Parlez Vous Espanol?

Jack's principal recently told me that two families pulled their children from the school's new Spanish program. Their argument was that people who move here should learn English, and most of "them" shouldn't even be here anyway. So there's no reason for their children to learn Spanish. Period.

Okaaaaay.

Politics aside, what kind of shortsighted message are these parents sending their children? It's so frustrating when people exhibit such ethnocentric attitudes, especially when they actively pass those attitudes on to the next generation.

It reminds me of a joke Dad told me last summer:

Q: What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
A: Bilingual
Q: What do you call someone who speaks more than two languages?
A: Multilingual
Q: What do you call someone who only speaks one language?
A: American

In my perfect world, children will grow up believing that anything they can do to reach out to other people is worth doing. And like it or not, in our little town and many, many towns across the country, learning even a little bit of conversational Spanish is a fabulous way to reach out to others. Period.

Here's a perfect example: A few months ago, a man named Oscar came into the bookstore. He really didn't speak any English. Guess what he was looking for? CDs that would help him learn English! I really struggled to help him, wishing I knew more Spanish. I showed him the Spanish computer course I'm working my way through. His eyes lit up, and he wished me well. It was a very good feeling, connecting with him as a fellow human being and sharing a mutual respect.