Arizona Goes After Teachers With Accents

vivfox · #1 04-30-2010, 11:29 PM

Newser) – Arizona is already under fire for its controversial new immigration law, and now this: Schools in the state are being forced to fire or reassign some teachers who speak English with an accent. Teachers who aren’t deemed fluent can’t be in classrooms where students are still learning English, meaning many veteran teachers are taking classes to improve their English—and if that doesn’t work, facing a move to a higher grade where English learners are fewer; about 12.5% of the state's public-school students are considered "English Language Learners."

Some of the pronunciation problems the Department of Education notes: violet is “biolet” and think is “tink.” While one principal agrees “teachers should speak grammatically correct English,” she doesn’t see why accents should be punished. “This is just one more indication of the incredible anti-immigrant sentiment in the state,” one professor tells the Wall Street Journal. Ironically, Arizona hired hundreds of Spanish-speaking teachers, many of them recruited from Latin America, in the 1990s to teach bilingual education.

http://www.newser.com/story/87456/ar...h-accents.html

David · #2 05-01-2010, 03:16 PM

Secure the borders!

goldustsongbird · #3 05-01-2010, 03:28 PM

Take your biolet and bloo mornings wid you.

nailatixela · #4 05-01-2010, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldustsongbird

Take your biolet and bloo mornings wid you.

OMG.

Ghost_Tracker · #5 05-01-2010, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivfox

Newser) – ... Schools in the state are being forced to fire or reassign some teachers who speak English with an accent.

I think there's only one problem with this, and no others: It's illegal.

The reason there's only one problem is that i.m.o., you just simply can't get past that fact - it's illegal.

Jondalar · #6 05-02-2010, 01:15 AM

Arizona is desperate for help. The federal government will not do anything to stop illegal immigration. That's why they are passing these laws—to get the United States Government to react and do what they are supposed to do and won't. Good for them. If the government won't do anything, keep passing laws until they do. At least, it brings attention to the fact that the state is under seige.

Zombie · #7 05-02-2010, 02:58 AM

^^^^

Forgive me, but...under siege by what? Spanish* consonants?

"Good God, Jim, they say a 'B' sound when the letter is actually a 'V'! We can't even leave the house anymore for fear a Spanish consonant might land on our heads and take the children hostage! The children, Jim! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!"

"Now, Mildred, we just have to be strong. Hear that siren? That means someone somewhere close by may be speaking English with an accent, so you run along to the basement until the threat passes. And remember - if we can just get rid of all those damn teachers with accents, then in another 18 years or so, if we're very lucky, everyone will pronounce their Vs as God intended and then this cruel war will be over..."

If you're mad at me now and thinking all that just sounds ridiculous, well...that's because it is. I think "siege" is perhaps a loaded term that doesn't actually fit the situation.

More importantly, though, I fail to see what teachers with accents have to do with illegal immigration.

Unless it's like... magic or something. Y'know, like, "Look! Every time Teacher says 'biolet,' 500 Mexicans jump the border undetected!" I mean, I guess that could be it - seems about as reasonable as the rest of it, anyway.

*I am, of course, just assuming they are targeting only the Spanish-speaking teachers here, so someone please do correct me if I am wrong and they are also going after anyone else that speaks English with an accent, like, say...people from Canada. Or...people from England. Or...people from Tennessee. Or...me! I speak English with an accent, too - born in Alabama, spent most of my formative years in the Pittsburgh area, so you best believe I talk funny-like, y'all. Real funny-like.

ButterCookie · #8 05-02-2010, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie

*Or...people from England.

Hush your mush, or I'll teach your kids to spell it rumour

This is CRAZY though. Personally, I learn better from a teacher with an accent because I remember their pronunciations as opposed to someone who drones on in the same accent as myself. But who am I to say anything, I'm just a student

carrie721 · #9 05-02-2010, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldustsongbird

Take your biolet and bloo mornings wid you.

man.

ragrsrocalot · #10 05-04-2010, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldustsongbird

Take your biolet and bloo mornings wid you.

Holy Crap.

RockAlot · #11 05-04-2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldustsongbird

Take your biolet and bloo mornings wid you.

Good one!

MissLadyLoki · #12 05-10-2010, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldustsongbird

Take your biolet and bloo mornings wid you.

OK that aside, I'm not a racist by any means, but I agree with that. Right now, I have a precalc professor that's originally from China that can't speak English for her life and with a thick accent on top of it all. Combine that wiht the fact the guy running the math department makes up tests designed to make you fail and that I suck at math, I'm ready to flip out. I mean, I understand having a teacher with an accent (my Spanish teacher for 2 years in high school was originally from Honduras and did have trouble with some words and spoke with an accent), but the problems arise IMO when they can't clearly speak or articulate the language.

LikeAWillow · #13 05-10-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissLadyLoki

OK that aside, I'm not a racist by any means, but I agree with that. Right now, I have a precalc professor that's originally from China that can't speak English for her life and with a thick accent on top of it all. Combine that wiht the fact the guy running the math department makes up tests designed to make you fail and that I suck at math, I'm ready to flip out. I mean, I understand having a teacher with an accent (my Spanish teacher for 2 years in high school was originally from Honduras and did have trouble with some words and spoke with an accent), but the problems arise IMO when they can't clearly speak or articulate the language.

This is why I want to know exactly what the word "fluent" in the policy is being defined as. If the example of pronouncing "think" as "tink" is representative, then this policy isn't about making sure that teachers are intelligible, but rather it is just another instance of Arizona creating an us vs. them mentality.

Zombie · #14 05-11-2010, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LikeAWillow

This is why I want to know exactly what the word "fluent" in the policy is being defined as. If the example of pronouncing "think" as "tink" is representative, then this policy isn't about making sure that teachers are intelligible, but rather it is just another instance of Arizona creating an us vs. them mentality.

If Arizona was truly worried about accents affecting education, you'd think they'd have tried to do something about it before now. Like, y'know, not purposely hire hundreds of Spanish-as-a-first-language teachers from Spanish-speaking countries to, y'know, teach the kids and promote bilingual education?

But no, they are doing this right now - it's a way of getting people to do that whole "OMG WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?" pearl-clutching thing, which pulls away some of the attention from their current questionable behavior as regards teh illegalz.

LukeA · #15 05-11-2010, 01:28 AM

Arizona is so crazy ****ed out & hopeless that I still honestly wouldn't have given this thread even a whit of (initial) notice even if the immigration bill hadn't gone thru. The experience of having to live there & be educated in that ****hole (speaking from experience)... I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. What a ****ing disaster.