The Sun-Sentinel – Andrew Abramson
“No hablas Español? Me neither. Like most South Florida English-speaking natives, I took a couple of years of Spanish in high school. At least I think I did. I definitely took one year of Spanish, and I probably took two — it’s a complete blur because it was so unmemorable. We’d learn a few phrases, take a multiple choice test, and watch VHS recordings of Lou Diamond Phillips’ “La Bamba” — in English. It didn’t have to be like that. We could all have bilingual skills that would enrich our education and make us more competitive in the job market. Dual-language speakers have a leg up when seeking employment, especially in South Florida with an ever-growing Hispanic market. All it would take is our school districts treating Spanish as a core subject in the elementary level — on par with math, science and social studies.”(more)