I'm not afraid of terrorism, are you?

[henryp]

Well, they have to learn the language.  And we'd have to give them money for a home.  And then we'd have to send them to school.  And then we'd have to have their kids go to school.  Pay for healthcare.  Hope they are smart enough to get a degree.  Etc...  Basically, you can invest a few 100k getting a refugee family up to speed, or bring in an Indian family that can hit the ground running.  

Sure...if they're -all- a bunch of moochers and there's -no- opportunity..we'd have to do that...perish the thought..in the richest country in the world..?  It's not as if we're super generous with our welfare and assistance programs in the first place.  

I know you don't like quantifying people like that, but there aren't infinite resources.  

It's crazy the burden on teachers/schools non-english language students are from the beginning.  And that's just kids with educated parents in good schools.  And those ESL teachers are just money that could be going elsewhere.  Whether it's more STEM stuff for the bright kids, or more teachers aides for the struggling schools.

I don't know that english teachers are really doing all that well with homegrown efl's....seen our scores?  I'm okay with people talking funny, using regional dialects...and even speaking in their own native language.  American english (english in general) is a bastard tongue in the first place.  Yet another example of how the things that people point to as "problems" enrich our very lives.

Wondering why we're here, now...when the initial objection was "terrorists".  Was the objection ever actually terrorists at all?

I think the Death to America factor certainly pushes it over the edge.  I'm less opposed to the idea of Cuban refugees, for example. 

And the task of even teaching EFL students is daunting.  The reality is that a lot of kids who don't have support at home, and have behavioral problems on top of that, on top of some learning disabilities need 1 on 1 time.  And then they get to school, with 23 other similar kids and the Teacher has to magically get them all reading by herself, or with a part time aide.  

Gone off topic, but what our schools need, is an investment in teachers aides that are able to pull the kids into smaller groups and give individual attention.  My kid is lucky enough to go to a school where parents volunteer and basically teach other people's kids how to read.  But in that school, half the kids are already reading going into kindergarten, and getting support at home, etc...  The school my sister teaches at is just her in an impossible situation doing the best she can.