I've decided that I hate bilingual schools. Well, let me be more specific. Our bilingual school. I've started to notice over the past two years that our school tends to lean towards Spanish. Forget, lean--it caters to it. Every form, every sign, everything...so it seems like.
I didn't mind in the least to begin with. I can speak Spanish and I can read Spanish. I thought it was cool because my kids would have a jump start on learning a different language and how valuable would Spanish of all languages be to them, right? Almost everyone wants a Spanish speaker.
Then last year, I found out they were teaching classes in Spanish. Bilingual is what they call it but I always thought of bilingual as an ESL type of thing. But no, they teach math or whatever to EVERYONE in the class in Spanish.
That was for my oldest. I requested she not be in a bilingual class because let's face it. She has a hard enough time learning math in English. Her teacher agreed with me.
This year CDQ was put in a bilingual class without even asking me. I was sent home a form to sign that said I understood she was in a bilingual class except the form read more like your child is ESL and is in a bilingual class. I refused to sign it three times because my child is not ESL. I even wrote a note.
The teacher threatened CDQ with loss of recess if I didn't sign it. WTF? So I wrote a note on the same paper about how they needed a new form and how my child does NOT speak Spanish and I signed under my note. Whatever...
But it didn't end there. CDQ came home saying they take kids out who are advanced in Spanish and work with them in Spanish and she's not good at Spanish yet. Let me just say, CDQ is very smart. She's advanced and very very competitive. She wants to be number 1. I didn't think much about what she was saying because I thought maybe they had just said that to her but were really pulling out the kids who needed to be taught in Spanish. But. uh. no.
I went to back to school night and I was greeted by the teacher as the one having the problem with the form. I told her I didn't have a problem with the form if my child was indeed ESL but yet again, she is NOT. She said she had another parent who was concerned as well.
I told her I wanted to know about these Spanish break out sessions and what she knew about them. After all CDQ is a RAD child. Paranoia and lying are no strangers. She didn't really answer my questions. The other thing I noticed is that I am the only one that she spoke to in English. I later asked CDQ how many people don't speak Spanish and what do you know? Just one other child.
I had asked about GATE because CDQ is a fast learner and she had scored in the advanced range. I did see that she is bored out of her mind in that class. Her work is substandard and very immature to anyone who doesn't know her. Her previous teachers would be surprised to see the work she is doing in that class. It's that bad. But I can clearly see she is bored.
At any rate, I was told CDQ would have to step it up and focus to even be selected to take the test. Fine. I made sure CDQ knew and that the teacher reinforced it.
Little did I know that other children were listening to our conversation. There certainly weren't any standing around us when we were talking to the teacher.
CDQ came home the next day upset. I asked her what's going on. Some child, who's name I can't even pronounce much less spell had told her she heard us talking to the teacher the night before and she wasn't very good at Spanish because she is "too white". She didn't tell the teacher, instead she went to the bathroom and cried.
This set me off. I am not white, I am not Hispanic or Mexican and I am not racist. I have been on the receiving end of discrimination so many times it's ridiculous. But this... My children are part white AND Hispanic. But I called the teacher and told her children or not she needed to set some things straight in her classroom. Spanish is for their benefit not necessarily for my child. For my child, it would be a plus but she won't be at that great of a disadvantage if she doesn't learn it in elementary school. For those children who are ESL, Spanish is the way for them to move forward so that they aren't left behind while they are learning English. So they better keep that in sight.
She said she would talk to her class that day. As far as I know, she never did.
Yesterday CDQ came home with a Spanish book. She's behind and she needs to catch up. AGAIN, WTF? Spanish is not that important that she need to be made to feel stupid and told that she is behind. Really. She has more important things to be learning besides Spanish. Like Multiplication and Division and Cursive and punctuation. Things that have been taught in the 3rd grade forever.
I find it so hard to believe what is going on. I question whether CDQ is lying and instigating this whole thing as well. But I don't feel that I will have any help from the school at getting to the heart of this issue.
It's so weird how a school can turn so quickly with one change in leadership/administration. I loved this school. I love the teachers for the most part. I couldn't even tell you who the principal was before when it was all good. But the last three years... it's just gone down hill. I thought this new principal was going to be a breath of fresh air and he was, until I needed something, he doesn't have time. Then I realized it was all smoke and mirrors.
I'm eager to move because it's my understanding that the schools in the area we are looking to move to are more caring and accommodating with all their children and will bend over backwards for those with special needs. I want them to have a go at school. But some days it just seems like homeschooling is my only answer for all of them but the oldest since I can't afford to send them all to parochial school.
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