This weekend, the Columbus Post-Dispatch ran a story glorifying Ms. Vieyra's project which had her Spanish students pretending they were illegal immigrants trying to find work. Ms. Vieyra claims the project is about teaching her kids "empathy".
Of course her job is to teach Spanish, not "empathy".
It turns out Ms. Vieyra has a blog. I wonder how many parents are actually reading the entries:
FELICIDADES!! Spanish V you finished the Immigration Project and you are in the Columbus Dispatch!! I am so proud of you:)This story can be found at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/12/15/OLHSCLASS.ART_ART_12-15-07_B1_M08PJ5M.html?sid=101
Well, that's nice. A little pat on the back for learning that it doesn't pay to try to immigrate to this country legally, but boy can you get over if you do it illegally! And publicity too!
But there's more. Check out what was on the agenda on November 5th:
This quarter is the study of immigration! Students will view: "A day without a Mexican," "Balseros(Cuban Rafters," "Wetback (National Geographic)," and "Maria Full of Grace." Students are reading and translating articles about this topic, and formulating their opinions on this issue.
What Liberty High Students are watching when they should be learning Spanish
Wait. If Ms. Vierya was really going to give her students an unbiased view of the immigration issue, wouldn't she also include a movie like "Border"?
Of course not. See, Ms. Vierya's job isn't just to teach Spanish, her job is to teach her kids empathy...especially a view that is empathetic to her political viewpoint. And she'll use two "R" rated movies and two documentaries sympathetic to illegal aliens to do so.
Not convinced yet. OK, check out more Spanish "culture" she would like your kids to know about:
This week we will be learning about Frida Kahlo through her art. Students will be given a project packet on Monday. Most of this work will be completed in class. Monday and Tuesday students will observe and evaluate her art and on Thursday and Friday students will paint a self-portrait like Frida Kahlo.
I have no problem with a Spanish teacher introducing art and culture to her students instead of just teaching the language. Certainly this would add to their educational experience.
Of course not knowing much about either Spanish art or culture, I wouldn't have a clue about who Frida Kahlo was. I'll bet most parents don't either:
Many of her works are self-portraits that symbolically express her own pain. Kahlo was married to and influenced by the Mexican/Spanish muralist Diego Rivera and shared his Communist views.
Their marriage was often tumultuous. Both Kahlo and Rivera had notoriously fiery temperaments and both had numerous extramarital affairs. The openly bisexual Kahlo had affairs with both men and women (including Leon Trotsky);
And what sort of material is Ms. Vierya using to teach her captive audience about Frida Kahlo?:
Students are sharing their Frida poems and portraits with the class: is a speaking and writing grade. Students should be reviewing all of their vocabulary. (There is no new vocabulary for this week.) Students will be viewing the film, Frida, and completing a viewing activity packet. This will be due at the end of the film.
That's Frida, a film rated "Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language". A movie that glorifies lesbianism.
I wonder if that viewing packet was available for parents to see before they showed the movie in class? What would a 16-year old boy's response be to this?
9 comments:
Uhhh... It would probably be the same as mine: I want to bang Salma Hayek.
I am a student of Vierya's class and I must say nothing that you present here is accurate and is completely asinine and one-sided. She NEVER once stated her political views. She gave us information on both sides to form our own opinion. I can tell you right now that every student in our class has a differing idea.
Keep in mind we did have to go through a legal process not just illegal. And I must tell you, I am against illegal immigration. All of your statements are completely biased and you have no proof for any of them.
And about Frida Kahlo--the lesbian scene was ONE scene less than 3 minutes. And we skipped it.
In English you learn about how to speak and grammer structure but you also learn about themes. Spanish is the same way, meaning you learn about the language, themes and culture. Do you know that there is some 15 billion dollars illegals pay into social security and never see a dime? Do you know that their are millions of illegal immigrants here right now?
No. Get your facts straight, you might learn something.
Your belief in that we are watching films that do not pertain to learning Spanish is completely rediculous and childish. We watch films in order to gain a more developed sense of Spanish culture and to help us become more educated on the world today.
I also don't understand something: why you are discussing a movie (Frida) that is viewed in Spanish IV? Is this not about an immigration project? But I dobut that even crossed your mind as it is so filled with bias that you would not consider both sides of an issue.
Leave it to adults to criticize high school students-isn't that classy?
i am in that class, and I agree
i know for a fact that whoever posted that anonymous comment was not in the class. no one in profe's class would agree with something so wrong. whoever wrote this article feels that the only part to learning spanish is vocabulary... wow... maybe you have a thing or two to learn about. it's called culture. i am in spanish V and recently did that immigration project. i watched the frida movie last year with a different teacher and it is part of the spanish art curriculum. so 1. if you have a problem with that movie (which is most definitly not a lesbian or communist themed movie) you should speak of not just profe vieyra but all of the spanish teachers in the entire liberty foreign language department, or 2. watch it yourself and learn a thing or two before you speak about something you have no idea about.
thanks have a great day
wowwwwwww you are ignorant.. first of all i go to olentangy liberty high school and you are blowing this project totally out of proportions.. the project, in its 5th year of doing so, is teaching students about real life situations and not being ignorant towards such issues. i believe you should get your facts straight before you start blaming good teachers for things they never did. The teacher was not trying to force her opinion on her students and told them to form their own opinions and thoughts.
As a student in Ms. Vierya’s class, I do not appreciate this inaccurate depiction of my teacher,class or school.
The curriculum of level V language classes at OLHS focus much more on culture than grammar, so Veiyra is perfectly valid in teaching it. Kahlo's work is as much a part of Mexican culture as Picasso is to Spanish (and by the way, he held communist beliefs as well, though I doubt if he were the artist in question there would be this contrevorsy.)
-An OLHS Alum
yeah mee toooo!
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