Comments on: Xenophobia and Racism As NY Sun Columnist Attacks Brooklyn Dual Language School http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: More Diane Ravitch on Khalil Gibran | Edwize http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-61063 More Diane Ravitch on Khalil Gibran | Edwize Thu, 17 May 2007 18:19:40 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-61063 [...] Peter Goodman’s post and ensuing discussion on the Khalil Gibran school, Diane Ravitch had an editorial earlier during the week at the NY Daily News discussing her [...] [...] Peter Goodman’s post and ensuing discussion on the Khalil Gibran school, Diane Ravitch had an editorial earlier during the week at the NY Daily News discussing her [...]

]]> By: jd2718 http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-60318 jd2718 Mon, 07 May 2007 01:00:23 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-60318 Peter, I know that the DoE ignores us. I wonder, though, if we couldn't pay more attention to our own report. When was the last time we challenged the opening of new small schools? Jonathan Peter,

I know that the DoE ignores us. I wonder, though, if we couldn’t pay more attention to our own report. When was the last time we challenged the opening of new small schools?

Jonathan

]]> By: Peter Goodman http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-60190 Peter Goodman Sun, 06 May 2007 15:59:14 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-60190 Jonathan: Two years ago a UFT Task Force made up of large and small school teachers crafted a detailed Report: http://www.uft.org/news/issues/reports/smallschooltask/ Unfortunately, and characteristically, the DOE ignored the recommendations Diane: Al was a nimble, evolving and challenging thinker ... and, as a native Yiddish speaker I wonder what he would have thought re dual language schools ... I am more concerned when a usually responsible newspaper feels they can "savage" Muslims simply because they are Muslims ... we have not moved beyond the "Great School Wars" you have so carefully documented. Peter Jonathan:
Two years ago a UFT Task Force made up of large and small school teachers crafted a detailed Report:

http://www.uft.org/news/issues/reports/smallschooltask/

Unfortunately, and characteristically, the DOE ignored the recommendations

Diane:

Al was a nimble, evolving and challenging thinker … and, as a native Yiddish speaker I wonder what he would have thought re dual language schools …

I am more concerned when a usually responsible newspaper feels they can “savage” Muslims simply because they are Muslims … we have not moved beyond the “Great School Wars” you have so carefully documented.

Peter

]]> By: jd2718 http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-59816 jd2718 Sat, 05 May 2007 13:06:31 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-59816 The piece in the Sun is disgusting. But shouldn't we (the UFT) be saying something about opening more new schools? Each new school creates a new union-free workplace; we have been succesful in organizing functioning chapters in many of the hundreds of new schools set up over the last few years, but not all. Further, these new schools have contributed to chaos in the system - in every aspect from high school admissions to the physical problems of many schools sharing one building (scanning, bells, you name it). Shouldn't we be saying that setting up a dual language Arabic program in an existing high school would make more sense? Jonathan The piece in the Sun is disgusting.

But shouldn’t we (the UFT) be saying something about opening more new schools? Each new school creates a new union-free workplace; we have been succesful in organizing functioning chapters in many of the hundreds of new schools set up over the last few years, but not all.

Further, these new schools have contributed to chaos in the system – in every aspect from high school admissions to the physical problems of many schools sharing one building (scanning, bells, you name it).

Shouldn’t we be saying that setting up a dual language Arabic program in an existing high school would make more sense?

Jonathan

]]> By: Kombiz Lavasany http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-59662 Kombiz Lavasany Fri, 04 May 2007 18:04:11 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-59662 I wanted to just chime in and split the two issues. First the column by Colon which was highly offensive and in Peter's view as well as mine, racist. Having emigrated from Iran after the hostage crisis I've endured stereotypes about being a terrorist, hostage taker, suicide bomber, etc. as a school yard taunt. To see a columnist insinuate a school is going to indoctrinate children to become terrorists merely because it teaches Arabic is highly offensive. On the second question of whether the school should exist given that it focuses on teaching students how to speak Arabic, is interesting. My understanding is that the school is open to all NYC students and that the Mandarin-English school (which didn't elicit the same protests except maybe from Mr. Wolf) has students from different sets of ethnicities. I'll leave the question to smarter people of whether a thinning of foreign languages in regular schools has led to educators seeking to create schools that specialize in this way. I wanted to just chime in and split the two issues. First the column by Colon which was highly offensive and in Peter’s view as well as mine, racist. Having emigrated from Iran after the hostage crisis I’ve endured stereotypes about being a terrorist, hostage taker, suicide bomber, etc. as a school yard taunt. To see a columnist insinuate a school is going to indoctrinate children to become terrorists merely because it teaches Arabic is highly offensive.

On the second question of whether the school should exist given that it focuses on teaching students how to speak Arabic, is interesting. My understanding is that the school is open to all NYC students and that the Mandarin-English school (which didn’t elicit the same protests except maybe from Mr. Wolf) has students from different sets of ethnicities. I’ll leave the question to smarter people of whether a thinning of foreign languages in regular schools has led to educators seeking to create schools that specialize in this way.

]]> By: Dravitch http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-59637 Dravitch Fri, 04 May 2007 16:26:54 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-59637 Peter, Al Shanker gave his speech on "The Importance of Civic Education" in Prague in 1995, not 1996. It can be found on google, also in the archives of the Albert Shanker Institute. Here is the link: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/0796/ijde/shanker.htm. A forthcoming biography of Al by Richard Kahlenberg, which will be published by Columbia University Press later this year, brilliantly describes Al's ideas about the way that public education promotes (and must continue to promote) democracy, human rights, and a common civic culture. Diane R Peter,
Al Shanker gave his speech on “The Importance of Civic Education” in Prague in 1995, not 1996.
It can be found on google, also in the archives of the Albert Shanker Institute. Here is the link: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/0796/ijde/shanker.htm.
A forthcoming biography of Al by Richard Kahlenberg, which will be published by Columbia University Press later this year, brilliantly describes Al’s ideas about the way that public education promotes (and must continue to promote) democracy, human rights, and a common civic culture.
Diane R

]]> By: Andrew Wolf http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-59624 Andrew Wolf Fri, 04 May 2007 15:25:37 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-59624 I agree with Diane Ravtich. This type of school is inappropriate and un-American. Please see my column on this matter which apopeared in the New York Sun on March 16. http://www.nysun.com/article/50575 I agree with Diane Ravtich. This type of school is inappropriate and un-American. Please see my column on this matter which apopeared in the New York Sun on March 16.

http://www.nysun.com/article/50575

]]> By: Dravitch http://www.edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school/comment-page-1#comment-59597 Dravitch Fri, 04 May 2007 13:16:35 +0000 http://edwize.org/xenophobia-and-racism-as-ny-sun-columnist-attacks-brooklyn-dual-language-school#comment-59597 Peter, I think it is time to remember that the purpose of public education is to bring us together as equal American citizens, not to teach each group its cultural heritage. Al Shanker was eloquent on this subject. I was with him in Prague at a civic education conference in 1996 when he warned the educators of Eastern Europe not to fall into the path of ethnic separatism that was then so fashionable in certain precincts of American education. In a city that contains families from more than 100 different ethnic and cultural groups, it is a bad precedent to separate intentionally students by ethnicity, race, or language. The raison d'etre of public education is to bring us together. Once we give up on that principle, then public education itself is in deep trouble. Of course, students should learn to speak a foreign language. Of course, students should learn to speak Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Korean, Spanish, German, Hebrew, French, Italian, and other languages. But that is a rationale for more education, not a rationale for encouraging ethnically separate and distinct schools in the public system. Diane Ravitch Peter,
I think it is time to remember that the purpose of public education is to bring us together as equal American citizens, not to teach each group its cultural heritage.
Al Shanker was eloquent on this subject. I was with him in Prague at a civic education conference in 1996 when he warned the educators of Eastern Europe not to fall into the path of ethnic separatism that was then so fashionable in certain precincts of American education.
In a city that contains families from more than 100 different ethnic and cultural groups, it is a bad precedent to separate intentionally students by ethnicity, race, or language. The raison d’etre of public education is to bring us together. Once we give up on that principle, then public education itself is in deep trouble.
Of course, students should learn to speak a foreign language. Of course, students should learn to speak Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Korean, Spanish, German, Hebrew, French, Italian, and other languages. But that is a rationale for more education, not a rationale for encouraging ethnically separate and distinct schools in the public system.
Diane Ravitch

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