The dude was requesting the form and saying "I'm Mexican" in English. Thirteen year old smartass kid. No harm done.

I am right of center and I couldnt agree with you more. Immigration is what this country was founded on, but we need checks and balances, no more allwong law breakers to live here with tax payer funded benefits, we must look out for America and Americans first, then we can and will help other countries.

It is not practical to expect foreign-born students who are just beginning to learn English to fill-out forms in a language they don't understand.

Also, what makes you think the form wasn't intended for the parents? The child may very well have spoken English, but wanted a Spanish form because his parents did not. Should the child be denied an education because his parents don't speak English? Gimmie a break.

Oh and @BigTex, Je suis Americaines. That statement does not necessarily mean that I'm fluent in French. ;P

What English-only people don't seem to understand is that English won't always be the language of the United States. We have always been a melting pot and should continue to be... with that said by 2050-2060 (Which is when Caucasians will no longer be the majority) our kids will live in a multicultural society where English, Spanish and Chinese will be the dominant languages.

I agree, we should officially make English our national language, and stop providing most services in other language.

That stated, we should also offer education for all those willing to learn English so that they have an avenue to increased economic mobility.

On PAID leave? PAID leave, for 4-1/2 months, so far? What is wrong with this picture?

If his parents don't speak English, they're here illegally.

@BigTex That most certainly is NOT true. There is NO English-speaking requirement for entry into the United States.

There's no reason to stop offering forms/services in other languages. The system as it is now is working just fine. Pressing "1" for English is not an unreasonable inconvenience, so get over yourselves and suck it up.

Very classy, guyfrom...
Come see us in Texas some time, you'll see what i'm talking about.
See, no name calling.

I think it is way past time for Congress to declare English as the national language before we end up with a Tower of Babel. There are people here from over 100 countries. Are we going to accomodate everyone in their native lanuage? You want to live here learn the lanuage.

Not having a common language leads to ill feelings, suspicions, discrimination etc. when people are talking in a languge you cannot undestand.

"Mexican" is a nationality not a race. If you are saying you belong to another country while requesting special treatment from a public employee of another country's taxpayers then they have every right in the world to tell you to go home whether you are there legally or not.

Having gone through the Southern California school system, K-12 anyway I had a lot of Mexican/Hispanic friends. Not all, but a lot of them had parents that couldn't understand a stitch of English. None of my friends ever had a problem with taking home papers written in English and translating them to their parents. Sounds to me this kid could have easily done that, but decided to be nothing more than a lazy spoiled brat.

Renerman, what you describe is the end of the United States. The Constitution and all its documents were written in the English language within the cultural framework of the times. To translate them would alter their meaning by removing the cultural basis. It takes a knowledge of history to truly understand the Constitution. Having three official languages would remove any communality between these groups. No. These United States were founded on the meaning of English words. Which Chinese characters would you agree upon for the word "liberty ?" Does the Spanish word "libertad" have the same implications as "freedom ?" You cannot translate a document without altering its full meaning and intent. I speak five languages and I can assure you that I know what I am talking about.

ENGLISH ONLY !

I would have been fired for saying something like this to any adult at my job (that's if I didn't get immediately popped in the mouth for saying something stupid). There is a zero tolerance policy (on paper) for all government employees to say anything that may be construed as racist, sexist, or bigotted. You are forced to attend 4 to 8 hour training classes on the subject. This stupid broad must have known that, but she still couldn't keep her temper in check. She deserves to be disciplined based on that alone.

Big Tex you are evidently not from my part of Texas. Here we don't have chicanos. We have these mexicans born this side of the river, those mexicans from that side of the river and those damn mexicans the tourists from Mexico City and Monterrey who come for vacation and treat everybody like servants. Now this is also how many of our local tejanos refer to themselves. Kids family could have been here before Travis and still not speak fluent english if they moved up to Ft Worth from the border. And believe me I had to explain the difference in language to a Californian that was trying to tell a Texan he was a chicano it almost came to blows. I finally settled it by telling the Texan he was a Tejano not a mexican.

Good stuff, lonereb. I live North of Dallas and Mexicans, and I mean from Mexico, are all over the place. I'm not saying they're bad people in general or that I blame them for looking for a better life but it's too much for us to absorb. It stresses our system and can only go so far before something breaks.

The teacher should be fired without pay for the time spent on leave.

Denigrating a child for their parent's nationality, religion, race, etc. is unforgiveable.

And bigtex is patently dishonest in claiming to know the citizenship status of the parents in this case.

"Mexican" is a nationality not a race

Bigotry against national origin is just as bad as bigotry against the artifical construct of 'race'.

It is NOT okay to treat a child like garbage just because the child's ancestors came from one part of the world or another. You really should be ashamed of yourself.

commonsense

Try to know what you're talking about before you call someone dishonest. I know lots of farmers who have lots of illegals who have lots of family here. Good try.

To bad she was a math teacher..if a geography or history teacher she wouldn't have been fired.

Its children you teach..teachers..losing your cool isn't cool!

Really Really? So if you consider yourself a Mexican then how can you be an American? You can be Hispanic and be an American but if you hold the Mexican flag above the Stars and Stripes get the heck outta here. We are tired of paying your tab.

It was just a kid, Mile High. Someday he may end up paying for your social security - play nice.

Ohh man I would have loved to been in that class, I would have told the student STFU idiot nobody gives a @!$%# were you are from and nobody cares 8) Learn English idiot & you can read the form 8) hey that's a novel idea 8) It will open doors for you and you can live the American Dream 8) but with that attitude best thing for you is to go back to your stupid drug infested dump called Mexico.

It's students like this who should be investigated to see if they are here legally if not send his ass and his parents back to were they came from.

sick and tired of my hard earned money that I have to give in taxes to pay for these bastards.

Of course you would, Al. It's how you big men in the GOTea treat kids in school that want to learn.

Kris Craig, how did all the people that came to this country in the past ever survive not Speaking English..... Let’s get real; if you want to live in this country the least that has ever been expected is to learn the language..... I would not expect to move to a foreign country without expecting to learn their language and customs.....

Some of you have to read the article a little more carefully First of all when she was handing out the forms the young man told her he wanted the form in Spanish, She informed if he wanted the form in Spanish that he would have to go to the office and get one. He insisted and made a scene yelling I'm Mexican, and that's when she told him to go back to Mexico.

I lived in several modern countries throughout Europe and was never able to get the assistance that we freely give out here. Just go to your local DMV, Social Security Office or even Voter Registration Office, I have had to ask for forms in English but Spanish, Creole and Arabic are readily available. One of the rules to receive citizenship in this country is that you speak and read English if your under 50 years old. When our forefathers came from Italy, France or Germany they assimilated to our way of life and learned English. They were proud to be Americans and some refused to teach their children their native language so they would assimilate to the American way of life that much sooner. Lastly do you know how much our govt. could save not having to print all these forms or instructions in another language Its a lot. She should be allowed to go back to work, and maybe the kid should go back to Mexico if he wants his forms to be in Spanish

He kept saying he's Mexican.

Her comment was fair game.

Time to get tough, people.

First of all I came a bilingual house, my father, and LEGAL immigrant from India, spoke his language from his part of India, Bengali, he also spoke German and English. My mother was from Wisconsin, spoke English and French.

I speak eight languages. Not because I had too, or I am in a business that requires it. I did it because I wanted too.

Also because of my heritage I am often wrongly taken for being mexican.

That said, I agree with ALL that say learn English if you are living here and don't expect anyone to speak you language. I don't care if its not the "officially" designated of this country or not. It is the common language of commerce. I have been to many countries and if I did not speak the language I made sure I brought someone with me that did.

Also I support the teacher for what she said. It sounds like the child was being obstinate and an arrogant a$$hole and got the comment he so rightly deserved to hear. I am tired of people thinking their little precious shouldn't hear the truth at all.

'Political Correctness' has gone too far. Pat Buchannan was fired by msnbc for suggesting that what made America great was people coming from other countries and learning English and assimilating. I guess that violated the liberal sensitivities of the powers that be at msnbc. Of course, he was just the 'token conservative' there anyway.

@Roy Wilson: The "token conservative"? Guess Morning Joe--perhaps 2 centimeters to the left of Faux News--ought to feel offended.

I am a centrist. left of center on social issues and right of center on fiscal ones. On this one, I am 100% behind the teacher. She was pushed by a little brat and said something she should not have said. On the other hand, she is 63 and probably has a huge pension coming to her. Losing her job isn't going to put her in the poor house.

She had a hard week, she blew up. Big deal...apologize to the class and student, then use it as a teaching moment for everyone and move on.

As far as English being the official national language, the US doesn't have one, nor should it. The US is one of the few countries in the world where being at least bi-lingual or even tri-lingual is not the norm. Being uni-lingual is a disadvantage on many levels the biggest one being that it limits perspective.

I would venture that Spanish will become used more and more over the next few decades and likely become predominate once you English only types have shed your mortal coil. C'est la vie.

ok how about making this mandatory+++ you want to live here? YOU HAVE TO SPEAK AND WRITE ENGLISH FLUENTLY!!!! I am really tired of the bleeding heart librals . WAKE UP AMERICA...why is this such an issue ....what happened to freedom of speech? oh yes....that only applies to the immigrants flooding the country. I agree from what has been said the kid sounded a wise ass...give the teacher her job back ...

I actually feel bad for the teacher. It's very stressful working with kids all day long (I have done it) and to have to deal with doing everything twice (English and Spanish) just adds to the burden. As many people stated, in the US we speak ENGLISH, learn it! I have been all over the world and not one other country lists everything in multiple languages like we do here, which costs us taxpayer dollars. I am so tired of the US catering to people from Mexico. Enough is enough. The teacher is right, if he is so proud to be Mexican and speak Spanish GO BACK TO MEXICO. The government started to recognize the situation of immigrants (mostly illegal) 30 years too late. I noticed this as a elementary school student in the 1970's. Unfortunately the situation is so out of control it's ridiculous. In regards to illegal immigrants, doesn't "Illegal" mean AGAINST THE LAW???? Why is there any question of benefits and rights if something is against the law? Anyway, this teacher should not be let go for her comment, people can only take so much before they break down.

Pat Buchannan was fired by msnbc

so? the guy is an idiot

How is that stupid? I guess you're not aware that many students come here via exchange programs. While they're learning to speak English, it makes no sense whatsoever to require them to fill-out forms they can't yet read.

Also, there's no such thing as being "overeducated," and the only dimwit with no common sense that I'm seeing here is you.

When did it become a mark of disrepute to be well educated? Was it at the same time that being civil became "quaint", and being cultured became "elitist" and caring about our fellow human beings who have fallen on hard times became "liberal/socialist/Marxist"?

I have news for you, Bubba. Stupidity contributes nothing but additional burden to our society.

How ironic.

"Just Visiting", maybe someone should call ICE to haul your racist, good-for-nothing a$$ to England, Austrailia or South Africa (where ever you came from), hmm? Seeing as how you hate America and it's opportunities for all.

Guy from Orlando - you seem awfully angry today. Wassup wid dat?

Go back to Mexico? That's funny. Okay, next PC crisis? Condoms anyone?

The kid was in 8th grade. If he can't read English then he is either new at the school or the school has failed miserably at teaching him. If he is new he should have had to pass an English proficiency exam just like exchange students and foreign college students have to.

Do schools have to present everything in French if they accept a French foreign exchange student simply because the kid says "I'm French"? No.

Don't forget the word gay being twisted into something indistinguishable from it's former meaning robert.

You have a point there, just visiting. No matter how rudely the guy from Orlando puts it, this country is an English-speaking country and if people feel that it is racism to require them to learn the language, it is probably just to cover up the fact they are illiterate in their own language. As a teacher, I have heard incredibly rude comments from Spanish Speakers. Mostly, they just did not have a clue about our morals and principals. And how could they if they DO NOT UNDERSTAND ENGLISH ? As for people like the guy from Orlando - I do not see anyone as prejudiced, racist and rude as him. As for exchange students - they have better manners than to expect to be catered to hand and foot.

@Modern

Of course anybody with a sane, working brain would be angered, seeing how the effects of stupidity take hold of people's minds.

You must also not know that much of Texas below the Nueces river is predominantly hispanic not illegal they have always been here even before the Texas revolution. Many households in this area speak spanish because in my area they are 80% of the population and the kids come into school deficient in english. A normal occurance here is for three people to stand in the middle of the street and one is speaking spanish, one is speaking english one is speaking both languages and nobody is translating. They understand each other but reading the other guys language is a different story.

If there are a number of parents who speak Spanish, it makes good sense to have forms available in Spanish.

Note the lack of reading comprehension among those who somehow 'know' that the student was supposed to be the one who understood the form, when the article makes no mention whatsoever of what the form was about or why it was needed. These seem to be the same people who 'know' that the kid is a foreigner, when as another commenter pointed out, it's not unusual in Texas for people to be called Mexican just like it's not unusual in New York for people to be called Italian or Irish or Puerto Rican.

As a teacher, I have heard incredibly rude comments from Spanish Speakers (sic). Mostly, they just did not have a clue about our morals and principals (sic).

It sounds like you should not be allowed to teach. Making a blanket statement that people of Spanish heritage do not have a clue about our morals and "principals", not only belies your own ignorance of the "principles" on which this nation was founded, it also points out weaknesses in your command of the English language.

It's one thing to have students who lack fluency in English (they are there to LEARN fluency after all), it's quite another to have TEACHERS who have poor English language skills.

Commonsense, if you will read my sentence correctly, I referred to those who were rude as not understanding our morals. It was far from being a "blanket statement." However, if you look for these things.... As for my English - at least I made the effort. And why do you assume that I taught English ?

Or, the kid is a spoiled jerk with a crappy attitude and he knew how to push her buttons.

The kid is a douchebag. I side with the teacher.

There is an enclave of Ukrainian immigrants in a nearby town. As near as I can tell, most of them started learning English, before they got here and the rest learned it really fast. I see no reason why the same shouldn't be expected of Mexicans. We're long past the time when English should have been made the official language of the United States. If you need the paperwork translated so you can apply for food stamps or a drivers license, get a translator, don't expect the paperwork to be in every language on the planet.

Oh! You're Mexican? Not my problem. It shouldn't be this teacher's problem either.

How in the world was she being racist by that comment? This kid obviously knows how to play the system if he reported the teacher's comment because it was a very harmless comment considering he said he was Mexican. We need to stop CATERING to the people from Mexico or any other country that are not willing to learn English. I bought something from a Safeway store one day and I wanted to read how to prepare it and I could not find English instruction on the box ANYWHERE. It was a box of Jello brand jello! My children's school WASTES a massive amount of paper printing English And Spanish paperwork. UGH!

Only in America does being fluent in a foreign language, even fluent in multiple foreign languages (any languages other than English) .... equal being "illiterate."

America is becoming the world's capitol of intolerance and xenophobia; both of which are rooted in ignorance.

Severe punishment? Your comments are sad and laughable at the same time. Maybe you should go to Mexico...

That's funny. I was just thinking that you are sad and laughable.

This is an adult conversation. If you cannot act like an adult, don't expect to be treated like one.

This was not inexcusable, but certainly racist. I think anything short of murder or denying the Holy Ghost is excusable, per my religion. That being said, I think she should think long and hard before resuming teaching, if they will let her. This is not a good profession to be in. If you do one thing wrong, like her, you could lose your livelihood and respect of a community. Or if someone accuses you of something erroneously or by malice, you could be in jail or worse. I believe this was a mistake that we do not uderstand the motive for. Why judge so harshly when you haven't even inquired into why she let one little thing slip? Sounds like the hispanic wasa smart alleck who was and is trying to see how far he can push it. If you give these kind of kids an inch, they'll take a mile. I should know. I have a kid that used to be just like him. He's adopted and late in life at that, so it's not my fault.

So, not sharing your religion is inexcusable, but rape is ok?

I do hereby DENY the "Holy Ghost". The Earth was not magically created in 6 days by your imaginary ghost friend. Humanity didn't get screwed over by a talking snake. Oh, and Casper isn't real, either.

Let's not be silly--"excusable" was a poor choice of words, but it means "forgiveable." Some people's religions state that a person who regrets his/her actions can be foregiven--it doesn't mean that an action is "okay."

It is fine if you want to disbelieve in God, but it is not fine to be disrespectful to others and to intentionally misunderstand them. There are two choices, one believes in God or one does not. There are two outcomes, there is a God or there is not a God. If you choose not to believe in God, and there isn't one--so what? If someone else chooses to believe in God, and there isn't one--so what? However, if you choose not to believe in God, and there is one--I think that you might find yourself regretting that decision.

You do not know whether or not there is a God--your belief is a "faith" just as anyone else's is. And, further, not everyone who believes in God thinks that the Earth was magically created in 6 days and that humanity "fell" due to talking to a snake. Not even all Christians believe these things.

Yes, saying "go back to Mexico" is like saying "go back to Africa"--especially if the child and his parents are citizens. It is an inexcusable statement. However, there is a particular tactic that children use these days of baiting teachers, particularly teachers who are tired and on their last frazzled nerve. Many of them do it when their friends have their Internet-enabled cameras at the ready. It is like those annoying children who run around slapping people to get a reaction and then post the reaction to the Internet.

It is my opinion that the young man, given that he was told where he could get the document and the teacher was very willing for him to have it, deserves punishment also. The statement is inexcusable, but it was provoked, and it was intentionally provoked. There is blame on both sides here.

I do not think that the lady should be terminated. However, they might want to put her in a classroom with students who are less apt to provoke, or put her in a different role (such as tutoring or some administrative role) until she can retire, or allow her to teach online (where all her communications could be monitored--and where she could avoid responding when provoked).

It is my opinion that students--with their disrespect for teachers, gained from parents who have no respect, and their penchant for provoking situations like this--need to be either schooled entirely online, from home, where their parents can watch them, or that they should be assigned cubicles in schools and taught mostly via computer with as little interaction as possible. When you have people in a situation where they can continuously try to provoke a lawsuit in order to get as much money as possible, something more needs to be done than just firing the teachers who get exasperated and provoked.

There are two choices, one believes in God or one does not. There are two outcomes, there is a God or there is not a God. If you choose not to believe in God, and there isn't one--so what? If someone else chooses to believe in God, and there isn't one--so what? However, if you choose not to believe in God, and there is one--I think that you might find yourself regretting that decision

Pascals wager fails when you include the 1500 plus gods we humans have worshiped (plus the infinite more that could exist).

I think zeus will be more pissed at a christian than an atheist...

and if you choose to believe that some guy died on a cross for you to save your soul.

THEN you die, and "SHE" is pissed off about your worshipping some guy that died 2000 years ago?

as EngEsq says, the possibilites are nearly endless

While the statement was out of line, I don't think it was necessarily racially motivated and certainly not unforgiveable. The kid was clearly provoking her by saying " I'm Mexican, I'm Mexican", and after taking his taunts seriously and telling him where he could get a form, it just slipped out completely in context with what he was saying. If he had said " Excuse me, but I'm from Mexico and having a little trouble reading this form" and THEN she said it, yes that is racist and inexcusable, but she was under a lot of pressure, he was provoking her and it slipped. I also had a feeling if an Irish child was saying " I'm Irish, I'm Irish!" because he also spoke Gaelic, there wouldn't be half as much controversy.

What is wrong with telling someone to go back to where they came from if they are displeased with what we have to offer here? Sad day when a teacher may be let go for such a dumb thing!

Umm maybe you haven't heard, but there is no official "national language" in this country. English is the dominant language, but it is not legally mandated. Unless and until it is, that child had every right to request the form in a language that he could understand.

If they were sending out a document that the school needs to have returned--like a form about the parents' income so that the school could be reimbursed for funds--then the school wants the form back. They print it in Spanish for those who are more comfortable with Spanish and more apt to understand what might be a rather complicated form--because they want their money.

That the office did, in fact, have the form in Spanish suggests that this was an official document that the school wanted to make sure that the parents would understand. Spanish was spoken in Texas long before English was--just as Cherokee and Sioux were spoken on this continent long before English.

English is the default language in the US because it is what most people speak, but one is not required to speak it in order to be a citizen (one has to speak it to become a naturalized citizen--unless one is too old to become fluent, despite efforts, or one is a small child or deaf). One can speak Cherokee only or Spanish only or whatever one likes--this is called "freedom of expression."

While it is fine for the government to have an official language in which all its documents will be printed--and in which all court cases will be tried--and in which all official actions are undertaken--that doesn't mean that individual citizens have to speak it. The government has an obligation to communicate with all citizens--regardless of the language that they individually choose to speak.

People in Quebec who refuse to speak English and who refuse to print anything in English are just as silly. A language is just a language--communication is what is important, and a government and its agencies have the obligation to make a good faith effort to communicate to citizens (though they have an obligation to make a good faith effort in return--when they do not, it's a different issue).

You want English, then ICE should deport your backwoods-redneck ass to England, because last time I checked, America does NOT have an offical language.

I am White, with Belgian, French, Swiss and Italian ancestors, by the way.

@kris.....how long did it take you to mark your ballot for obama??

@kris.....how long did it take you to mark your ballot for obama??

I read that a few times trying to figure out your point. Still don't get it. As far as I can tell, Pres Obama had nothing to do with this story.

For the record, I think the kid was probably being a smartass, and firing the teacher would be overkill. Still, the public school system, as part of the local government, has the obligation to make sure that students (and especially parents) with limited proficiency in English are still able to participate.

Seems logical to me, leatherneck. He was trying to correct the teacher's ipression that he was an American. To avoid these mistakes in the future, we really need to pass ENGLISH ONLY !

p.s. my native language is not English, but I saw the importance of everyone being on the same page and from day one I would have never expected anyone to hand me something not written in English. And guess what : people might not be far above "how are you ?" but they always manage to fill in forms asking for assistance. And that does not only apply to speakers of Spanish.

Official language or language of 80% of the native people of an area he could have recently moved up from the border area. Many of our kids here don't speak a word of english until they start school. You are like the people who believe the native americans shouldn't be allowed to speak their language. In my area of the country these are the native people they were here before the Texas revolution. And they don't say I'm latino or chicano.

@lonereb - The kid was in 8th grade, not just starting school. Oh yes, there is NO SUCH THING as a "Native American" ALL humans came from the same place, Africa.

There is no national language in this country, Tonya. So suck it up. Speaking a language other than English is quite common and perfectly legal.

Just how stupid is the American population?

ENGLISH IS NOT THE OFFICAL AMERICAN LANGUAGE. YOU WANT ENGLISH, GO TO ENGLAND.

Kris - since there is no national language your argument runs contradictory to the point youre trying to make.

Why then is spanish common on the sides of a lot of name brand items, and not Hebrew or Arabic? Think about things before you rant or at least make a solid argument and not one as stupid and ill thought out as that. It couldnt possibly be the accomodation to a minority in specific, could it?

By your own reasoning then, why isn't everything printed in brail and every language known to man?

Get real.

English is the language of politics and international business worldwide, its not only useful, but is spoken almost throughout the entire world. The same can't be said about Spanish.

As a matter of fact, it is quite common and legal to speak other languages like you state, (DUH?) but would you display the same ignorance when visiting a country like China and expect them to accomodate you and your specific language?

Only in America, oh the things we consider 'issues.'

Why then is spanish common on the sides of a lot of name brand items, and not Hebrew or Arabic? Think about things before you rant or at least make a solid argument and not one as stupid and ill thought out as that. It couldnt possibly be the accomodation to a minority in specific, could it?

Spanish (and sometimes French as well) is common on brand names because the companies that produce them want to make their products accessible to as many consumers as possible. There isn't anything political about it. It's about the money.

Those companies are not the government. The government has the obligation to enfranchize its citizens. You can get government forms in a variety of languages for this reason.

The vast majority of business conducted in the US is done in English. To engage in any large scale commerce, you need a decent grasp of the language, and so most immigrants make an effort to acquire it. No big deal.

If you go traveling, you can usually do ok without having to learn the local language, but you will get a much better experience if you do. Traveling Americans get accommodated quite a bit more than we accommodate foreign visitors.

That is what you don't understand about Texas Tonya his people may not have COME here, they might have always been here. He doesn't use the terms of California or the east coast if pushed you might get him to call himself a Tejano but he usually uses that term for art and music. He will call himself a Mexican even if his people were here at the time of the Texas revolution.

One thing about "tejano." It is Texas, the "X" originating from Aztec, which has nothing to do with Spanish. And here I am, a non-Hispanic, who has to explain that to all the ardent nationalists ! See what I mean ?

ENGLISH IS NOT THE OFFICAL AMERICAN LANGUAGE. YOU WANT ENGLISH, GO TO ENGLAND.

Oh quit saying that--it's so silly. Have you ever been to England? The English don't speak REAL English.

RIPReagan -

You're wasting your time trying to argue with this guy. I wonder if he'd be willing to pay the taxes needed to have everything available to everyone from every language.

Kriss is missing the point. Which is , we need to make English the official language of the US.

Maybe the kid should move to Alaska. I bet they have ALL sorts of forms in spanish there..

And what war did "WE" start that we stole land from????

In the mexican american war we seized no land from mexico.

In the spanish american war we seized no land from spain or cuba.

In the war of 1812 we seized no land from england.

In WW1 and WW2 we seized no land from anyone.

Same with Korea, Vietnam, Iraq & Afghanistan.....no seized land.

The desert southwest of the united states (ca-az-nm) was purchased from mexico so they could fund their war against france.

The Texas war of independence did not involve the united states, they in fact refused to become involved and offered no financial or military assistance to the current mexican citizens revolting against General Santa Anna. In fact the U.S. government was displeased with the citizens of Texas since they renounced their citizenship to the U.S. and became mexican citizens to live in Texas to begin with.

So what land has the U.S. ever seized from a war..??????

Umm @Assrancher you have your facts wrong. We seized a great deal of land from Mexico in the Mexican-American war.

Azrancher...Correct.
In WW2 the only land we asked for was just enough to bury our dead boys. Not too much to ask after giving their lives to save the world.

Once again Kris, you know not of what you speak. The Mexican-American war in the 1840's was over a dispute regarding the border of Texas. Or at least that was what it was supposed to be about. The real reason for the war was that Texas became an independent country after winning it's war of independence with Mexico. Privately Mexico believed that Texas would eventually return to their control but instead the independent country of Texas elected to become a U.S. state and war began after a dispute of where its border with Mexico was drawn. Mexican troops came across the Rio Grande and attacked U.S. forces. U.S. forces then invaded Mexico and occupied Mexico City until Mexico capitulated. As part of the agreement to settle the war Mexico sold the rest of the land obtained from Mexico to the United States. There's no doubt that you're a leftist (I'm guessing one who chants what they hear) but it's quite evident that you aren't a very competent "intellectual."

3rd view I hate to burst your bubble but except for Crockett's tennesseans everybody in the Alamo was a Mexican citizen. And there were citizens with hispanic names fighting inside the Alamo. You didn't start any war. We fought for our independence and stayed an independant country for years before WE chose to join your country. And as far as Mexico claiming Texas we can show them where their supreme dictator signed off all rights to Texas. Also the war was about his throwing out the Mexican constitution of 1824.

Viper, you seem to have missed more than a few English classes. If you expect others to use the language and its grammar and punctuation correctly, perhaps you should do the same.

viper, I would rather see English with a few mistakes than Spanish in this country. But then, I peopably have a beter education than you do.

viper these people didn't come to America it came to them.

Que?

Ron Brock that is because not all the people you are dealing with are immigrants. 80% of the population of the Rio Grande Valley is hispanic and they didn't come here they have always been here. We didn't start bi=lingual for immigrants we started it for native born American citizens.

Ron Brock, you are right. No other immigrant group demanded that their adopted country speak their language. Most of them had escaped persecution and discrimination and knew that the Bill of Rights was written in English. As for Europe - we have seen how much easier it is for war to break out between people who do not speak a common language. Countries which to this day have bi-lingual or multi-lingual populations are lie a powder keg.

ENGLISH ONLY !

MCB---From what I have seen of STUDENTS in the past 30 years " I think we need to raise the bar" NO, those students should not be returning to their classes! You must not be a teacher because if you were you would know what that teacher is up against...horrible students that create a rotten environment to work in. I am so thankful that I have chosen to homeschool my children next year. There seems to be constant discipline issues in the classrooms these days and it is just going to get worse. We allow illegals to come into our country our country will eventually turn into the wretchedness that the people from those countries are trying to escape. I feel for that teacher and I am amazed that she would be willing to continue teaching with all the abuse she endures.

@Assrancher Not everyone is bilingual. I speak English when I'm in Mexico. It's also worth remembering that we don't have a national language here. English may be dominant, but it's not mandated.

Here's what the difference is for me:

I'm in the USA. I don't care if English is the legally designated language or not. It is the common language here, so learn it. My dad's good friend is a legal immigrant from Mexico, and he agrees with me...If I move to Mexico, I fully expect that I'll have to become more fluent in the language, customs and culture, as should immigrants to the U.S...

I think the bottom line is that the stupid kid was disrespectful and got told... had he asked politely and followed instructions, I doubt he would have received the response he did. The most this teacher should have received was a write up, and the kid should have received a talking to from his parents about being respectful and not obnoxious in class (whether the discussion was in Spanish or not)...

Here we speak both languages interchangeably. I speak whatever language I'm most comfortable in and he speals his. I'm sure he understands my english better than my spanish and the other is also true. Thats how we got tex-mex phrases like bueno bye.

Azrancher, I 'll drink to that ! It is respectful to speak the language of the country in which I am a guest.

English is not the national language here. They have every right to be given forms that they're able to read.

Hey Kris, how about you explain to all of us conservative dimwits the "right" to have a form in a language other than English. This should be really good.

Kris, even better why not explain to all of us how "right" it is for them to giving VERBAL driving exams for people that cannot read. What are they going to do when they're driving and see a sign telling them the bridge is out? You know what will happen? They'll go off into the river and then their family will sue the state for not drawing a pictograph and they'll get millions of dollars. As Americans, we have every right to expect every one to learn to read and speak English. If I moved to Poland (reversing Lulu's example) I would not expect to be handed English forms. I would learn to speak and read Polish. I applaud Lulu and her family for learning English and adapting to the way of the country that they chose to come to.

LuLu your parents CAME here. His ancestors may have always been here. In Poland where both of our ancestors came from there used to be a dialect in the northern part that actually was a combination of polish and german which was my family's native language. It happened because the government in control changed so often. You all keep saying came to this country. They didn't come here my friends last name means Comanche. His family didn't come here we did.

That's what I have been saying, Lulu. And I never met an educated foreigner who objected to having to learn English. Wonder why ? Well - they must have been racists !! : )

If they didn't "just come here", but have been a part of the United States for two or three generations, then that's actually less of an excuse for not speaking the dominant language.

There is no official national language in this country. Furthermore, not everyone has to speak English in order to gain legal citizenship.

Your right, the law needs to be changed.

Kris, your advise below about thinking before you write, you might want to consider it yourself. In fact you do have to demonstrate a certain amount of English ability to become a U.S. citizen. There is no such thing as a "legal citizen" but there is such a thing as a legal resident. To become a legal resident you do not have to speak English. Like I said, take your own advise before passing it on to others.

LC again you assume he is not a native born citizen of the United States you may be right but you could also be very wrong because you don't understand the way things are said in South Texas. If he was born here he doesn't have to take a citizenship test now does he. He was born a citizen. 90% of the population of Brownsville Texas is tejano (Texans of Mexican descent) and it always has been. The same is true of the four southernmost counties of Texas to varying degrees. They may not speak english but they, their parents, their grandparents back to when Texas joined the union have been American citizens.

If the kid didn't speak English, how the hell was he supposed to know what the teacher was saying?! You need to THINK before you type. :P

then why did he request the form in spanish if he could understand english, was he just being a pain in the A$$ or is it that his parents dont understand or speak english, some one should check to see if the kid and family are here LEGALLY if not ship there a$$es back

Hey viper I'll bet you he and his parents were born in some city like Brownsville, Rio Grande City, McAllen, Roma,San Benito all of them in Texas. You need a translator in La Feria to talk to the city workers.

this poor little child has been hurt so bad, maybe we should give the poor child a free education and free college to, hell lets just give the whole damn family a free college education while were at it

I'm with you Viper! If she gets fired, I encourage her to come teach in Arizona! She can join our Sheriff, as well as our unheard Government in telling the Mexicans (illegal of course!) to go home! I'm going to guess that wasn't the first smart a$$ remark from that kid..I'd bet many led up to her losing her patience! You're in a freakin' American school.....pay attention in during English and figure it out kid!

I do not understand why it would be an insult to the student to tell him to go to Mexico when he refuses to accept the official language of instruction. Is Mexico so bad that it is an insult ???

Yes.

Actually, we do. They may not be on-hand because the demand is so low, but if there is a demand the school can and will obtain them.

Really??? For all Filipino dialects??? All Italian dialects??? All Chinese dialects??? All African dialects??? I don't know where you live but where I am, the population is pretty diverse.

Well here we only have two languages except in Februrary and March when the french canadians come down for the weather. The two native languages of Texas are spanish and english. And in some parts of the state there are a lot more of them then there are of you.

Politicians don't have the BALLS to make it the official language. Remember it's about votes, whether or not they are legal or not...Get it???

You do realize that she regrets what she said, right? She condemns it, as well she should. Spouting racist hate speech to children is never acceptable.

she is only saying that to get her job back

She should have just put duct tape over his mouth.

Too many drama queens making this about race when it has everything to do with basic english.

"Racist hate speech?" Hey Kris, is the sky falling?

Spouting racist hate speech to children is never acceptable.

I don't think it's acceptable to anyone but considering the situation, I would hardly call this racist hate speech. If this is what you call racist hate speech, then I've been on the wrong end of the receiving stick more times than I can count. What should I do about it???

Do this white non-hispanic a favor and stay where you are spike you'll mess up my happy life if you come here. But Texas was theirs first.

Your making this about race when it has more to do with lack of motivation towards learning a language.

Occam, the difference here is that the kid was proclaiming himself to be "Mexican." I would agree that telling any of my fellow Americans of any race or heritage to go back to another country in the context you described would be racist. In this case it's not.

No Spike it's not lack of motivation they just don't want to kiss your butt in their land. When I was his age if you asked me I would have said I'm Polish, as in not any other ethnic group than Polish. This not being California that is the way native born Texans of Mexican descent normally identify themselves. It does not mean they are citizens of Mexico but ethnically mexican. Just because the rest of the US is so anti-immigrant does not mean self identification changes to meet your prejudice. I found myself in Iowa trying to referee an arguement between a chicano from California and a "mexican" from Texas over this mis-understanding. If she teaches in Texas this is one lingusitic idiosycracy she better learn quick. BTW most Texans identify themselves as Texans first and Americans second even if they are out of the country.

@occamsedge - If the student hadn't kept saying, "I'm Mexican, I'm Mexican," I would accept your argument.

The racist statements of "Go back to [Africa/Asia/whereever]" are not usually flung at people after they've been saying, "I'm African, I'm African" or "I'm Chinese, I'm Chinese". They are usually apropos of nothing--the person using the statement is simply ignorant (and racist!).

I think the only one who should be deported here is YOU.

Convict these parents of WHAT, exactly?! They didn't commit any crime. Requesting a form in your native language is not a crime. Or are you assuming they're here illegally just because they happen to be Mexican and don't speak English as their first language?

I'll agree to consider repealing the 14th amendment if you'll agree to add an amendment banning intellectually lazy racists like yourself from reproducing.

You can't translate a simple form for your parents?

The kid sounds like an @!$%# trying to annoy his underpaid, exhausted teacher.

And if Jose and his parents and grandparents were born in the US then what are you going to do? Spike for him to translate it he has to speak it first. And no form is simple it's part of government rules never print a form anyone can understand.

Kris, her statement was inappropriate but hardly "racist hate speech." The kid was telling her he wanted a form in Spanish because he's from Mexico so how is telling him to go back to Mexico "racist hate speech?" I'm surprised that such an "intellectual" such as yourself missed the part of the story where he identified himself as "Mexican." It's also probably a pretty good clue that he's from Mexico since he is in an 8th grade class and can't complete the form in English. I don't know if this kid is illegal or not but illegals have corrupted and disrupted our society and the education system hasn't escaped from this disruption.

Oh, and Kris, you may describe yourself as "intellectual" like many leftists but I've found that many of those same "intellectual" leftists lack simple common sense and reasoning power.

They could say the same about you since California, arizona,new mexico, texas, and colorado were all part of mexico first.

And you would be unemployed.

I did. I taught English for 23 years and then retired, as I was fed up with the direction in which the field was going. If people can't remain above the line of decent decorum in the class room, which is what I was seeing during my last 5 years of my career, then they need to be dismissed, if they haven't the sense to resign for the good of their students.

You are in Texas but have you spent time in say the RGV where you would have learned that where 80%+ of the people are tejano spanish tends to be more prevalent and they are not mexican citizens nor are their parents or grandparents. They were freaking born here and been here before the state left Mexico.

10-4, viper.

Whats the school going to do about this kids actions? Does he get to walk away like he's a victim? They're coming here to this country and just stealing away all of our American rights.

Kris Craig, if you would have read the article you would have known that he must speak some English if he could say "I am Mexican"...he was obviously using it as bait. You are not too bright if you think this is anything less than manipulation by a 13 year old kid! He knows how to work the system and was taught by someone... (not naming any names)

Good question. The reason is that teachers are under a great deal of pressure to 'pass' their students into the next grade. Schools are penalize for holding back children. Parents rant and rave. Lawyers are called in. Our children SHOULD be required to meet certain requirements, before being graduated into the next level of schooling, and the issue is one that has been fought over for decades.

We need to elect school board members who are courageous enough to demand changes in standards.

And if the school board is 80% hispanic because the voters are than what do you do? Simple question.

I live in California one of the worst performing states in education for many many years now.(And with an immigration problem) Our kids are having trouble with learning English and were worrying about them needing to learn Spanish? Lets get English down first. This kid was just being a jerk and we all know it as humans we lose our cool and sometimes we say things that are inappropriate, she spoke out in anger in that situation she really could have said a lot worst.

I really do feel that we should definitely, get our immigration problem under control, we as Americans cant hardly get jobs due to the fact we need to be Bi-Lingual.

This just really isn't about race. Its about our educational system, what do we do for English as A Second Language students? How do we Educate them? In this country the curriculum in done in English not Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian. We cant have every student learning the curriculum in a different language he needs to use the English homework forms or he just wont learn. We cant think about the year 2050 we have to think about now, now our language is English if the form was intended for parents i'm sure the boy had enough intelligence to say, Hey. My parents only speak Spanish may I have a Spanish form? Or the teacher should have stopped and said "Look, if you need the form in Spanish please go to the office! And she should have put some of that ooomf in it the way us mothers do when we talk to our kids to help them get the point. LOL And this situation would have been nipped in the butt.