From: Greg Burch (gregburch@gregburch.net)
Date: Sat Jun 23 2001 - 18:03:36 MDT
I'm definitely of two minds about bi-lingual education. Two factors weigh
on the plus side. First, much of what has made the best in America has come
as a matter of immigration. What I call "healthy ghettos" have been a
crucial and positive element of America's culture and have differentiated it
from many Old World societies. One function of a "healthy ghetto" is
service as a way-station for immigrants to get their bearings in a siuation
not too different from their native society, where they can develop social
skills for the mainstream majority society at a pace suited to their
abilities. The ability to live and learn more or less in the language of an
immigrant's native country is a vital function for such "social
way-stations". (I have a much more articulated theory of "healthy ghettos"
which probably isn't orginal to me, but I haven't seen it elsewhere.)
Second, being multi-lingual is a great asset. Learning a second or a third
or a fourth language as a child is much easier than as an adult.
On the other hand, I believe much of the criticism of bi-lingual education
as it has been adopted as education policy by the left in the US is very
well-founded. Discouraging aculturation into the mainstream is extremely
corrosive of the basic shared values that any society must have to persist.
Furthermore, it does seem to be aimed -- if not intentionally -- on
perpetuation of a permanent -- and permanently beholden -- class of
second-class citizens.
The best policy for the US would be one that offered multilingual education,
but one in which English was acknowledged as the lingua franca into which
all students would have to be "channeled" as quickly as possible.
Greg Burch (still working on a sig file)
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