Out of the Fire, Into the Pot

Have you ever wished that something in American history hadn't turned out the way it did? I wish that someone had told Abraham Lincoln that escorting his wife to the theater to see the play, "Our American Cousin" was a bad idea.

What happened to make me want to change history is that something common in the U.S. more than half a century ago disappeared, e.g. the concept of the Melting Pot, and was replaced by Cultural Diversity. In case you youngsters are not familiar with the term 'melting pot' I'd love to describe it and what it meant in my life. In elementary school textbooks, perhaps on history or civics, could be found a drawing of a huge cauldron, much like my childhood vision of a cannibal pot or witches' cauldron. In the pot was a person in the national dress of another country. On the right side, awaiting their turn to enter the pot, was a line of people, each dressed in a different national costume, and the line led to the pot. On the left of the pot, was a line of people, newly emerged from the pot, walking away from the, each wearing contemporary American clothing. The Melting Pot was what the assimilation proces was called, and the picture was how assimilation of immigrants to the American way of Life was illustrated for elementary school children.

My reaction was not that of many people today. I loved that pot because it meant that newcomers to this country could actually become Americans, look American, and at least learn to speak English even if accented. It also meant that you could speak your native language at home, teach it to your children, and sometimes read newspapers in it, enjoy your marvellous native cuisine. music, dancing, literature, and march proudly in parades celebrating your heritage.

But then progress happened. Political Correctness happened. We began to "celebrate" diversity and multiculturalism. While some people still exercised their right to assimilate, others disdained it. Taking up residence in the United States was scarcely a matter of pride to this latter group, unless it was pride that they now could comfortably support their families. Some immigrants forbade their children to speak English at home, insisted that they marry someone the parents chose, and not socialize with friends of their own choice.

Along the way some immigrants got the idea that "ethnic customs," as well as being superior to "American" customs, were also above the law. Many of these people were unaware that ignorance of the law is no excuse, and on learning that they broke the law, still insisted that their "culture" take precedence over the law.

Such was the case of the Pakistani immigrants who arranged a marriage between their underage daughter and a much older man, which in fact then took place. Although the parents were charged by police for facilitating the marriage of a minor, the courts took note that the married couple by then had several children, the daughter wished to stay where she was, and so the law wisely left this family alone.

But because there are many ways to assimilate, at least enough so that you know that the law, not your native culture, takes precedence, let's talk only about the English language. At one time bilingual education was thought of as an education in immigrants' own language. But like many innovations thought to be solutions (think of the automobile), it soon presented new problems. One mistake in New York City at one time was to ask Hispanic parents of children in such classes whether they would agree to their kids being mainstreamed in all-English classes. A reporter writing a newspaper article on bilingual education asked such a youngster, who had been learning English for several years, why his mother refused to let him drop Spanish language classes. He replied, in English, that his mother did not want him to "lose" his native language.

That is an incredible situation. Shouldn't educators be the ones to determine if the child is ready to be mainstreamed? Shouldn't parents arrange for after school language classes for their kids and pay for it themselves, and not the taxpayers?

My grandparents came here with their family in the early twentieth century. They worked hard, supported their family, but never learned to speak English fluently. Only one of their children was born in the U.S.A., and the others started school not knowing any English, one was as old as twelve years. There was no bilingual education and my aunts and uncle spoke English at home only among themselves, yet they all learned English quickly and grew up speaking unaccented English. I apologize for any offense caused by mentioning accents, as it is the English fluency that concerns me, not the accents.

But speaking of accents, what about the situation a few years ago at a N.Y.C. community college when the faculty and student body took to the streets to protest a ruling that students were required to be tested for their English skills in order to graduate. One faculty member, speaking in front of television cameras, angrily insisted that "'They' think we are stupid because we speak with an accent!" Nice try, making an accusation of an insult which never existed, possibly to avoid admitting that too many students did not have an adequate spoken and written English.

In fact, elementary educators have been discovering the flaws in bilingual education.

But perhaps complaining about the mistakes in bilingual education is like beating a dead horse. Its creators had good intentions, perhaps, and let's not forget the place reserved for such people, but it seems to be on the way out. At least on such a large scale as we've seen in the past. Some educators have been shocked to notice that children who arrived in this country without knowing a word of English, had been placed in a bilingual system which was supposed to be their educational environment for at least three years. Then the "educators" noticed that the kids were happily chattering away in English before the first year was up! Who knew that children could learn a language so fast?

Hellooo. Several generations have arrived on these shores with no knowledge of English, entered public schools and received NO Assistance in learning English. Then they grew up and their speech was exactly like their American-born peers. Was this a secret or just part of some kind of cruel plot to make education more expensive and benefit the bureaucracy which invented it?

Please see the links below for more on this subject. I hope to continue commenting on it and other related issues within the next few days.

htm http://www.edsource.org/pub_bi_edu.cfm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/NYT18.htm



1/22/2007