News


UFLA Newsletter Pat Buckner, President	Fall 2000	www.ufla.org Tom Mathews, Editor

Table of Contents Click on any title in order to read that article, or just scroll down.
UFLA Annual Meeting, November 9, 2000 IN MEMORIAM English-Only: Wouldnt' it Be Levely? AATG Friend-of-the-profession Awarded to Joan Patterson BYU Summer Institute A Success for Spanish Teachers News from the Spanish Resource Center Hiring of Teacher's from Spain Rankles Some	French Teacher Opportunity UFLA Vitality Award Winners Utah's Non-English Languages Language Maintenance Retreat at WSU Great Experience in Japan K-12 Foreign Language Professional Development Awards

UFLA Annual Meeting
Thursday
November 9, 2000

       What's the most central point for the state of Utah? Provo, of course! Don't miss this year's Annual Meeting of the Utah Foreign Language Association. We encourage you to pre-register (there's a form on-line here). You must pre-register for the luncheon, and in doing so, UFLA will pay approximately half of the cost of your lunch!
        Parking is available for free in the visitor parking lot north of the Wilkinson Center. Registration will start at 8:30. The plenary session will begin at 9:00.
        How long has it been since you visited the beautiful Brigham Young University campus? If it's been more than 2 years, you won't recognize it. It is gorgeous!

Come and visit the impressive new library,
Tour the newest state-of-the-art foreign language labs,
Meet in our newly remodeled student center,
Visit the new Spanish resource center, just commissioned by the ministry of education and culture of Spain. It's the only one in the mountain west.
But also come to attend energizing conference sessions, to talk with colleagues,
to see the foreign language book and materials exhibit, and on and on!

And best of all, this year's keynote speaker will be Ray T. Clifford, one of the most highly regarded experts on the teaching of foreign languages in the country. Provost at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and past president of ACTFL, Dr. Clifford earned a BA and an MA in German at BYU, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. He has been teaching German since 1965. Before accepting his position at the Defense Language Institute, he was Chief of the Slavic and Germanic Languages at the Department Central Intelligence Agency Language. Dr. Clifford is a highly regarded speaker and is widely published. For more information go to http://pom-www.army.mil/pages_/provost.htm. His topic at our meeting will be the 2003 foreign language NAEP assessment and never having to say you're sorry.

I N M E M O R I A M

       Pat Buckner, this year's President of UFLA and teacher extraordinaire, passed away unexpectedly on August 14, 2000, in her parents' home.
        Pat presented at UFLA, SWCOLT, ACTFL, ASCD and played a variety of professional roles in other areas, such as English, Gifted and Talent and Multi-Cultural. Besides English and French, Pat also taught Russian, having learned it as part of a USOE project. In addition to her active role in many UFLA positions, she was the "Czarina" of ACTR, Utah Chapter and an active member of AATF.
        She was the recipient of two Rockefeller awards, an NEH grant and numerous other local and state awards. She completed language immersion stays in France and Russia and was an accomplished visitor to other European countries and Tunisia.
        As a teacher leader at Dixon Middle School, she was instrumental in revamping their middle school program, and yet still found time to create a yearly medieval feast, a Shakespearian Festival, and to participate in the Parade of Trees at Christmas time.
        Unbeatable at Trivial Pursuit, Pat was a resource on anything from Peter the Great to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Gothic churches, Celtic culture and Québécois history to only name a few. She worked tirelessly for her students, her colleagues, and her profession. A prolific reader and lover of knowledge, Pat was a poet, a musician, an artist and a fine friend to many.

Contributed by Charlotte Touati

TEACHER OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS

        Each year the UFLA rewards an exceptional foreign language teacher in Utah as Teacher-of-the-Year. This year's nomination form is available on the Internet at www.ufla.org, then click on "Awards & Grants" and then on the nomination form.
        Nominations should include two letters of recommendation from people who know the teacher’s classroom practices and professional habits. Colleagues, former students, or university personnel who have placed student teachers in this classroom may be more valuable than administrative endorsements. Please include in your letter of nomination specific examples of why you feel that this person should receive this award, including classroom effectiveness and practices, professional involvement, and impact on students.
        Please keep your nomination to two pages; if you wish, you may submit supplementary materials, but these will not be returned.
        All nominations must be received by September 15, 2000.

English-Only
Wouldnt It Be Lovely?
By Janice Jones-Schroeder
Salt Lake City School District - Foreign Language Supervisor

       English is spoken by 97 percent of the American people, according to the 1990 Census, and is universally recognized as the "American Language." Yet, at no time in American history has the United States had an official national language.
        When the United States government was formally established, Congress discussed and discarded proposals lo designate an official language, and, with a few important exceptions, accommodated and respected language differences in mach the same way as it has religious differences. These differences were the natural consequences of the fact that the American people were drawn from all parts of the world, with the exception of the American Indians.
        The exceptions to this benign Federal Language Policy were directed against minority Americans. After the Civil War, Congress set up a system of boarding schools where Indian youth, children of the first Americans, were sent to be "stripped" of their native languages, culture, and religion. Congress did not formally repudiate this English-Only policy until 1990. Even earlier Congress countermanded state laws designated to prevent African Americas from becoming literate in English
        In each of these instances, Congress deviated from America's prevailing national policy on language, a policy that accepted and accommodated diversity, and, in each of these instances of Federal Language restrictions, Americans were hurt and the nation suffered. Will we not learn from past mistakes, or is history destined to repeat itself?
        Congress's wisdom in rejecting a national English-Only mandate during the First World War period was proven by U.S. experience in the Second World War. In that war, the bilingualism of American Indian "Code-talkers" combined with the bilingualism of Italian-English, German-English, and Japanese-English speaking Americans proved invaluable to the nation.
        Language does indeed carry with if the history, the culture, the traditions and the very way of life of a people. When a conquering group seeks to subjugate a people it forces the adoption of the invading language. The movement toward the imposition of the monolingual dominant language is tantamount to the subjugation of a people. If one wishes to destroy a culture, then sever its linguistic roots. If one wishes to subjugate a rising generation, then separate it from its native language. Language is people; it is the life of a people.
        Scientists tell us that the native language that babies hear creates a permanent auditory map in the brain. According to some researchers, genetics provides the raw materials for language development; parents, grandparents and other family members inculcate traditional values and the language—the mother tongue. This mother tongue molds the spirit and the soul. The mother tongue is the language in which the child learns to express him or herself with a Higher Being. The mother tongue colors a child's view of the world. It shapes perceptions. It influences our thinking patterns. According to most linguists, language is the basic instrument of thought and self-expression. Embedded within a language we find the history, the culture, the traditions, the very 1ifc and flesh of a people; moreover, we find the moral and the spiritual. To maintain one's mother tongue is a self-evident fundamental linguistic human right and observing linguistic human rights implies that "all people" can identify positively with their mother tongue and have that right accepted and respected by others. It also implies that people will have the opportunity to learn to think, read, and write in their mother tongue alongside the dominant culture's language.
        We know that the potential to achieve high levels of cognitive functioning is a property of the human species and, therefore, is accessible to all children. Denying the use of the mother tongue is denial of educational opportunity. Such denial is mean-spirited or worse. It is a denial of cultural rights and an affront to human dignity. It is an abomination! We know that language is the key to preserving a cultural legacy for our children, and in some cases, for preserving families and communities. That cultural legacy is rich in traditions, beliefs, and values that not only sustain us but will also sustain our children and our children's children. As individuals and as a people, we and the children we teach, carry the roots and strengths of that language, of that culture, and we should make sure that national resource, that treasure is recognized and respected and never referred to as a deficiency!
        Without being able to use their mother tongue, a non-English speaking child is cut off from active involvement in his or her own learning and that is an injustice! Language is the vehicle of all that a child knows, thinks and dreams in. It is one of the most salient aspects of culture. For that very reason the mother tongue of our children must not be muted; it at not be silenced. It is the very essence of their being and must be cherished, preserved and given voice. Why is learning a second language—or as it is called "Foreign Language"—acceptable, while speaking a non-English language is not?
       A decidedly unfriendly side of the American psyche is involved. There is in all too many Americans, including Utahans, an intolerance of foreigners and of foreign influences. People are suspect if they don't look the way Americans should look, or act the way they should act, believe in the same things, and most of all, who don't talk the way Americans talk. Americans do not deal well with diversity—we never have.
        One might note the irony here. Americans are among the most diverse people in the world. We are a diverse society because the United States, for all its restrictions and quotas, is more open to immigrants and refugees than most other nations. Nonetheless, as a people, we have a hard time tolerating the differences among ourselves. Newcomers are expected to become just like us as soon as they can, and with as little resistance as possible. There has never been much acceptance of the fact that it takes time for people, including children, to learn English. Nor has there been acknowledgement that some people cannot learn English well despite their best efforts. There is little tolerance for people who do not speak English, even among immigrants who have only recently

learned English themselves. To suggest that immigrant children be allowed to learn initially through their primary languages or mother tongues has not been received well and it is believed to be at the root of the Utah English-Only initiative.
        The legal ramifications of the English-Only ballot before voters this fall are many. Such an enactment is presumptively unconstitutional. In 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court found a Nebraska law unconstitutional; it prohibited teachers in both public and private schools from teaching children who had nor yet completed the eighth grade in a non-English language. The protection of the Constitution extends to all, to those who speak other languages as well as those born with English on the tongue. Perhaps it would be advantageous if all had a ready understanding of our ordinary speech, but this cannot be coerced by methods that conflict with the Constitution.
        The presumptive unconstitutionality of Utah's English-Only initiative is fortified by a 1995 ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the case of “Ynignez vs. Arizonans for Official English" the Court ruled that Arizona's English-Only mandate "is racially overboard, it violates the First Amendment, and is unconstitutional in its entirety." This would undoubtedly apply to the Utah's English-Only initiative under strictures of the First Amendment.
        Utah's English-Only initiative could also expose the U.S. to world court sanctions for violating international accords on fundamental human rights to which the U.S. is a signatory. Similarly, domestic courts could find that English-Only mandates abrogate treaties between the United States and American Indian nations (such as the Navajo and the Utes). The private right of action in the initiative would open a veritable Pandora's box of litigation. What is the full reach of the English-Only mandate? It claims to be applicable to “services, assistance, or facilities directly or indirectly provided by government." Yet how broad is the exception to the imposed mandate for "public health?" The litigation needed to resolve these and literally hundreds of other questions about this sweeping mandate would tax the state and
federal courts and increase the legal cost of government, public institutions, and business operations. Can Utahans afford this? We already have the lowest expenditure per pupil in the nation. Where would the money come from to pay these legal fees?
        Although the proposed "English-Only" mandate provides an exception for the teaching of foreign languages, it also restricts ESL programs. This would drastically limit the opportunities for English-language background students as well as non-English speakers to achieve fill proficiency in a language other than English. Based on both historical and contemporary American experiences, we can confidently predict that restrictions of the ESL (bilingual) program would increase student grade retention and dropout rates, decrease student academic achievement, retard student acquisition and mastery of English, and effectively ban limited English-proficient parents from participating in their children's schooling.
        For language minority Utahans who are limited in their English proficiency, the harm caused by the Utah English-Only mandate could literally prove fatal. If this proposed initiative becomes law, will physicians be permitted to use or be afraid to use o non-English language to save the life of an individual when necessary?
        The backers of the English-Only initiative would have one believe the issue is largely symbolic and that this English-Only mandate would not affect most Utahans; when, in fact, the English-Only mandate would jeopardize the well being of all Utahans. Basic state functions including law enforcement would be jeopardized, and a wide array of beneficial and socially accepted activities conducted by state employees and officials would be outlawed. The enactment of a state English-Only mandate would be tantamount to surrender in the state's war on drugs. What about weddings and funerals being conducted in the ordinance's native tongue?
        A Utah English-Only mandate would extend the range and reach of government regulations into new areas of contemporary American life, generating economic uncertainty and potential social conflict. Would state-licensed television and radio stations be permitted to broadcast non-English language programs? Would all televisions sold in Utah have to contain an "L" or a “language" chip to screen out non-English broadcasts? Whet about non-English email transmitted on the Internet via state computers?
        The Constitution of the United States of America protects everyone from mandates such as this, and every American Citizen should do whatever it takes to protect individual diversity whether or not it is their own or it belongs to someone who wasn't born in this country.

National AATG "Friend of the Profession"
Awarded to Joan Patterson
By Marti Smith

Who in Utah is the Standardsandconsistencyinforeignlanguagekeeper, the Fundsfortravelandstudyabroadfinder, the Licenserenewalforconferencesgiver, the UFLAonthestraightandnarrowmaintainer and the Spiritandenthusiasmforlanguagelearningsustainer?

If you guessed Joan Patterson, you get 100%. Because she is this and much more to us, she is now the NationalAATGFriendoftheProfessionfor2000winner. This prestigious award is given yearly to one person in the nation in recognition of exemplary leadership in the advocacy of German language education. We appreciate Joan for her outstanding support and promotion of German and the study of German in Utah and hope this is one way to show her how much we value what she has done for us. The official award will be given at the AATG Awards Presentation to be held at the ACTFL Conference in Boston in November.

The idea for nominating Joan came at the Spring Total Immersion Workshop held at the University of Utah. In a worthwhile and stimulating conference put together by Renate Posthofen, we realized that this opportunity could not have been possible without Joan's support. In addition to the state and UFLA, we were able to afford all of this by winning a grant from the German government through AATG.

The first day was spent on language changes and current issues in Germany. We were fortunate to have Jane Nicholson's GAPP exchange teachers there to give us the scoop in contemporary language and trends.

The Saturday session was given by Robert Di Donato, the academic and series developer for the television/video Fokus Deutsch, (this name will be changed for the high school population). In the extremely pleasant and modern U. of U. facilities arranged for by Johanna Watzinger-Tharp, we were totally immersed in media, language and teaching methods. Week-ends such as this are just one of the ways the AAT's help us maintain our skills and become even better at our profession. If nothing else, it gives us the opportunity to converse on a level higher than "Guten Tag. Wie geht's."

Speaking of conversing on a higher level, Craig Paxman, East High, is a Fulbright Teacher for the year in Berlin. We welcome Klaus Henze, who is his exchange teacher from Berlin, to Utah and to East High.

Our next AATG meeting will be at the UFLA Conference in November. Hopefully you are all planning to attend. Renate Posthofen, currrent president and Gerlinda Braunberger, the incoming president, will be presiding. We would like to encourage all of you German teachers to become active members of the local AATG. The rewards are many. If you need information on how to join, contact Marty Smith at (801) 582-2007.

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BYU Summer Institue
A Success for Spanish Teachers
By James S. Taylor

Continuing its tradition of over 30 years, the BYU Department of Spanish and Portuguese conducted this summer an Institute for Spanish teachers. The objectives of the Institute were to help teachers who are actively teaching or preparing to teach Spanish in the public schools in the following ways: increase their effectiveness as teachers; improve their personal command of the language; become acquainted with new techniques, technology, and materials; learn more about Hispanic culture and how to teach it; and in general, "recharge their batteries." The Institute was directed by Dr. R. Alan Meredith, with Dr. James S. Taylor of BYU as associate director and Baldomero Lago, Spanish teacher at Bingham High as assistant director and travel "guru."

        This year's participants included 4 elementary and 12 secondary teachers from the state of Utah and 2 elementary teachers from California. Teachers from Utah were: Craig Lord, Hunter Jr.; Bruce Culp, Mueller Park Jr.; Blanca Cruz, Cherry Hill Elementary; Deanna Taylor, Cedar Ridge Elementary; Aurie Petrie, Northridge Elementary; Tori Woody, Jeremy Park Elementary, Anne Kartchner Hauley, Olympus High.; Richard Tate, Churchill Jr.; Teri Griffin, Waterford School; Arron Wheeler, Roy Jr. High; Angie Terry and James Yoder, Timpanogas High; Saralee Murdock, Springville High; Misha Peay, Payson Jr.; April Turneau, Fairfield Jr.; and Virginia Smith, Murray High.
        After a week in mid June on the BYU campus in intensive instruction and practice with new methods and use of technology in Spanish teaching, the group enplaned for Madrid to begin the cultural and linguistic immersion phase. That began with visits to the "gem cities" of Southern Spain, Granada, Sevilla, and Córdoba. Along the way the group visited Gibraltar, and crossed over the straits to Morocco for an experience in the Arab world. The road back to Madrid led through the Roman ruins of Mérida, Trujillo, and Talavera de la Reina.
        The teachers then spent two weeks in Madrid, living with Spanish families, exploring all the wonders of that great cultural center: stores, theaters, museums, palaces, castles, parks, churches, and the like. Excursions were made to Alcalá de Henares, Toledo, el Escorial, Valle de los Caídos, and a "pueblo" experience where in groups the participants spent an entire day in a small village outside Metropolitan Madrid. Many hours were also spent purchasing teaching materials such as books, videos, CDs, realia, and other odds and ends to bring back for use in the classroom.

        The program concluded with a trip to Northern Spain, including visits to Burgos, Pamplona (yes, they ran with the bulls), Santander, Gijón, Santiago, León, Salamanca, Avila, and Segovia. In the last mentioned city the farewell party was held feasting on roast suckling pig in the shadows of the Roman aqueduct.
        Needless to say, the teachers were thrilled with the information learned and the cultural insights gained, invigorated with a new enthusiasm for teaching Spanish, and pleased with the huge increase they made in their proficiency in the language. (Everyone scrupulously kept the pact to speak no English during the trip.)
        Expenses for the trip were subsidized by tuition grants from BYU and inservice grants from the Utah Office of Education. In order to qualify for the State grants, all participants agreed to share their experiences in publications, presentations at UFLA meetings, and inservice workshops. Ask them to share! Any one interested in participating in future institutes should contact Professor R. Alan Meredith at BYU, e-mail: Alan_Meredith@BYU.edu.

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News from the Spanish Resource Center
By Maribel Luengo, Director

        The Spanish Resource Center has finished its first school year with important accomplishments.
        In the first place, we have now a solid collection of books, CD’s, CD ROM’s, video tapes, realia, slides and magazines on Spanish methodology, literature, linguistics, art, tourism, current events etc. You can consult the complete list of our materials and the information we can provide in our web page: http://humanities.byu.edu/src/src.html
        Also now we can say that we have most of the Spanish teachers in Utah in our data bank, what enables us to have them informed of any events regularly. If you are not receiving news from us, please send us your e-mail address.
        This fall, we have prepared a two-day retreat for a Spanish language maintenance course, to be held September 22 and 23, for all of you who are interested in practicing Spanish intensively for two days. The Utah State Office of Education will sponsor and pay for those teachers interested in participate. You can check for details at the same web page.
        Other projects for the fall include one-semester hour courses on Spanish language and culture, to be taught on three alternate Saturdays at USOE.

Teachers from Spain in Utah! As some of you may already know, the districts of Alpine, Cache, Granite, Ogden City and Tooele have hired for this school year fifteen elementary and secondary school teachers from Spain. They will be working in those elementary schools with immersion programs in Spanish or with a majority of Spanish –speaking students. This will give the students the opportunity to learn reading, writing, and subjects like Math or Science in their own language. Of course it will also mean native teachers to practice Spanish with, and a truly international environment for the schools involved. The teachers come with a one-year contract that can be renewed to up to three years. After that, they will return to Spain. So, let’s hope they have a wonderful and rewarding experience to take to Spain when they return!
It is all the outcome of a memoramdum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain and the Utah State Office of Education. Through this memorandum Spain offers to Utah school districts in need of native Spanish teachers the opportunity to go to Spain in spring and interview teachers interested in working in Utah for a period of time. The program is called Spanish Visiting Teachers and many states like California, New Mexico, Nebraska or Florida are already enjoying its benefits. From USOE, Joan Patterson has been the person in charge of starting the program and has been a key player in bringing these fifteen teachers to Utah. For more information contact Maribel_Luengo@byu.edu.

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Ogden's Hiring of Teachers from Spain Rankles Some
By Beth Dove, Standard Examiner Staff
Reprinted with permission from the Ogden Standard Examiner

OGDEN -- The president of Utah's Latino Alliance believes the Ogden School District's recruiting of teachers from Spain overlooks a pool of qualified candidates here and in South and Central America.
Some educators counter they would be happy to hire them if they could find them.
Seeking to fill the demand for Spanish-speaking teachers, district officials went to Spain in March and hired four bilingual teachers, to serve up to a three- year tenure at Dee, Lewis and Horace Mann elementaries.
The Utah State Office of Education sponsored their visas as part of the "Spanish Visiting Teachers" program through the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain. Utah is new to the program this year. The Alpine, Cache, Granite and Tooele districts also participated, bringing a total of 15 teachers to the state.
"I'm really surprised, because we have so many people here I'm sure are well-qualified to do it," said Angel Gonzalez, president of the alliance, which represents first-generation immigrants from 21 Latin American countries.
Ogden Superintendent Ted J. Adams said other local Hispanic people also have protested the move. He said he regrets not forming a coalition before making the trip.
"The mistake was not in going there. The mistake was in not involving our local Hispanic people in the opportunity."
Gonzalez said Spain's culture differs vastly from that of Latin America, which sends Utah most of its Spanish-speaking immigrants.
"I personally know a lot of people that have degrees in South America, and they are working doing cleaning or dishwashing instead of having the opportunity to be hired and teach their own people."
In Utah, as well, a campaign could turn up hundreds, maybe thousands, of qualified applicants, Gonzalez said. That's news to Dee Elementary principal Donna Corby.
"Well, that would be fabulous. It would be wonderful. Every community would like to grow their own," Corby said, explaining the search for qualified candidates is always a struggle.
Corby stressed that qualified means certified and licensed to teach in the state of Utah.
Because 67 percent of Dee students enter school speaking Spanish as their first language, the Office of Civil Rights recommends the school employ one teacher qualified to teach English-as-a-second-language per grade level.
Corby said the state is simply not producing enough ESL-endorsement qualified candidates. She recalled how she recently scanned a stack of 115 applications for a kindergarten teacher position finding only six certified, bilingual applicants.
"There are not as many people out there as you might think," she said.
Besides, Utah has tried to recruit teachers from the Western Hemisphere, said Joan Patterson, education specialist in the curriculum department of USOE. She said the state office approached the Mexican consulate in Salt Lake City and was told Mexico likely could not supply more than two teachers a year due to its own shortage.
The situation is quite different in Spain, where massive unemployment and a steady supply of university graduates have flooded the market with qualified candidates. The Spanish consulate has attempted to interest Utah in the visiting teacher program for several years, she said.
"We didn't go looking in Spain -- Spain came looking for us," Patterson said. "Central and South American consulates have not approached us saying they have unemployed teaching candidates."
Around half the states have also signed the agreement with Spain, including Texas and California, whose students have similar backgrounds to those in Utah, Patterson said.

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French Teacher Opportunity!

         This year’s Fulbright Teacher Exchange has an interesting opportunity for ESL, French, or Arabic teachers. Rather than a full year exchange, 3-5 US teachers will spend six weeks in October-November shadowing Moroccan partners followed by spring visits by the Moroccan teachers who shadowed the US teachers.
        Each US teacher must obtain a six-week leave of absence with or without pay and the US school must agree to accept a Moroccan teacher in the spring. The opportunity includes round-trip economy airfare for the teacher only and a $3,000 cost-of-living stipend. The US teacher will be hosted by the Moroccan partner and is expected to host that partner while in the US.
        If you are interested, please contact the Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Exchange Program at 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 320, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520.   Applications are due on October 15, 2000. Please be aware that you may have to pay your substitute since no Utah schools provide six-weeks of professional leave. There are a few recently retired French teachers available for long-term substitute positions. There are professional development awards of $500 available for these kinds of awards. Contact Joan Patterson at 801/538-7776 or joan.patterson@usoe.k12.ut.us.

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UFLA Vitality Award Winners
By Cheryl Hansen

        The winners this year for the Teacher Vitality Award are Lisa Wilson, a French teacher in the Alpine School District, and Georgia Geerlings, a French teacher in the Sale Lake City School District.
        Lisa used her money to travel with a group of educators to explore life in Morocco. She and her colleague Rachel McFarland plan to create an Internet presentation on their project, and it will be available to all Utah teachers in the near future.
        Georgia spent this summer in Vichy and Bordeaux, France, where she attended two intensive language courses. This is one step in her plan to develop curriculum for French Tourism and Hospitality for all French teachers in her district.
        Both Lisa and Georgia will be giving presentations on their projects this year at the UFLA conference at Brigham Young University in November. Information on how you can apply for a Teacher Vitality Award can be found at www.ufla.org.

Utah's Non-Foreign Languages
By Tom Mathews

        With the upcoming vote on making English the official language of the state of Utah, most attention has been paid to so-called foreign or immigrant languages that compete here with English. From among the European languages, certainly Spanish was spoken in Utah long before English was, but there are a number of languages native to Utah that are too commonly overlooked in the English-only debate.
        Most of these languages are spoken and used in Utah and in surrounding states, but nowhere else in the world. Passing legislation that would make their use more difficult would be an affront to the world's linguistic heritage, and yet another strike in the continuing Anglo conquest of Native-American cultures.
        The most important languages native to Utah are:

Ute and Southern Paiute: spoken by over 1,900 people. Ute is spoken in southwestern Colorado and southeastern and northeastern Utah; Southern Paiute in spoken only in southwestern Utah, northern Arizona, and southern Nevada. A dialect, Chemehuevi, is used on the lower Colorado River, in California.
Hopi: spoken in several villages in northeast Arizona, with small numbers in Utah and New Mexico. Language use is vigorous except for some younger speakers who prefer English.
Navaho: 148,530 speakers, including 7,616 monolinguals, out of 219,198 ethnic Navaho. Spoken in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southeastern Utah, and a few in Colorado. Language use is vigorous. The people prefer the name 'Dine'.
Shoshoni: 2,284 speakers, out of 7,000 population. Shoshoni is spoken in central and northeastern Nevada, Ft. Hall, Idaho, and Wind River, Wyoming;
Goshute is spoken only in western Utah. Related to Comanche, language use is vigorous in some locations, in others only the older people speak the language.

Also important in Utah are Tongan, Spanish—both with large native-speaking communities—and a variety of languages used in Tourism at our National Parks and our ski resorts (French, German, Italian, Japanese, etc.).

Information from the Summer Institute of Linguistics www.sil.org.

Language Maintenance Retreat at WSU
By Karl Powell

The Golden Spike Empire Language Alliance (GSELA), an organization that supports foreign language teachers in Weber, Davis, Box Elder and Morgan Counties, sponsored a Language Maintenance Retreat on August 19 at Weber State University. Sessions were held in three languages: Baldomero Lago (Spanish), Eva Szalay (German) and Pierre Baigue (French) presented activities and instruction that provided invaluable practice and skill development in the target languages. A total of 24 foreign language teachers attended. The response was very positive, with most of the participants indicating that they would choose to attend a similar session in the future, and would recommend it to colleagues.

Great Experience in Japan
By Atsuyo Wright
Recipient of a USOE Inservice Grant

         I had a great time in Japan early this summer. I'm thankful for the Utah State Office of Education grant program. This grant helped me so much in completing my project while I was in Japan.
        My project was to help my students understand the lives of Japanese students in their schools. I visited elementary, junior, and high schools in Japan and made videos. I believe that the videos will help my students find similarities and differences between Japanese and American schools. I chose to visit the Junior High and High school that I graduated from. I also chose an elementary school that my younger brother teaches at. His school is located in Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture. I was welcomed in all the schools by the students. They were very friendly and polite. The students always greeted me politely saying "good morning" or "good afternoon," with the traditional custom of bowing. I was impressed by their respectful greeting to all the teachers as they met them in the halls. They even bow at the entrance of the teacher's room. They ask if they can come into the room and talk to the teacher. When elementary pupils go to lunch, they put on cute white lunch uniforms, aprons, and hats. Lunch is served in a lunchroom. The pupils bow in the direction of the people who are fixing the lunch. The pupils say, for example, "We are from the second class of first grade; we thank you for this lunch" and bow.
        Many school business matters were handled by the students even in the elementary schools. The school that I visited had a morning greeting meeting every day through the intercom system. All the announcements were made by students. An administrator made a short comment or told a story. Cleaning of the school (both inside and out) was completed by the students each day. There were several big sinks in each hall. Rags and buckets were kept by the sinks. Brooms and dust pans were stored in each classroom. The student body system is very active in every school from elementary to high school. Their system is very solid.
        On one Saturday I was invited to a student body meeting at Kirigaoka Jr. High. That day all the students were present in the multi-purpose room. The officers sat on the stage and all the other students were sitting on a hard floor. The reports and goals from each department were put together by the student body officers and handed to each student. Each officer covered a certain area, like public welfare, beautification, etc. They reported on what their last tem goals were, how they achieved the goal, and the results. They also announced new goals to improve the school. They discussed how they will achieve these goals and what kind of help they would need from the student body to achieve them. Students were asked to give their opinions and suggestions. The suggestions were accepted by the student body officers in consensus of all the student body at the meeting.
        On another Saturday and Sunday, I was invited to the culture festival at Kokura Minami High. Some school clubs like band, baton, music, English clubs, etc., and some teachers presented their best performance. Everyone enjoyed it. Sunday was open to the public. I was different uniforms from several different schools. A special tea ceremony was performed. Flower arrangements, photos and paintings were displayed. Delicious food was prepared in the cafeteria. Through these activities, Japanese schools really do try to build unity in their schools.
        Many years have passed since I left Japan. It was so nice to see how Japanese schools are continuing on. Now I can see that they are going to have big changes in a few years. One change is that public schools have two days off in a week. Another change is that public schools will have a special hour class (it is calls "soogoo gakushuu") in a week. This class will be planned by each school for the needs of being aware of world affairs and others. Students will not be tested in this class but a vast amount of information will be given about worlds affairs. This will be accomplished bringing in a speaker that can tell about other countries, etc. Before I left for Japan, I made a short video about an elementary school, a junior high school and a high school in my town. Japanese students were very happy to see it. Using this tape, I was able to give one presentation in Kokura Minami High. I also took a picture book about Utah and some snacks. Using these, I have a short presentation in Shii Elementary. Students in Japan were very excited to know about what American students do in schools or in their lives. The time I spent visiting the Japanese schools was an unforgettable experience in my life.

K-12 Foreign Language Developmetn FY 2001 Awards
Information from Joan D. Patterson

Level 1 awards: Twenty at $500

Level 2 awards: Ten at $1000

Applications available at www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/for.lang

Both levels require

Current Utah teacher license
Current foreign language assignment in a public or private school
Informal speaking assessment during the award period
Current membership in a foreign language professional organization
Copy of personal professional development plan

Level 2 awards also require:

Report of activities due from the level 1 awards*
Report on changes derived from the level 1 award
Service to the foreign language community
Informal speaking assessment submitted with the application

Level 2 awards must focus on development of maintenance of language proficiency unless the applicant’s ACTFL OPI rating is already "advanced" as verified by a recent interview (within 12 months). Such language proficiency development/maintenance should include an immersion experience of at least 3 weeks.

*Level 1 awards include those who received $500 individual awards in 1999 or 2000 and those who participated in MOPI training at BYU in August 1998 and at WSU in August of 2000. Those who participated in the MOPI training must waive any claim to Level 1 awards if they wish to apply for a level 2 award.

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