurt to know those languages but it's not like it was years ago. For example, my sister works for pharmaceutical company, has degree in organic chemistry and never bothered with German or Latin (they stopped offering it in our school system in 1971 as they too felt it was needed less than ever).

[Ashley]

Yep. Summer reading too. If honors, you have to read two books from the lists. They were all either HUGE or Shakespeare's works. So I wind up reading the long books.

There is social studies and history in here. They only require three credits of social studies. I took Honors World Geography my freshman year, take a break from it my sophmore year (unless you take World Studies: Honors, which gives you two credits: one in Honors World History, and one in Honors English 2.) , AP US History junior year, then US government.

For Graduation Requirements you must have at least 28 credits to graduate. The most you can earn is 32. You have to have 4 credits of English, 3 Mathematics (I'm taking more, next year I'm taking Advanced Algebra & Trignometry then Pre-Calculus, then AP Calculus for both semesters of my senior year), 3 in Science, 3 or 4 in Social Studies, one in wellness (P.E. bascially), 2 in Foreign Language, one in Fine Arts, 4 in Vocational Education, and what's left is for electives.

I've always thought that Latin was probably the most useful out of all them. I thought the same about that, celiac3270.

That's why Mom's pushing me to take Spanish. I wish I took what I wanted, not just because the work place is demanding it.

-Ash

[penguin]

Honors summer reading sucks. When I was about to take AP English, I read Madame Bovary and Crime and Punishment. MB was good and so was C&P, but it was hard to deal with the russian names

I feel for you. I had block scheduling and it sucked, but it prepared me for college, time wise. It was also nice to have free blocks, lucky for me my favorite teachers had the same off-blocks I did and I'd help them Maybe I was a brown noser, but sorting frogs for my bio teacher certainly made AP bio much easier to get a good grade in without doing the homework

Spanish was my first language but I forgot all of it by the time I was 6. I took one spanish class and it comes back really easily, but I took french instead the rest of the years. I refuse to learn spanish for work, which is hard for me because I work in the non-profit field in Texas. So far, I've taken 1 year of spanish, 6 years of french, 1 year of modern greek, and a semester of american sign language. It's really hard for me to complete a sentence in any one of them, I think of the words in the wrong languages

[Green12]

I took French and in retrospect should have taken Spanish due to how employers in our country are now demanding Spanish as a second language (which should be an illegal requirement, unless you are an interpreter).

I'm just curious as to why Spainsh as a second language should be an illegal requirement? Spanish and English are in a close race for the second most spoken language around the world.

I would think speaking any language, multiple languages, would be a gift, no matter what it was.

[kabowman]

My son's school has block scheduling and it works really well for him. Day one, 4 classes, Day two 4 other classes, and Friday's have built in study hall. When he had huge projects due for CP Biology last year, he had an extra day - theoreticly (sp??) but it really helped him. He is dislexic, disgraphic, and has ADHD.

He originally planned on Latin for all 4 years but after one year, he decided to drop it and will be taking more hands-on classes his sophmore year.

[eKatherine]

I'm just curious as to why Spainsh as a second language should be an illegal requirement? Spanish and English are in a close race for the second most spoken language around the world.

I would think speaking any language, multiple languages, would be a gift, no matter what it was.

I was going to ask the same thing. If the job requires communicatiing with someone in a foreign language, then you need to hire someone who is at least marginally fluent in that language.

[debmidge]

That comment is my own opinion and observation.

I see many Employment Ads in paper for lower income positions which ask for person to be fluent in Spanish....this requirement excludes a lot of American cititzens who do not have that second language - for example, languages weren't pushed during their time in school, or they went to a low income school system and didn't learn Spanish fully, etc. American citizens should not be excluded from basic jobs in this fashion. Like the employer can't ask you if you are married, etc. they shouldn't be able to use Spanish as the dividing line either. This results in the same thing as years ago when signs like this were legal : "Irish need not apply." It's a way to discriminate against a segment of citizens.

I just see the demand for a second language to be above and beyond basic job requirements and if they do ask for that, the compensation for that knowledge should be higher than what they are paying - and I bet that they are not doing that in jobs that pay minimium wage or slightly above.

I am of the opinion that English should be our main language here in USA and that we can only accomodate a visitor's language as a courtesy and we should not be re-arranaging our way of life. But I do not want to make this a political sound off....a couple of you just asked and this is my answer. You can ignore me if you want to.

By the way, I came from a household which spoke a second language (a smattering of Italian) so I am not holding this position due to any WASPy conceit. Just like to keep the playing field level.

We had a friend who did have a fluent second language, German, and he worked for government and they would not give him a promotion to supervisor because his second language wasn't Spanish. Let me get this straight, it can only be a "protected" second language?

Another example is a restaurant I go to (not my gluten-free husband) and the wait staff is from another spanish speaking country, although it's an Italian restaurant. The staff cannot speak let alone write English - the customers don't speak Spanish and you can only imagine how the orders get mixed up. So the requirement to speak two languages doesn't work in the reverse either.

Also my eldery mother in law gets an aide by the state and the majority of them speak very little English; so a little old lady with hearing loss has a hard time communicating with her aide and she would rather not have an aide because they can't communicate with her well enough to make a difference in her quallity of living. So I don't see this as a reciprocated ideal.

So I see this as barrier for some citizens. What would we do if every job required Spanish as a second language? Many of us would be in trouble. Additionally, those who live by Canadian border would do well to learn French, but I'm sure that it's politically correct to know Spanish, not French.

So if you disagree, I'd prefer you'd just pass on commenting because there's no intention on my part to make this anything more than what it is: my humble opinion.

[eKatherine]

I will not pass on commenting on this, but at the same time I'm not sure how to respond to the idea that employers should be forced to hire people who are utterly unqualified to do the job they need to get done. (Workfare for monolinguals?) You clearly don't see language as a means of communication, but as an irrelevant paper requirement.

Up here in the North Country there are jobs that require people to speak French. It never occurred to me that I should apply and be hired for one of those jobs - not being a French-speaker - and then do nothing and get paid for it. Our school system hires Cambodian-, Vietnamese-, Somalian-, Arabic-, Serbian-, Russian-, Spanish-, Amharic-speakers, and more. Nobody applies for those jobs that is not qualified, and it's usually the native speakers who are qualified for those jobs. Can we get by without those critical personnel? Can somebody do the job that cannot speak the particular language? Not hardly.

If you want to learn a foreign language, you do it. I have. If you haven't, it's because you have chosen not to. In the rest of the world it is the norm to speak more than one language.

We pay menial workers slave wages and we end up with unqualified workers. That's the system we have. It keeps our labor costs down. It's not the only possible system, and it could be changed. Pay people living wages and treat them with respect, and you end up with more highly qualified workers. That's what I would choose. Would you?

[penguin]

I could have written what Debmidge wrote. I live in Texas, and every language I know other than English is useless here. I have second (french), third (greek), and fourth (ASL) languages. I even know some spanish, it was my first language and I lost it as I got older, but it does come back pretty quickly, I don't have an interest. I work in the non-profit world and it's really hard to find a job here that DOESN'T require fluent spanish. I'm not one that looks for the menial jobs either, I'm college educated and very experienced. It's not even just for organizations that serve immigrants, but almost ANY company/organization. If I'm applying for a position for an organization that serves immigrants, then sure, require me to speak spanish. I don't think I should have to learn a language I have no interest in so that I can accommodate people that aren't assimilating to the US and it's language. I don't move to say, Serbia, and expect everyone to accommodate me and speak English. JMHO.

[Green12]

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[Ashley]

Gone for two days and there's already tension. Please, just don't get my topic banned.

-Ash

EDIT:

Not a slam on Latino people and their language, but, most in the 'States know English. It bothers me that if you don't know Spanish, your salary isn't as much to one that does. It's not about neglecting these people and the customs they have brought and shared. I just get so angry because people on here ALWAYS start something. Grr.

-Ash

[penguin]

Sorry. I'll make no further comment