Anybody in America can get a job like me if they graduate a college/university with an international marketing or international business degree, and some knowledge of a foreign language.

Not many Americans ARE qualified for these jobs, so why not nip this opportunity in the butt while it lasts?

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are all fast developing nations. Qatar has one of the best universities in the world and there are many American companies there selling scientific instruments and electronics at the moment. People in these nations are becoming more "Americanized". They actually watch some American TV shows and enjoy it. There are so many opportunities that are posed in these countries, it makes me water at the mouth just thinking about it (as greedy as it sounds).

Major trade center? No, of course. Possibility to get a great job? ABSOLUTELY.

Russia is also a very valuable language. If you can speak English and Russian, there are hundreds of major international companies in Moscow alone that would be willing to hire you.

You have to do research online, but it's amazing wht jobs are overlooked by Americans.

And I understand the concerns about the difference between learning the language and culture. BUT in high school, when I took Spanish, we learned all about the Mexican culture, ate tacos, and had fiestas on select Fridays. In college, we learned all about the Eastern Orthodox Church, the history of Russia, politics, etc..... so it comes hand in hand with better understanding the language.

The DOE has identified Arabic as a ‘language of the future

Ok, So what does that mean? this seems to be the key word of this story.

Originally posted by FlyersFan


Mandatory Arabic classes for the Elementary and Intermediate schools (that's usually K-5).
Optional for Middle and High School. So why the mandatory Arabic?
If you are going to make a second language mandatory in that part of the country, Spanish
would make more sense.

No, taking Spanish as a "pull-out" class in elementary is akin to watching Dora the Explorer five days a week. If the nation was serious about teaching Spanish (and English) as second languages, they would do dual immersion programs (1/2 the day in English, 1/2 the day in Spanish). Teaching Spanish colors, numbers, and shapes by a teacher who may not even speak the language in some portable for 50 minutes on a Friday (or perhaps every other Friday) does not a bilingual speaker make.

Any language would make sense...we could teach Navajo or Swahili, a foreign language is a foreign language.

I agree with the parents .. looks like the school was backdooring it in and trying to sneak it past parents .. trying to get it all in place before the parents found out and had problems with it. The school told the parents that it wouldn't be teaching Islam .. only Arabic 'culture'. But the fact is that the 'culture' is Islamic. The two go hand in hand.

I understand learning about other cultures and other religions, but don't outlaw learning about Christianity and then lie and say that the program won't be teaching about Islam. It definately will.

I don't think it's quite the same thing. While we could, in theory, say that 'Christianity is outlawed', the truth is that teaching straight from the Bible is the problem, because there are so many versions of the Bible in the different sects of Christianity that certainly do make up the majority of the US. Yet you could argue that most students already get this knowledge on Sunday or through their parents (or not due to religious beliefs or lack thereof) outside of school time.

I think that your assumption that they would be teaching Islam, rather than teaching "about" Islam, is a little bit of a logical fallacy and, again, based on assumption.

WHY is the department of education giving away money for this??? We've got schools in this country that can't even teach English or math ... and yet they are giving away millions to teach young children Arabic and Islamic cultures? It's insane. Get the English and Math skills up to speed ..

Um, the elephant in the room would be military spending, but I don't want to derail the thread. Is it really millions?

As part of the five-year $1.3 million grant, Arabic classes would be mandatory at Cross Timbers Intermediate School and Kenneth Davis Elementary School.

...

We have been selected as one of only five districts across the country to participate in the grant that provides Arabic studies.

The key here is "part" and "five-year" and "five school districts"...This is 1.3 million for five years in five school districts. Not "Millions" which is a gross exaggeration.

teach Spanish as a second language since millions upon millions of people here speak that language and it would be useful to know .. but to teach Arabic in the middle of Texas where it'll be forgotten the minute the recess bell rings? WASTE OF MONEY.

The current Spanish language programs in this nation (at the pre-university level) are a total joke. I teach Spanish at the university level part time and the in my field, the on-going comment is that the students always say, "I took Spanish for 3 years in high school and I can't speak a word of it." At the University level, the Spanish (or any other language) are a waste of time and money, too, because by the time you've reached college, you shouldn't be taking course work for a language that you honestly should speak by then.

Besides, if you are complaining about 1.3 million over five years in five school districts, I dread telling you the cost of implementing a nationwide, dual-immersion program (on the Canadian model of French and English instruction) at all pre-university levels.

So I've gotta' wonder .. the millions of our tax money spent on this program .. when they say they are going to teach the Islamic culture, traditioins and history .. will it be the accurate version or the politically correct sanitized version. Wonder if the little girls in the classroom will get to hear the mysoginistic horrors of Islamic culture. Betchya' not.

Way over the top, again, with the "millions of our tax money" comment. They didn't say Islamic culture, you did. There are Arabic speaking Christians as well, you know, minority or not, they number in the millions and would also be included.

Of course it will be a sanitized version, look at what passes for "American History" in this country's educational system. The misogynistic and genocidal horrors are often overlooked in our own history, so why would you be shocked that they would leave them out when teaching Arabic language and culture?

As a Texan, I can tell you that the public schools here should concentrate on teaching the kids ENGLISH first. Something that they have not shown they are capable of. Second languages are well and good, but the schools here are barely teaching the kids to speak proper english.
There ARE many jobs here that either require that you speak spanish as well as english or are willing to pay more for spanish speakers so it is more reasonable to teach them spanish as a second language. Another case of political correctness run amuk.
My 2cents