What Are Your Thoughts About Commencement Speeches in Spanish?
High School Valedictorian Gives Speech in Spanish & Makes His Parents Proud
The way I see it, if my kid was graduating as valedictorian
of his high school class, I'd be so deliriously happy and proud I
wouldn't care what kind of a commencement address he gave. Shoot, he
could get up there and sing Old McDonald Had a Farm -- he's valedictorian, woo-hoo! That's my boy! But I have to admit, the speech Orestimba High School valedictorian Saul Tello, Jr. gave at his graduation does kind of tug at the maternal heart strings.
It wasn't the content of the speech so much as the way he chose to deliver it: In Spanish, to honor his Spanish-speaking parents. Awww.
Of course, not everybody in the audience understood Spanish, which led to a bit of a problem.
Now, on the one hand, I get why non-Spanish-speaking audience members were upset -- it would kind of stink to not understand a word of the speech at your kid's graduation. But here's the thing: Originally, Saul Tello wanted to give the speech in both English and Spanish, but his principal, Jessie Ceja, told him there wouldn't be enough time. So Tello chose Spanish, for his parents' sake.
As a mom, I find that incredibly sweet. Plus, bear in mind that the population of California is 38% Latino. I'm sure his gesture was widely appreciated.
Apparently the school is planning to include inserts printed with both Spanish and English versions of the speech in future graduation programs, which seems like an excellent solution to me. Good luck, Saul!
Do you think giving his commencement address in Spanish was the right thing for this valedictorian to do?
That's it at the end of the day. The school let him choose and he chose. The school dropped the bomb not this young man.
Quoting vanesand0320:
Hispanics pay taxes regardless if they are citizens, residents , or illegal . They don't get back as much credit as people with a socials do , even if their kids are citizens. And most of the time do labor jobs that the educated people won't do. These article is not even talking about race it's about the kids choice to do his speech the way he wants it.
Exactly!
Plus, simply because the majority of the students are of Hispanic descent does not mean that the majority within that percentage actually speaks or understands Spanish. People seem to forget that just because someone identifies with a certain ethnicity does not mean that they fully embrace or practice everything that "generally" coincides with that specific ethnicity (for instance, language). I live in SoCA and have encountered numerous people who identify with the Hispanic ethnicity, but do not speak a lick of the language. Several of these people even live or were raised in homes where Spanish is/was the primary language for the rest of the family.
Quoting needadvice1983:
But I bet you the majority of that 62% know English (an probably 100% of the students know English) whereas the 32% probably don't know much Spanish. It's unfair to only consider his parents when the speech was for his fellow students. Sorry but it wasn't right to exclude the student population that doesn't speak the language when the speech wa meant for them! Seeing as how the school is taught in English it's a good chance that the whole student body would have understood an English speech.
Quoting luckysevenwow:It's not about the whole of California, or the whole of the USA. It's about this student and the town he comes from. His town is 62% hispanic/latino...whatever. Only 32% are of white descent.
Quoting doodlebug612:The last time I checked, English is the language spoken in this country and at American public schools. And the population of CA is only 38%. That means that the majority, 62% didn't understand him. I find it offensive.
I never said it should go back to that far. I was making a statement. wow! You took it that literal? I don't see a problem with that student giving his speech in another language. There should have been some sort of translation.
Quoting annie2244:
Quoting CrystalYaris:
Actually, English wasn't the primary language in America originally. If you attended history classes in middle school you would know this. Part of America was Mexico territory. Being as the settlers were, ended up purchasing land and running native people out of it.
Really ?- your position is - commencement speeches should be held in the original native tongue of each country. LOL. So - each US high school should identify it's closest native american tribe from as far back as historians have data, and the speech should be given in that language. Perhaps high schools in Italy should give commencement speeches in Latin. England's high schools should use Spanish, since their first inhabitants after the ice age were from Spain. Mexican high schools should use an Aztec language, not Spanish. This is ridiculous fun to contemplate.
Quoting doodlebug612:The last time I checked, English is the language spoken in this country and at American public schools. And the population of CA is only 38%. That means that the majority, 62% didn't understand him. I find it offensive.
So what happens when we are no longer the majority? Then, by your logic, it'd be offensive to speak English. SLIPPERY slope.
No because if it went back too far you'd have to change your stance...
Quoting CrystalYaris:I never said it should go back to that far. I was making a statement. wow! You took it that literal? I don't see a problem with that student giving his speech in another language. There should have been some sort of translation.
Quoting annie2244:
Quoting CrystalYaris:
Actually, English wasn't the primary language in America originally. If you attended history classes in middle school you would know this. Part of America was Mexico territory. Being as the settlers were, ended up purchasing land and running native people out of it.
Really ?- your position is - commencement speeches should be held in the original native tongue of each country. LOL. So - each US high school should identify it's closest native american tribe from as far back as historians have data, and the speech should be given in that language. Perhaps high schools in Italy should give commencement speeches in Latin. England's high schools should use Spanish, since their first inhabitants after the ice age were from Spain. Mexican high schools should use an Aztec language, not Spanish. This is ridiculous fun to contemplate.
Random Question 5/24
- Cafe MichelleP
on Jun. 17, 2012 at 10:49 AM