March Member of the Month: Cindy P.
March Member of the Month: Cindy P.
March 4, 2014
Our March Member of the Month is Cindy Patton from Louisville, Kentucky. Cindy has been a member of U.S. English since 1999. Here is her story, in her own words:
“I am an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor in the Adult Education program in Louisville, KY. I teach beginning English, and this is my 6th year in this position. I am passionate about our students learning English. They come from countries all over the world (which encompasses 6,000 + languages!) and our job and our sole focus is to teach them the common language that unites everyone in this country.
“It is preposterous to me that English has not yet been officially deemed our national language! I stress to my students how important it is to learn as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to assimilate into their local communities and our greater community at large. We do not ‘translate’ and we do not facilitate learning in another language. The students are there simply to learn one language, that which is spoken by the [majority of] residents of this country.
“I am dismayed by the efforts of some who, while possibly meaning well, think that we are doing a service to immigrants by making services available in other languages. I am not sure where this would stop because, as referenced above, there are thousands of languages. To which would we give priority? In order to avoid this nonsense, I believe that all documents and all correspondence in this country should be done in our national language, and that is ENGLISH! Just think of the scenario in which a Spanish speaker learns (in Spanish) what they need to know in order to get a driver's license. He or she procures this license and then proceeds to drive on roads where all the signs and directions are in English! What have we then effectively accomplished? Does it make sense?”
Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your story!
Our Member of the Month program was created so the 1.8 million members of U.S. English have the opportunity to share their personal stories—of why they support U.S. English and why they believe learning English is so important. If you would like to share your thoughts for supporting English as the official language of the United States, please email [email protected].
U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. () now has more than 1.8 million members.
