WHY WE NEED TO TEACH FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO OUR CHILDREN
“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” This was spoken by Frank Smith, who is recognized for his work in the study of linguistic and cognitive psychology in the modern day world. He also said, “you can’t see other people’s point of view when you only have one language.” Everyone can benefit from learning a second language, but no one so much as children! When elementary students’ days are partially taught in another tongue such as French or Spanish, the results are immediate. Children taught as bilingual in primary school succeed better musically, connect with people of different heritages more effectively than other students, earn more money, have better jobs, receive higher test scores on important exams in high school, and can multitask much more easily than students who only speak English!
Being taught as bilingual in primary schools has an impact on a child’s future. Imagine 15 years from now. Where do you want your child to be? Any good parent wants a good job, education, home, and sound economic situation for their kid. When schools offer education in a second language, that child’s test scores are better than a primarily English learner. Taking important tests such as the ACTs and SATs impact the eligibility for colleges. This is important because getting into a good university influences your child’s prospects later in life. If he or she knows a second language, job opportunities such as international sale managers, foreign correspondents, game translators, and community representatives are all available! Multilingual individuals also earn more money than others. Studies have found that learning another language earns you approximately 67,000 more! Spanish alone will earn your child about 51,000 more in their lifetime, and a more difficult language such as German 128,000. Opposers who state that teaching foreign languages in school cost too much with too little benefits must not looked at these statistics.
Surely, learning another dialect will improve communication between your child and other members of your community. For example, let’s say that half of your child’s school day in taught in Spanish. The U.S.A. alone has more Spanish speakers than Spain, which is regularly considered as the Spanish speaking capital of the world! The U.S. has the second most Spanish speakers in the world, second only to Mexico. When our country has so many Spanish speakers, it’s almost impossible to live in this community without seeing or communicating with a Spanish speaker.
Studying another language will also improve your child’s empathy for other cultures. While some children believe that another world outside their home and town doesn’t exist, that’s far from the truth. Learning another terminology helps kids recognize how people live in other countries, which is a critical skill in our adapting world!
While Americans of any age will benefit from mulling over the fascinating languages of French, Italian, Korean, Mandarin or Latin, it’s easier for young children. According to a recent articles by onlinefreespanish.com and growingupbilingual.com, which are both credible websites dedicated to spreading information about teaching children languages, due to something called the sponge affect, children’s brains ‘absorb’ material more effectively because their minds are still growing and adapting. While a child is beginning to learn English, introducing another language at the same time will have better results than trying to cram German or French into high schoolers’ heads.
Finally, not only does learning another language aid a scholar’s future, kids are interested! A recent survey conducted on sixth grade students in Gas City, Indiana who are currently attending RJ Baskett Middle School concluded that so much as every person was intrigued by the process of studying to become bilingual. Obviously, these are huge statistics! Spanish was the most popular dialect noted, with 35% of students contemplating this option. French was not close behind with 28%, and 8% wished to learn Korean. Russian, Italian, German, Norwegian, and Mandarin all had a 5% interest, and American Sign Language, Latin, and Japanese all snagged the bottom spot with a 3% intrigue rate. These are positive results because the languages students took the most interest in (Spanish and French) are widely spoken languages, which also produce the most effective benefits for the student!
For example, many schools across Canada and the United States with French immersion programs have cropped up. One mother says, “My son, now in grade three, ended up in French immersion by chance. But it was the best chance that ever happened to his education.” She goes on to state, “my son attends one of the best public French immersion schools in our city and absolutely loves it. It’s been interesting, inspiring and challenging for him since day one.” Other parents have had similar responses. A trustworthy article from Today’s Parent reads, “For Peter Barnes, French immersion was a walk in the park. He began in grade one, says his mother, Shereen Barnes, and took to it right away. Now in grade six, he loves immersion, and “he even seems to think in French,” says the Mississauga, Ont. mom.” While some families have not all had positive results, parents firmly declared that there was nothing wrong with the program, but “a personality thing.” Sometimes it takes a few weeks, but a strong percentage of students have benefited massively from French immersion. What we can learn from this? There are a few children who succeed better in primary English speaking schools, but a large percentage of these students have learning, cognitive, or emotional disabilities. Concluding, French immersion may be frustrating for a child who has a setback in just the English world, but average and gifted students flourish in the growing world of French immersion.
In conclusion, the expanding world of immersion and language classes for early students is a thriving and prosperous ideal our schools need to dive into. If we really want our pupils to succeed in life, and our schools to receive better statistics, we need to immerse them in the beautiful tongues of Spanish and French. Studies show rates of bilingual individuals are constantly growing. These people will shape our country’s economical, political, artistic, and cognitive future. Don’t you want to be part of the future?
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