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A California school district is defending its decision to allow a valedictorian to deliver his graduation speech entirely in Spanish even though many people in the audience only spoke English and felt excluded from the ceremony.
A California school district is defending its decision to allow a valedictorian to deliver his graduation speech entirely in Spanish even though many people in the audience only spoke English and felt excluded from the ceremony.
No offense, but if his speech was intended to be in Spanish then have translators present. This is America and while we may not speak appropriate English we speak English here dam*it!
Sounds like a bad decision on the part of the school district. The valedictorian wanted to give the speech in Spanish and English, and the district said no. I can't fault the kid for wanting his Spanish-only speaking parents to understand his speech.
"He told the local newspaper he had no intention of making a social statement by delivering his speech in Spanish. He said he did so to honor his parents.
Prior to his speech, Tello apologized in English to the non-Spanish speakers attending the graduation ceremony."
Leave the gate open for too long, unchecked illegal immigration, the proof is that "they" (Spanish speakers) will definitely think they can do whatever they want around here because nobody has ever enforced the law.
So the kid spoke entirely in Spanish for the benefit of his parents? Ridiculous.
"I wasn't making a political statement when I alienated English speakers with my speech. Nooooo not meeeee."
I don't see a problem with this. The student wanted to make sure that his own parents could understand the speech. The school could have handed out printed transcripts of the speech translated into English for everyone else.
Sounds like a bad decision on the part of the school district. The valedictorian wanted to give the speech in Spanish and English, and the district said no. I can't fault the kid for wanting his Spanish-only speaking parents to understand his speech.
"He told the local newspaper he had no intention of making a social statement by delivering his speech in Spanish. He said he did so to honor his parents.
Prior to his speech, Tello apologized in English to the non-Spanish speakers attending the graduation ceremony."
No, what the school district told him is there wasn't time to deliver the speech in both langauges. Therefore, the student should have chosen English which I would assume all the students spoke because after all they were graduating from a U.S. school! I didn't see where his parents were only Spanish speakers but if so why would that be? Is the graduate possibly an illegal alien or an anchor baby?
The apology was a bit late and he should have been honoring his fellow graduates rather than his parents as it was their day, not the parent's day. Delivering the whole speech in Spanish was rude and inconsiderate.
IDK about "rude", but definitely inconsiderate. A translator should have been provided if he really needed to deliver the speech, or he shouldn't have been allowed to deliver it in Spanish. Simple.
IDK about "rude", but definitely inconsiderate. A translator should have been provided if he really needed to deliver the speech, or he shouldn't have been allowed to deliver it in Spanish. Simple.
Better yet his parents should have had their own translator from English to Spanish rather than imposing this nonsense on all the other students and their parents. The graduate obviously didn't consider them at all and it was their day.
I can't believe that posters are seriously suggesting that the student should have disrespected his own parents just to appease the English only nativists.
No, what the school district told him is there wasn't time to deliver the speech in both langauges.
And so? The school district told him no. He couldn't give the speech in both languages. Doesn't make a difference that it was time related.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagonut
Therefore, the student should have chosen English which I would assume all the students spoke because after all they were graduating from a U.S. school!
He was free to make the decision that he did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagonut
I didn't see where his parents were only Spanish speakers but if so why would that be? Is the graduate possibly an illegal alien or an anchor baby?
It's also possible that his parents are citizens of this country as is the student. Are you arguing that high school graduation ceremonies should be used to round up illegals?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagonut
The apology was a bit late and he should have been honoring his fellow graduates rather than his parents as it was their day. Delivering the whole speech in Spanish was rude and inconsiderate.
He shouldn't have apologized at all. The school district said he couldn't do the speech in both languages, so it's the school district's problem, not this kid's.
And I don't know how you would argue that children should be raised, but honor thy peers is not something that I would advocate.
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