Missed opportunity.

• Position: Letters to the Editor - Letter to the editor

It's appalling that Spanish-speaking students are still ostracized simply because they speak their own language in school ("Slurring Spanish," by Luis J. Rodriguez, March issue). I taught English in many overseas countries and know how difficult it is to function in a culture where I didn't speak the language.

Unlike students in other countries, most American students graduate from high school speaking only English, and many are proud of their ethnocentric ignorance. As a nation that is rapidly becoming bilingual, we are missing a wonderful opportunity to create language programs...