Do you think that America should follow the lead of so many of the countries in Europe and make second language learning compulsory?
Primary & Secondary Education - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I think it should be done after elementary.Just to increase our ability to understand other people.The ability to speak and understand another language can/may help to avoid misunderstandings which is the general cause of conflict.It also enriches the life of those who can speak and understand another language.
2 :
A second language helps one view life through the eyes of another culture. It expands the mind's ability to think in ways that are impossible in one's own language. It also convinces a student that other languages can be learned just as easily as the first. It is sad that there is so little interest in foreign languages and cultures in the United States. Truly educated people enjoy expanding their minds to their limits.
3 :
i don't think so. at this point there is no practical reason for the majority of americans to learn foreign languages, as english is currently "the" language to know and many many many foreigners speak it. and as a language major i'd rather not have a bunch of other people acquiring my skills and making me less marketable =) no but seriously, learning a foreign language is a fine thing, but it should not be as high on the priority list as other subjects, such as math, science, economics, history, or simply the ability to communicate well in english. too many students, and adults for that matter, lack a basic understanding of these subjects for us to be worrying about foreign languages. besides, these subjects will always be useful, while changing world conditions mean that a good language to learn now may not be so useful in ten years. how do you handle choosing the languages to teach if you make it compulsory?
4 :
Of course. We seem to tend to think the world revolves around us, we don't teach our kids the metric system, which every other country uses, and don't bother to teach our kids a second language, which just about everywhere else starts teaching in primary school. I didn't even have the option to until high school. And it's proven it's easier to learn another language when you're yonger. America's losing a lot of their work ethic. Look at Japan, China, and just about everywhere else: it's not about the sports teams, it's about education. If only colleges and the like were as competive as in Japan, for example, maybe the focus would shift.
