Arizona

[asterroc]

In case you missed it the first time, Arizona education is going down the drain, and now there's a second reason. I worry for the baby of a couple friends of mine who live in Arizona.

1) K-12 teachers with "accents" will be "removed" from the classroom. This is based on a misinterpretation of federal law requiring teachers to be "fluent" in English.
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2365

2) A new law bans ethnic studies classes, claiming they "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, [and] promote resentment of a particular race or class of people".
http://www.cyberdrumm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26:welcomeunderachieving-schools&catid=6&Itemid=40

I'm looking forward to visiting Arizona in the future, where I'm sure the children will be learning proper British English due to removing all teachers with American accents, and where their minds will not have been sullied by all those White Studies classes. </bitter>

Comments

[framefolly.livejournal.com]

It's so weird to actually live in this state...

[q10.livejournal.com]

can you cite the point in the text of the law in question where it bans ethnic studies courses generally? i looked it over and i can't find anywhere where it goes that far.

also, why would British speakers be exempt? is a British accent less accent-y than an American accent?

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

Personally, I love the idea of forcing the teachers to be fluent in English...so long as we make sure this applies to Arizona legislators and government officials, too. Ever notice how the same people who scream the loudest about "English Only" initiatives only seem to speak Conversational Ichthyostegid?

[gemini6ice.livejournal.com]

Frightening. Did you see the article about the mural where the artists were asked to "lighten" the depicted people?