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Post by george1861 on Oct 17, 2011 7:34:06 GMT -8
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Post by msguide on Oct 17, 2011 18:47:42 GMT -8
I took three years of French in high school. We did not have to learn the French pledge, but we did have to learn their national anthem. A handful of us were also in choir so we supported the ones who were afraid to sing by themselves. We also had guest speakers come talk about France and we had to do a project about France.
Before that I had a couple of years of Spanish. We had to learn some things about Mexican culture and while we did not learn the pledge or anthem, we did have to learn other songs and a dance. In sixth grade we had an entire unit about Latin America. It was very interesting. It's the only time I have ever studied it. Europe and the US are not the only places on earth.
As an adult I took the challenge to learn some Mandarin Chinese. I used a gold-standard program and they talked a little bit about Chinese culture and etiquette.
I realize that today we are very sensitive about Mexico, and there might be a different focus today, but learning about other places and cultures can help people understand more about their own culture.
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Post by Maxf1ex on Oct 18, 2011 4:42:50 GMT -8
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Post by msguide on Oct 18, 2011 5:08:45 GMT -8
It would be nice to know if any other language courses are taught there, if so it the requirement the same for all? ***** Spanish, is it only found in Mexico? ~chuckle~ The timing (around Mexican independence day) also is a bit strange. And the the flag salute has nothing to do with learning to speak Spanish. ****** Why Mexico? It is not the mother country of the language. These are valid points. The one thin I will say is that it is unlikely that Continental Spanish (what they speak in Spain) is not the same as what the Mexican's speak, and neither are the same as what they speak in the Spanish-speaking nations in Central and South America. Mexican Spanish is what you are most likely to hear in the US. In my mind it is not a bad thing to learn the pledges and anthems of other nations as part of a total unit on language and culture and language in school. I am a little troubled when we get immersive in these things or when other cultures are presented as superior to our own. There has to be a context for everything. Students should be exposed to language and culture around the world, but they should be taught their own culture in a more positive way. |
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