DFW schools tries to ninja in mandatory Arab Language Requirements

[Ser Clegane]

Hey racism is allowed in the backroom now?

No it isn't

And I would highly appreciate if the pro and cons of learning a language could be discussed in a civil manner without resorting to (racist) stereotypes

[Centurion1]

Odd. Doesn't really make sense. While I don't disagree with the idea of learning about Arabic, it just doesn't make any sense to make it a mandatory language. However, what kind of schools are aligned with the DFW? Are all lessons mandatory there? If such, were the parents informed and aware of what kind of lessons are going on?

As for the fact that you can't or hardly seperate the Arabic language from Islam? Doesn't really make sense. Of course the words al-lah are found in many words, but it is comparable to the amount of times we use the word God as in, and I'm quoting:



Should we now say we can't or hardly seperate Christianity from the English language? You don't have to learn about Islam to learn Arabic.



Nice, you managed to name the most important Chinese language, but then you suddenly say "Indian". Not Hindi, not Urdu, not Punjabi or Sindhi, no, Indian. Might be fun to know that most people in India do speak English, eh. Or at least, the people that (can) count.

Excuse me. you knew precisely what i was talking about but you insist on brining up the deficiency in what i said for what appears to be the pure joy of telling someone how dumb they are. alot of people in India do speak English. Does that mean they will forever and people still learn english because english speakers are on top of the food chain. Maybe everyone will learn Cantonese 200 years from now.

[Leet Eriksson]

While mandatory has been taken from the story it still exists in the link title. Some people have posted screenies of the original story.

On the mansfield web page, there are links to download the Power Point presentation and PDF that was presented to parents.
PDF:
http://www.mansfieldisd.org/curricul...StudiesFAQ.pdf

Note the following vague answer from the text:
Will every student be studying Arabic?
Every student will have the opportunity to participate in the program.

Interesting choice of words, very ambiguous.

Here is the link to the power point:
http://www.mansfieldisd.org/curricul...StudiesFAQ.pdf

The PP states that the curriculum starts in Kindergarten and is integrated into courses in small pieces, mostly 20 minute sessions. Since grade schoolers do not get electives and have a set study schedule, it appears that this will, in fact, be mandatory.

However, on this page http://www.mansfieldisd.org/departme...rabicgrant.htm they adress the mandatory issue.
Note they say "There are no “mandatory Arabic classes” as being falsely reported in the media.

Another interesting choice of words, since the Arabic taught in grade school is "integrated" in small increments, that would in fact mean that they were not classes, but rather, short modules included here and there.

It appears the actual full-term classes, which will be electives, start at the middle school level.

As I am interpeting this, the K-5 will get arabic included in their pre-determined curriculum, with electives available at a higher level. Still seems a little disingenuous to me to try something like this without going to the district parents first, and if my interpetation is correct, the K-5 teachings are still tantamount to mandatory arabic, just not arabic "classes," semantics or not. I could be wrong on this, please read and interpret for yourselves.

You're reading too much into this, it looks like a combination of faulty reporting and understanding, since this is a federal grant, which from what i understand made by the US government, right?

[Major Robert Dump]

Correct,it is from the federal government, with pretty loose stipulations on how the money would be spent.

What irks me is that if they are going to integrate it into grade school courses that will boost their fluency and increase the chances the kids will enroll in electives later on, which gets them more grant money from both the government and from the nearby university arabic program (explained on the district page). I don't have a problem with the kids learning arabic if they want to, and that district has the most arabic speakers in the state so it would be a natural place to start such a program.

It's just the manner in which they are doing it seems a tad shady if in fact my assessment is correct. This is something you clear with parents first, which they have now been forced to do, and I still question the choice of Arabic over Spanish or Mandarin or, hell, why not the inclusion of all three. There are ulterior motives here, and I don't mean Fox News Glenn Beck type conspiracies, I mean kick-back type of stuff.

[Cute Wolf]

anyway, this is the result of too many muslims got their (wrong) education

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110208...unrestreligion

a religious riot is broken again in Indonesia, as a man who said publicly "Islam is wrong" got charged 5 years for heresy against muslims, and the mob demands his death.

and this was just after Muslim mobs slaughtering Ahmadiyah followers (their own minor muslim sect!) in Sunday... (according to news, 3 died, but the road is full of blood, take your own conclusion)

man...
fundamentalist muslims screws every tolerance images right now here...

[Fragony]

this is a federal grant, which from what i understand made by the US government, right?

That's kinda the problem, welcome back to Europe mia mucas

[Leet Eriksson]

Correct,it is from the federal government, with pretty loose stipulations on how the money would be spent.

What irks me is that if they are going to integrate it into grade school courses that will boost their fluency and increase the chances the kids will enroll in electives later on, which gets them more grant money from both the government and from the nearby university arabic program (explained on the district page). I don't have a problem with the kids learning arabic if they want to, and that district has the most arabic speakers in the state so it would be a natural place to start such a program.

It's just the manner in which they are doing it seems a tad shady if in fact my assessment is correct. This is something you clear with parents first, which they have now been forced to do, and I still question the choice of Arabic over Spanish or Mandarin or, hell, why not the inclusion of all three. There are ulterior motives here, and I don't mean Fox News Glenn Beck type conspiracies, I mean kick-back type of stuff.

this is up to the government and the district then, if the district doesn't want it thats up to the people there. Languages are taught becuase its, what i see the US as, a primarily business driven motive, so arabic among other languages is a big deal.

[TinCow]

I find that hard to believe, as the channel is not available in the United States. I don't even think the Super Bowl drew 60% of the nation's eyes. That would mean roughly 186 million Americans regularly access the channel's website. Link, please.

Not available in the US? I was watching Al Jazeera constantly during the first week of the Egyptian crisis, online via streaming from the Washington Post, and at home via Verizon on my television. Last I checked, Virginia was still part of the US.

[PanzerJaeger]

Not available in the US? I was watching Al Jazeera constantly during the first week of the Egyptian crisis, online via streaming from the Washington Post, and at home via Verizon on my television. Last I checked, Virginia was still part of the US.

I think you misread my post.

[TinCow]

I think you misread my post.

Uh, you pretty clearly stated that Al Jazeera was not available in the US:

I find that hard to believe, as the channel is not available in the United States. I don't even think the Super Bowl drew 60% of the nation's eyes. That would mean roughly 186 million Americans regularly access the channel's website. Link, please.

My cable provider carries Al Jazeera. I live in the US. Therefore...

[al Roumi]

Does this happen to every thread that veers into Islam?

Regretably, yes.

Time to coin a new Godwin-esque term?

[PanzerJaeger]

Uh, you pretty clearly stated that Al Jazeera was not available in the US:



My cable provider carries Al Jazeera. I live in the US. Therefore...

According to this:

Canadian television viewers looking for the most thorough and in-depth coverage of the uprising in Egypt have the option of tuning into Al Jazeera English, whose on-the-ground coverage of the turmoil is unmatched by any other outlet. American viewers, meanwhile, have little choice but to wait until one of the U.S. cable-company-approved networks broadcasts footage from AJE, which the company makes publicly available. What they can't do is watch the network directly.

Other than in a handful of pockets across the U.S. - including Ohio, Vermont and Washington, D.C. - cable carriers do not give viewers the choice of watching Al Jazeera. That corporate censorship comes as American diplomats harshly criticize the Egyptian government for blocking Internet communication inside the country and as Egypt attempts to block Al Jazeera from broadcasting.

The result of the Al Jazeera English blackout in the United States has been a surge in traffic to the media outlet's website, where footage can be seen streaming live. The last 24 hours have seen a two-and-a-half thousand percent increase in web traffic, Tony Burman, head of North American strategies for Al Jazeera English, told HuffPost. Sixty percent of that traffic, he said, has come from the United States.

Most people in the US do not have access to the TV channel and would have to access it online. That would make it nearly impossible that 60% of US residents watch the channel, which was correct. 60% of Al Jazeera's web traffic during the height of the Egyption crisis was from America.

Has Arianna let me down? I know I don't have it with Comcast.

[TinCow]

Well, that article would certainly explain it. I'm in the DC metro area, so looks like I'm one of the rare few who gets it (Verizon FiOS). Never occurred to me that it wasn't nation-wide, I just went home and surfed the guide until I found it. I never doubted your response on the 60% bit at all, it was just the lack of availability comment that raised my eyebrow.

As an aside, I've been very, very impressed by the quality of the reporting on Al Jazeera. It was highly objective, focusing very heavily on the events that were occurring without offering any opinion pieces on the subject. The reporters and presenters seemed to go out of their way to inform people that they were unable to confirm a lot of the stuff that was being stated by various protesters that were interviewed. It reminded me a lot of the BBC in its style and format. I will certainly watch it again in the future when I'm looking for Middle East reporting.

[al Roumi]

It reminded me a lot of the BBC in its style and format. I will certainly watch it again in the future when I'm looking for Middle East reporting.

Quite a lot of BBC reporters jumped to AlJazeera a few years ago, including a few of the new/up and coming anchors.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

No language teaching should be mandatory because it's a gigantic waste of time for anyone who doesn't actively want to learn another language. It sounds like the grant is just about the government wanting more arab speakers though, which is understandable, but probably the school is going to do their best to push kids into the class.

[Strike For The South]

Is Arabic an important langauge to learn? Yes. Is it anywhere near important as Spanish? in Texas? No

The fact anyone in Texas learns anything other than Spanish makes them an idoit. I laugh at all the people who take French and German

Someone is getting paid big to implement this. Mansfeild summit is a lily white burb of DFW, get ready for some moral outrage.

[jabarto]

The fact anyone in Texas learns anything other than Spanish makes them an idoit. I laugh at all the people who take French and German

There are other reasons to learn languages besides talking to people, you know.

[Strike For The South]

There are other reasons to learn languages besides talking to people, you know.

Like? The entire Western Hemisphere speaks English and Spanish (Quebec and Brazil non-withstanding, you can get by in those places by knowing E&S)

[Tellos Athenaios]

Reading things written in those languages. Or to improve understanding and command of your mother tongue. Or for the heck of it.

I chose ancient Greek on the basis that I'd like to be able to read Greek myths such as the Illiad and Odyssey for myself in their original form.

[Reenk Roink]

Great to see you (and read your posts) Fiz

[jabarto]

Like? The entire Western Hemisphere speaks English and Spanish (Quebec and Brazil non-withstanding, you can get by in those places by knowing E&S)

Tellos nailed it pretty well; I would specify that a lot of historical and philosophical documents are written in French and German.

Mind you, you're not totally wrong; you're just coming down on French and German a little harder than you should.

Reading things written in those languages. Or to improve understanding and command of your mother tongue. Or for the heck of it.

I chose ancient Greek on the basis that I'd like to be able to read Greek myths such as the Illiad and Odyssey for myself in their original form.

Heh, I'm learning ancient Greek for that exact reason. That and I might become a Byzantine historian later on (I know they speak Medieval Greek, but still).