I can see the argument of more focus on a second language, but more languages usually means not enough for any of them.
My high school required 3 years of a language: I took 5 Spanish courses but was clearly never fluent.
In my kids high school, it was the first class in an immersion program program from early elementary through high school. Many of them were fluent. That should be a goal.
But how do we get the time for it in europe?
We startet english in 3. Grade, french in 6. Grade and after that you could choose between spanish and science in 9. Grade in my school.
Other people I know had Latin and old Greek or Dutch or polish.
A lot of people in this thread say its a waste of time to have a second language in the US, what do you learn in all this time you have??
It’s a waste of time to have a “survey” of languages in an environment where you’re not regularly using them : much better to learn an additional one well. Maybe it’s different in countries with multiple languages and borders where you’ll need multiple languages every day. Yes, a second language is a good idea for any kid.
Here school generally has a fixed curriculum through eighth grade, then high school is more flexible, with minimum requirements set by state and student choice filling it out. For example my state had a requirement for three years of languages to graduate high school: I decided on 5 Spanish classes.
My youngest kid took two years of Italian but then had to switch schools where they did not offer that language, so took a little Spanish. Yes I consider that somewhat a waste because it would have been better for him to learn either of those more. However in everyday life he’s not exposed to either.
I understand, that multiple languages are not needed in the US, but what I dont get is that there is until brazil just one main language other than english spoken. So why not make it mandatory to learn this language a little?
And I would argue that in school you just need to learn stuff for everyday life… For a lot of stuff I learnd in school I will be happy if i will need it once every half a decade.
And if that is something like having a little nice conversation with somebody who doesnt speak english, I say its helpful to learn.
The US doesn’t have a national language, but does have significant communities of many ethnicities. It is well recognized that a second language is beneficial and I have to assume most states require it, although my experience there is limited. However it’s not reasonable to mandate that everyone learn a specific one. You should learn the one specific to your circumstances.
That being said, most people have no reason to actually use the language they learned in school so are never fluent or lose it quickly. It’s a newer thing for schools to offer immersion programs to establish fluency
I can see the argument of more focus on a second language, but more languages usually means not enough for any of them.
My high school required 3 years of a language: I took 5 Spanish courses but was clearly never fluent.
In my kids high school, it was the first class in an immersion program program from early elementary through high school. Many of them were fluent. That should be a goal.
But how do we get the time for it in europe? We startet english in 3. Grade, french in 6. Grade and after that you could choose between spanish and science in 9. Grade in my school. Other people I know had Latin and old Greek or Dutch or polish.
A lot of people in this thread say its a waste of time to have a second language in the US, what do you learn in all this time you have??
It’s a waste of time to have a “survey” of languages in an environment where you’re not regularly using them : much better to learn an additional one well. Maybe it’s different in countries with multiple languages and borders where you’ll need multiple languages every day. Yes, a second language is a good idea for any kid.
Here school generally has a fixed curriculum through eighth grade, then high school is more flexible, with minimum requirements set by state and student choice filling it out. For example my state had a requirement for three years of languages to graduate high school: I decided on 5 Spanish classes.
My youngest kid took two years of Italian but then had to switch schools where they did not offer that language, so took a little Spanish. Yes I consider that somewhat a waste because it would have been better for him to learn either of those more. However in everyday life he’s not exposed to either.
I understand, that multiple languages are not needed in the US, but what I dont get is that there is until brazil just one main language other than english spoken. So why not make it mandatory to learn this language a little?
And I would argue that in school you just need to learn stuff for everyday life… For a lot of stuff I learnd in school I will be happy if i will need it once every half a decade.
And if that is something like having a little nice conversation with somebody who doesnt speak english, I say its helpful to learn.
The US doesn’t have a national language, but does have significant communities of many ethnicities. It is well recognized that a second language is beneficial and I have to assume most states require it, although my experience there is limited. However it’s not reasonable to mandate that everyone learn a specific one. You should learn the one specific to your circumstances.
That being said, most people have no reason to actually use the language they learned in school so are never fluent or lose it quickly. It’s a newer thing for schools to offer immersion programs to establish fluency