Floridagirl, they also spoke German, and we came close to being a German-speaking nation.
There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with teaching Spanish starting in the early grades. As a matter of fact, I think it SHOULD be taught, just like in other countries and how it once was done in Puerto Rico. It gives us power to have the gift of multiple languages. I have a Dutch friend who speaks four or five languages well, and she was taught early on (it is SO much easier to start early!).
However, I want the Department of Education abolished, and our public educational system must be revamped because we have seriously lost our way. We have "English" speakers, high school graduates, who speak such an abomination of the language as to truly be embarrassing at the worst, and unintelligible at the best. I think that teaching more languages (don't just stop at Spanish, include the other romantic languages and a little Teuton thrown in for good measure) would help more Americans learn English, and I say that because everyone I know who has a good command of English also happens to speak, even if not fluently, another language. Gotta wonder why.
As a homeowner and taxpayer, I am willing to foot the bill for our kids to be better educated. But I want less fucking testing because too much God damned time is WASTED on this shit. I want teachers tested as well, because if a woman such as ME, who holds no degree, knows more about the language than a TEACHER, something is very, very wrong.