This might explain why my daughter's Spanish II middle school teacher seems incensed that the Spanish II kids aren't fluent speakers of Spanish. They don't have sixth-grade Spanish Zero at her school, so the kids who qualify (that would be the higher-academic kids at her middle school, too) can take high school Spanish I in 7th grade and Spanish II in 8th.

So now, in Spanish II, my daughter has a new teacher who thinks thinks they're all idiots because they can't immediately respond to whatever she says to them in her fast-talking native Spanish. Well, come on. What teacher thinks kids can speak fluently with only one year of high school language class? But this is also the same teacher who is trying to teach both Spanish I and Spanish II in the same classroom.

It's not working out very well. So it might not last. The school is trying to place all the Spanish II kids into online class. We'll see how that goes.

Spanish should be optional all classes should be taught by tachers using english as thir first language. This is an english speaking country and should stay that way.
USA! Jim

Middle school is already too late to begin a language.

I was lucky enough to grow up on Long Island, New York, where we started taking language courses in 4th grade, and were required to take them every year there after. By the time I had graduated high school I had taken 8 years of conversational French. to this day I remember a great deal of it and I am in my mid 50's

I liked the sign language idea. I could understand that better then what's bring spoke today. South Florida is going to hell in a hand bag. You can't go anywhere anymore and expect someone to understand or even speak a lick of english. Come on folks, what country do we live in?? The ture american people are soon to be the minority, what a shame. :-(

I really agree with you except choices in foreign languages should be offered such as French, etc.

Spanish should not be required, but should be an elective in middle school. It's long past time for us to have to continue to press 1 for English and all immigrants coming into this country MUST learn English.

the foreign language should be started at a much earlier age. if we can offer free english as a second language classes there is no reason in south florida not to have native spanish speakers volunteer to teach the elementary school children spanish. even if this is done for an hour after school ends so we do not eat into our precious fcat time.
if hispanic people do not come forward to volunteer for this we can tax foreign language television stations for the right to broadcast in spanish only.
lets go volunteer now!!

I'm from South America and I think is never too late to learn another language. But I think this is America and everybody has to speak ENGLISH only period.....the second language they can speak at home.!!!!!

I have an update, folks. The school guidance counselor office called to say that my son's teachers all want a parent-teacher conference. In other words, I reach out to inquire about this foreign language situation, and they in turn ask all of his teachers if they want a conference?Rock the boat and they will push it over on top of you? But I shan't rush to judgment. Conference is Oct. 3. Stay tuned.

Let's not start with the 'this is America' faux patriotism/meanness to people from other countries. I'm not even talking about whether people learn to speak English. I'm saying GET REAL. It's a necessary and helpful job and social skill for my child to know some dang Spanish. I grew up in Iowa. I plan to learn a little Spanish. If you walk around with blinders on you just might fall off a cliff.

I think learning Spanish or another language is great. However, your comment about it only being offered to higher level students is true but there are reasons. Many of the lower level students still need help in reading. I am sure that is not the case with your son. He probably doesn't have reading as one of his classes, where the lower students still need it. There are just a limited amount of numbers in a school day, so its unfortunate but not all students get the same opportunities. I also like your comment about taking blinders off. You can't just stand there and say everything should stay the same. It doesn't change the fact things are changing and you become stale if you don't.
As for Creed only he knows if he is truely studying. This might be the first subject he actually has to study in order to pass. Sometimes most things just come easy to smart kids and the first time they really have to study can be difficult. It's only the fourth week of school, having perserverance is a good character trait. Try and make him stick it out.

Laura, I like your comments best of all.
You seem like a reasonable, smart person.
I think you're onto something with the idea that some kids skate through school without studying and then don't know what to do when a class provides a challenge. That MIGHT be what we have here. But that is what I hoped to discover by calling the school. Now I have the full octopus of teachers to face. I know how they like to gang up on a parent in order to add credibility to their claim that the Subject Child is a "problem.'' His spanish teacher still hasn't called me. But she wrote a note to me today saying he has an F in her class. If you read my posts, you will be sadly disappointed in the way our schools communicate with and treat parents and students. They typically lay silent like cobras for months at a time, and then fly out of the bushes to sting you with poisonous comments about your child, hoping that you will flee to a private school with your child in tow.

I agree. A second language should be optional in at least 3-5th grades, and mandatory from 6-12. My son is getting Spanish 2 hours a week in Kind. at his PUBLIC school in Broward County, and I LOVE it. Other countries offer it earlier and the kids know 2-3 other languages by 16 years old. We (USA) need to do a better job with additional languages.

I speak a second language (Portuguese, and read and write classical Greek, and also International Morse code!), so I understand and appreciate it's importance, but I think we are losing our culture in America by slowly pushing out English education. I didn't really "get" English grammar until 10th grade. I distinctly remember when it clicked in. The day after that happened I think I could have begun to learn any other language and learn quickly, because now I understand the rules. However, it was most important for me to first learn the language of my country.

I am tired of spanish being forced upon us. This is America, we speak English, if you want to live and work here learn it! Don't expect us to have to know spanish. I would not go to another country and expect them to speak English for me. It's time we stand up for ourselves. It's great if any child wants to learn another language but it should not be mandatory. It's America and our language is English...Thank YOU

Brittany, I am one of those cold cobras. I don't know what horrible experiences you have had with teachers. I let all my student's parents know at open house that my job is not only to grade academic subjects,but to evaluate their child's social skills and growth. Most of the times the parents agree and are working on problem areas, sometimes they don't agree and I let them know I am just one person and that's my opinion. I have to point out that it is only the fourth week of school and the teachers are wanting to meet with you and you are complaining about it. However, you also complain when they "lay silent for months and fly like cobras to sting you."
I have to say I liked your post at first and thought you seemed open-minded. Your own poisonous comments about an entire profession has changed my mind. I will be skipping over your blog entries from now on.

I am open minded. And I certainly know there are some great teachers out there, some really warm, smart and caring teachers. And let's face it, there are some who are not. Here is where I'm coming from. I don't even know most of Creed's teachers yet and have formed no opinion of them. One of them, his math teacher, I have met and really like. I'm not complaining about them. I'm saying that I had a legitimate issue about Spanish class and now suddenly they want me to meet with all 8 of his teachers. And not because the teachers reached out to me, but because I called to ask why his "Spanish I' class is so advanced.
I read his "agenda' notebook daily to see if teachers have left any comments for me, and by and large, they have not. If he's misbehaving, I'd like to know. I want him to succeed in school, without driving his teachers crazy. And all I ask is for some communication and respect, and an ounce of caring.

Do you think about individual Spanish language lessons for your son? I think it can help to solve the problem.