Spanish Spelling Bee Angers Reader

Re “School District Hosts Spanish Spelling Bee” (Feb. 8): I find the fact that the Anaheim City School District held a Spanish spelling bee unrelated to a class teaching Spanish as a foreign language to be absolutely amazing. Why, why, why?

The last time I looked, California had passed the English Language Amendment, making California one of the many states that has chosen to reaffirm that English, not one of the 20-plus languages spoken by our new immigrants, will be used to conduct official business. Since that is a fact, and since speaking and writing English is known to be a key to new immigrants’ getting ahead in this country, why would a public school district encourage any other language?

It seems that the bilingual program in Anaheim has gotten completely out of control. Bilingual teaching is meant to be a short passage into total English immersion, not some self-perpetuating bureaucracy, as it appears to be in Anaheim. All I can say is thank goodness there is “no county spelling bee to advance to.”

Mexico is our southern neighbor, and I certainly encourage all Californians to learn Spanish, but never to forget that it is a foreign language. To understand and get along with each other. we must have a common language, and here, folks, it is English! We never want to have the situation Canada is now experiencing with Quebec.

Otherwise, the story was quite funny. Although the list of words was passed out, the contest lasted only two rounds. The winner had no idea what the word she spelled meant--in Spanish or English. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if public school teachers would, rather than spend their time on Spanish spelling bees, teach their students what words mean and how to spell them--in English? And, of course, this goes without saying how I would feel if I spoke one of the multitude of other foreign languages now spoken in this country.

DOLORES GRAHAM, Tustin