12-20-2009, 04:02 AM
Had to jump in here. Pslamont is right on target. I had to do massive amounts of research on the subject last year and without boring anyone with the details, Hawaii schools absolutely suck in delivering an education. Check DOE and Fed's "No Child Left Behind" and it will scare you if you have a child in public school on the Big Island. Is the language in the USA English or Pidgin.....HELLO?
808blogger.... your logic gives a conclusion that is not sound, not Pslamont's. If a child wants to be educated in a University outside of Hawaii, will the placement tests be done in English or Pidgin? If they want more than a job at a convenience store will they be judged on their ability to read and write English not Pidgin? God forbid they would actually want to venture off the island and have to compete with a peer group that speaks English not Pidgin. This is where you premise about British English falls apart. The Brit has an automatic advantage over someone who only speaks Pidgin as a primary language, except at perhaps the local supermarket in Hilo.
Pidgin and all it's cultural meaning and value is a given in the right context, but to accept it as a benchmark for learning is ludicrous. May I humbly point out that most Hawaiian immersion schools teach Hawaiian, not Pidgin. Hmmmmmm
808blogger.... your logic gives a conclusion that is not sound, not Pslamont's. If a child wants to be educated in a University outside of Hawaii, will the placement tests be done in English or Pidgin? If they want more than a job at a convenience store will they be judged on their ability to read and write English not Pidgin? God forbid they would actually want to venture off the island and have to compete with a peer group that speaks English not Pidgin. This is where you premise about British English falls apart. The Brit has an automatic advantage over someone who only speaks Pidgin as a primary language, except at perhaps the local supermarket in Hilo.
Pidgin and all it's cultural meaning and value is a given in the right context, but to accept it as a benchmark for learning is ludicrous. May I humbly point out that most Hawaiian immersion schools teach Hawaiian, not Pidgin. Hmmmmmm