Thread: Arson Threat Forces Kindergarten To Axe Arabic Lessons.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Its disgusting that there are people out there who are so biased and racist they would threaten to burn down a kindy just because some kids get the chance to learn another language. There is a deep vein of ignorant racism in this country, unfortunately. If they investigated they would find research shows that people who learn multiple languages increase the amount of their brains which are used for language, increase their vocabulary and generally are smarter. Its not a choice of one language or another - its normal to learn multiple languages. Some of my students can speak five languages. Around the world it is unusual for children to only learn one language. Most children grow up multilingual. Its monolingual people who are unusual and deprived of a broader language knowledge. So, the racists who are against those kindy kids learning Arabic are depriving those kids of the chance to increase their brainpower and language ability. Disgusting and dumb!

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Wouldn't kids benefit more from learnig Chinese though given they are our major trading partner, and likely to remain so.

Uncle Ho,

English and punctureation please, it's the punctuation that sets the meaning lots of times.

Cheers

Mike

There are a few contributors to this thread who could do with a bit of kindergarten English.

If we all live our lives by studies we are lost we are all different. I was taught, French,Latin, and Germany at High school. A complete waste of time never used any of them since. Studies on the way we are educating our people is based on what the people doing the studies believe. We are all different some benefit some don't. Get over it. As stated why this place and that language it is a Government experiment to see if extra language helps. Just more studies.

There are other reasons to study those languages apart from the fact that it might help you to get a job in France, Germany (or Ancient Rome ).

Have you considered that your ability to use the English language may have been improved by your study of those languages? There is a lot of evidence to suggest that may be the case.

Read some of these articles and see if you still think they are just some educational study reporting what the researcher already believed.

The benefits of learning a second language
10 Benefits of Learning a Second Language
12 Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language
Cognitive Benefits of Learning Language | American Council on The Teaching of Foreign Languages

One off those links said I was the whatever visitor and I won a prize. I look forward too it's arrival. Also for me nothing was gained from the extra language. As stated we are all different the best decision for me was to get out of school. I have done well ever since. I have relied on my own decisions not one dictated to me by people who believe they have my interest, but (there passion) as the best thing for me. Anyway again why this place, what is the reason for the choice of this language.

Whether kinder kids should be taught a second language or not...

Or what that language should or should not be , makes little difference.

I think the real concern here is that someone seems to think the right way to win the debate, is to threaten to burn down a kindergarten.

If the story had no Arabic angle..... would we even be discussing the language thing?....

I think the language choice was because the article explained that the child care centre owners were ex-pat Aussies currently living in Abu Dhabi. Obviously, they don't have any hidden Islamic-indoctrinating hidden agenda, but appreciate that the Middle East is an interesting area of the world with a history and future.


I don't see why it's wrong to be teaching Arabic as a language, but acceptable to be teaching Mandarin or French? Learning another language is not only an academic pursuit, it is also an excellent way of learning about other cultures and fighting ignorance and racism.