Sgt Albert Castro yes this is very true. Sad, Sad, Sad, when I was a youngster were taught the proper written and spoken language from before 1900, because we read from very old books, to strengthen our command of formal written expression.

PO3 Phyllis Maynard - I still remember Beowulf. Yuck!

SGT Carl Blas there was a conversation, I cannot remember, in what venue but I learned restricting persons from speaking in their native tongues was encouraged. But, I have never heard from an individual who had been punished for speaking their native language.

When my son was in elementary school, he was punished for saying grace at the school lunch table. And when he bowed his head and put his hands together and said it silently, he was punished.

I am familiar and no stranger to how thugs operate. I told the principal if she touched my son again, I will come to that school and beat the living ---- out of her. When my son was a youngster, I was unfiltered and unhinged :)

PO3 Phyllis Maynard - My father was in the navy stationed in Key West Florida on a submarine in 1949, Mom was a regisered nurse at the Naval hospital.
Us kids couldn't go to public school, because brown kids weren't allowed to. A catholic priest made a catholic school "St. Mary's Star of the Sea", so brown kids could go to school. When my father got stationed in Pencicola Fl in 1959, us kids were able to go to public school then, my older brother by 10 years, always got into fights because we were brown. My father bought a house there, and at one time the neighbors tried to get us thrown out of the housing, because we were brown. My father brought us back to Guam to live with his sitsters in 1960, while he retired from the navy in 1961.

SGT Carl Blas I had no idea that was Florida in the 50s/60s. Sounds similar to the attitude towards Indigenous kids at the notorious boarding schools.
There was an interesting program on PBS about a large community of folks from Guam living in . . . hmm, I think it was Alabama. It was about how the community was welcoming about integrating families, language, and culture so people did not miss home as much. It was never clear why so many folks from Guam were living there. Maybe just because of being welcome. Dunno if the town was on the coast or not.

Cpl Vic Burk In the years I attended elementary school 6th,7th, and 8th graders were elementary. Then 9th grade to 12th grade was high school.

PO3 Phyllis Maynard Here K - 5 is elementary and 6 - 8 is middle school. It depends on how the school system is set up as to how they classify you.