The importance of Spanish

Editor, Asheville Global Report

I did a survey with 20 American people about whether they think their children should learn Spanish. Their answer was almost always, “yes.”

One said, “in North Carolina, there are very few schools that offer Spanish classes,” and others stated that they want bilingual teachers because the American youth will find themselves jobless in the future since so many Hispanics are coming.

As far as Spanish is concerned, for Americans it is very easy --it is pronounced just how it appears. But English is very difficult since it is written and pronounced differently. As far as we immigrants are concerned, we can never be held back. That’s life.

We need to take good care of our children and get to know their teachers well. There are unscrupulous people who will lower our childrens’ self-esteem and classmates who will discriminate against them.

One time in Los Angeles there was a racist teacher. She didn’t teach the Latin children well and told them “you will never be able to learn, because you’re only useful for washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms.” (This was in the news).

Also, President Clinton said on one occasion that all Americans should learn Spanish because it’s beautiful, and it’s very important for the new generation of the future.

Technology is advancing every day. Our children should prepare themselves. In addition, our employers need to increase the wages for all those who are bilingual. Americans should not be afraid.

Luisa Argueta
Asheville