I was reading an article the other day about how many students are trying to opt out of taking a foreign language in High School for the reason of it being unenjoyable. I do not agree with this for several different reasons. First, languages teach teenagers a lot of important skills. It is proven that learning a language leads to broader trains of thought, better listening skills, more complete understandings of one's own language and better communication skills. These are all very important skills to possess in today's society. Languages can fine-tune these skills, helping them in more areas than one. The learning of more than one language is also important in today's increasingly global society. As travel to other areas of the world becomes easier, cultures will begin to interact more. Learning the language will prevent the spread of ignorance and help to preserve the diverse cultures around the world. In the future, knowing another language other than your own is also very marketable in the workplace. It makes you more valuable in certain professions, making it easier to get a job.
I think that if students took a step back and really tried to enjoy learning a new language, they would find that they would really like it. It opens up a whole other area of the world to you, which is huge in today's society. I find that the more I learn about a new language, the more intrigued I am with that whole culture it is related to. As of now, I have studied both French and Spanish in school as well as trying to learn Russian on the side. I look at it as if it's a puzzle that needs to be cracked. I think that it would be really interesting to be able to use these language skills in the future, and hope to be able to speak several languages fluently someday. More students should definitely be taking language more seriously.
No comments:
Post a Comment