Replies to post #18646 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[brainlessone]

well if you go study molecular biology, bruce albert's book is in english. and they read it in singapore.

I dont get it: in hong kong and singapore and sweden english is mandatory and they read dickens in the 7th and 8th grade.

In the US english is not mandatory and they dont read dickens until 8th and 9th grade.

I really got upset when I compared the Great Books program I was in ( one of the origninals) still cant spell when I type, and I have some of the original junior great books. When I look at the current great books curriculum, the exact same books I read in 4th and 5th grade are being read in 7th and 8th and ninth.

This is one of the clearest purest comparisons of the what has happened to our schools.

So 50 years ago, a 5th grader could read something that a current 7th grader cannot

[sarai]

There's a local town (Red Bank - for those familiar) with a very large Mexican, and S. American population (illegal, of course). Two 2 of the 5 public school kindergarden classes are "Spanish speaking" kindergardens. The cost to educate the children of those not here legally is being paid for by the town's homeowners... Because academic standards are pitiful most of the homeowners send their children to private schools. Imagine that!!

[mlsoft]

"Frankly, I don't think they did any of those kids any favors, it only made it more difficult for them later in life."
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sarals...

I agree completely. I am normally very much against tinkering with the Constitution but there are three amendments I would vote for:

1) English is the official language of the United States. All public business is to be conducted in English and English is to be the language of instruction in school. No alien can become a US citizen without demonstrating proficiency in both reading and speaking English.

2) No rights or privileges granted to US citizens under the Constitution are guaranteed to non-US citizens.

3) It is the unalienable right of every US citizen to be ignorant and/or do stupid things. However when someone exercises that right, he or she cannot then sue someone else for the results thereof.

mlsoft