The study of foreign languages has been the one of the subjects which our country’s students consistently lag in compared to other countries—probably because of Americans’ somewhat lackadaisical approach to the subject.
Perhaps the fact that as Americans born into the international language of trade, we don’t find ourselves with quite the same fire in our bellies to learn to communicate in a country’s native tongue as the rest of the world.
Or maybe we do, but just can’t give up any leftover resources or carve out any time to keep up with a changing world which is now, more than ever, revolving around foreign relations. Either way, the fact remains that as American students, we find ourselves at an increasing disadvantage anytime languages are concerned.
“I notice…that our youth does not get the point of [learning a foreign language] because everyone else speaks English…and it will hurt the US in the long run [because] learning a foreign language opens your mind towards the rest of the world…and enriches you socially and culturally,” native French teacher Madame Maud Maillard said. “[Students who speak a foreign language] generally adapt quickly, perform better, and are more involved [globally].”
According to an article found on the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors, learning a foreign language creates demands on the brain which makes the brain not only more flexible, but also incites it to “create and maintain more circuits.” The article argues that being monolingual is a significant handicap which will soon prove to be detrimental.
Only one in four Americans are able to carry on a conversation in another language, whereas one in two Europeans are able to carry on a conversation in a foreign language, in addition to English.
It comes as no surprise then, that Americans are finding that they are at a disadvantage later in their lives in this “increasingly complex and interconnected world,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
“I was shocked…when I arrived to the US [and] discovered that the learning of a foreign language is not as important as in Europe,” Madame Maillard said.
In most countries, students begin studying languages in elementary school and require proficiency in English and one other language before the end of secondary school.
American public schools, however, don’t offer a foreign language until middle school, when it becomes a sought-out elective in order to fulfill high school requirements.
Even private schools, who make an attempt to impart Spanish or French in elementary school use such basic curriculums year after year that students find themselves indifferent and unmotivated.
My passion lies in languages. But I didn’t start taking any kind of foreign language until my freshman year of high school, simply because I didn’t have the courage or the physical presence at a whopping four-foot-nine, to fight the horde of groaning adolescents swarming the already full elective registration table at my large public school the week before seventh grade started.
Looking back, I wish I’d grabbed a bright orange food tray as a shield and tried my luck.
The study of foreign languages has been the one of the subjects which our country’s students consistently lag in compared to other countries—probably because of Americans’ somewhat lackadaisical approach to the subject.
Perhaps the fact that as Americans born into the international language of trade, we don’t find ourselves with quite the same fire in our bellies to learn to communicate in a country’s native tongue as the rest of the world.
Or maybe we do, but just can’t give up any leftover resources or carve out any time to keep up with a changing world which is now, more than ever, revolving around foreign relations. Either way, the fact remains that as American students, we find ourselves at an increasing disadvantage anytime languages are concerned.
“I notice…that our youth does not get the point of [learning a foreign language] because everyone else speaks English…and it will hurt the US in the long run [because] learning a foreign language opens your mind towards the rest of the world…and enriches you socially and culturally,” native French teacher Madame Maud Maillard said. “[Students who speak a foreign language] generally adapt quickly, perform better, and are more involved [globally].”
According to an article found on the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors, learning a foreign language creates demands on the brain which makes the brain not only more flexible, but also incites it to “create and maintain more circuits.” The article argues that being monolingual is a significant handicap which will soon prove to be detrimental.
Only one in four Americans are able to carry on a conversation in another language, whereas one in two Europeans are able to carry on a conversation in a foreign language, in addition to English.
It comes as no surprise then, that Americans are finding that they are at a disadvantage later in their lives in this “increasingly complex and interconnected world,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
“I was shocked…when I arrived to the US [and] discovered that the learning of a foreign language is not as important as in Europe,” Madame Maillard said.
In most countries, students begin studying languages in elementary school and require proficiency in English and one other language before the end of secondary school.
American public schools, however, don’t offer a foreign language until middle school, when it becomes a sought-out elective in order to fulfill high school requirements.
Even private schools, who make an attempt to impart Spanish or French in elementary school use such basic curriculums year after year that students find themselves indifferent and unmotivated.
My passion lies in languages. But I didn’t start taking any kind of foreign language until my freshman year of high school, simply because I didn’t have the courage or the physical presence at a whopping four-foot-nine, to fight the horde of groaning adolescents swarming the already full elective registration table at my large public school the week before seventh grade started.
Looking back, I wish I’d grabbed a bright orange food tray as a shield and tried my luck.