Student refuses to take 'demeaning' test

[GirlySports]

http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9956919

Legit Case or Whining?

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I would just ace the test and be done with it.

[burn_this_city]

Boohoo.. Eye tuuk tha anglash pruwfishancy tehst tuu. Iht wuzhant thaht haurd

[flip]

Seems like she has a case but it may be necessary for some students. Her attitude is hilarious though. Like she's been persecuted. You'd think 5 minutes of just speaking to her might negate the need for a test.

[Envitro]

I can understand her frustration. She probably grew up all her life in the US and speaks it just fine.

I think it's kind of funny that a lot of her "American" classmates would probably fail the very same test

[Russic]

my vote is for whining. Come on ... nobody is doing this to disrespect her mother. I think I fail to understand her issue.

[4X4]

Whining, pure and simple. It doesn't say it in the article, but she seems to indicate that she's actually american and it is her mother that is from Laos. If this kid grew up in america and spoke english 90% of the time she's out of the house but spoke whatever language Laotian people speak with her mother, then she's arguing semantics by refusing to take the test.

This garbage about not wanting to deny her heritage and insult her mother is code for "I'm a potato. Brown on the outside and white on the inside. I'm just checking the ESL box because I have a complex about it".

[MJM]

I'm so tired of this type of BS. If you don't like, go back to where you came from. It is as simple as that. I moved to Calgary from the Maritimes, there's things I don't like about, but the positives outweigh the negatives so I stay here and keep my complaints to a bare minimum as to not insult my coworkers who are actually from here.

If I moved to Iraq/Saudi Arabia, I wouldn't expect them to cater to my English language or Christian background (in fact, i'd just keep to myself to avoid losing my head). We do more than cater in North America, yet people still think they should be able to go about life like they never left their homeland in the first place.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Whining, pure and simple. It doesn't say it in the article, but she seems to indicate that she's actually american and it is her mother that is from Laos. If this kid grew up in america and spoke english 90% of the time she's out of the house but spoke whatever language Laotian people speak with her mother, then she's arguing semantics by refusing to take the test.

This garbage about not wanting to deny her heritage and insult her mother is code for "I'm a potato. Brown on the outside and white on the inside. I'm just checking the ESL box because I have a complex about it".

Yup. I always check English as my first language even though I speak other languages.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Envitro

I can understand her frustration. She probably grew up all her life in the US and speaks it just fine.

Perhaps, but from the article:
Because the 18 year old senior checked English as her second language

There you go. She said that English was her second language. If you don't feel you should have to take an English proficiency test, then don't check the box that says you are ESL.

[CaptainCrunch]

You know this is going on your permanent record lady

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Perhaps, but from the article:
Because the 18 year old senior checked English as her second language

There you go. She said that English was her second language. If you don't feel you should have to take an English proficiency test, then don't check the box that says you are ESL.

She's protecting her heritage by checking ESL.

[Boblobla]

I think she needs a nice warm glass of STFU and take the test.

[Canada 02]

I've proved myself my whole entire life, it's not right

boo-frickin-hoo; we have to jump thru hoops and prove ourselves everyday, get use to it

there is no perfect system; the system is in place to deal with most ESL students; having dealt with students on a regular basis, the inability to speak, write, comprehend and communicate in english is a huge burden for the students and professors who have to teach them; i've seen on more than a few occasions, terrific Ph.D candidates fail their thesis defense because they wrote a horrible dissertation and/or could not adequately defend their thesis due to very poor language skills

[Swarly]

And since she says the government can look at her speaking abilities through other means, that's exactly what she says they should look at.

what? interview every single person in the state that checked the ESL box? if only there was an easier way! oh thats right, they could just have them all write a scantron test.

I dont understand how this is demeaning to her or disrespectful to her mother.

[Gozer]

I think she has a case.

I think ALL americans need to take an English proficiency test.

[Raekwon]

She is a prime example of a person thats need to choose her battles a little better. Why wreck everything you have accomplished to prove this point. It makes no sense to me.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Perhaps, but from the article:
Because the 18 year old senior checked English as her second language

There you go. She said that English was her second language. If you don't feel you should have to take an English proficiency test, then don't check the box that says you are ESL.

So where does that leave a child who grew up in a home with parents who were immigrants and learned to speak a language other than english first? I know plenty of people who learned a foreign language first but learned english before attending elementary school, technically english is their second language. Do they have to check that box and take idiotic tests?

This is a case of bureaucracy at its finest, it's simply an inflexible system for a nuanced problem.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by valo403

So where does that leave a child who grew up in a home with parents who were immigrants and learned to speak a language other than english first? I know plenty of people who learned a foreign language first but learned english before attending elementary school, technically english is their second language. Do they have to check that box and take idiotic tests?

This is a case of bureaucracy at its finest, it's simply an inflexible system for a nuanced problem.

Because we have created a politically correct society that says we can't ask "Does your English suck" we use the term "English as a second language."

I have Asian firends who moved here when they were around 5 or 6 years old. At that point they spoke mostly Chinese/Japanese; but now speak English as good or gooder than me; and have a tough time speaking in their native language to their relatives. Yes, they learned English 2nd, but it is their main language.

To me this smacks of somebody who said "I'm going to check that box so that my A in English will be turned into an A+." Well, turns out they are testing her on that.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by valo403

So where does that leave a child who grew up in a home with parents who were immigrants and learned to speak a language other than english first? I know plenty of people who learned a foreign language first but learned english before attending elementary school, technically english is their second language. Do they have to check that box and take idiotic tests?

This is a case of bureaucracy at its finest, it's simply an inflexible system for a nuanced problem.

Nope, in this case English has become your first language.

Checking anything that is 'non-english' is asking for trouble.

[Burninator]

So what is she proposing the education system do? There are going to be children who are going into school who have below par English and the system will need to know about it so they can actually learn something. It's something they'll want to identify before the child is placed in classes. Unless there is some information missing I don't understand how she is disrespecting her heritage or mother.