Do you think the law should mandate the teaching of foreign languages in elementary schools...

[JackRiddler]

as is done in almost every country outside the United States?

(And guess what language they almost invariably teach!)

[evlbstrd]

1. Sure.

Children learn new languages much more readily than adults.
They also seem learn to play and read music more easily. My daughter did.

[mike_c]

2. I think elementary students should learn languages other than english....

I'm not enthusiastic about legislating it-- good GAWD do we always need a law to do the right things and to cover every contingency? But I certainly think elementary school students should be learning multiple languages.

[Turbineguy]

We had French

it was voluntary, after school and the cost was extra.

[juajen]

3. My guess is English. BTW, French is taught in all of our elementary

schools in So. Louisiana; but, I don't think it is mandatory. It's part of the French Immersion Program.

[bemildred]

4. F**k yes, more honest history would be good too. nt

[flor de jasmim]

5. Yes. Foreign language and multicultural education.

Plus geography, plus get the news channels to show more than just little local maps. Speaking just for myself, I could probably draw Afghanistan blindfolded, but if you gave me a topographical map I could be off several hundred miles.

[kestrel91316]

6. 35 yrs ago my JrHS in UTAH required a year of foreign language for

all students. You could take a second year if you wished. Choices were: French, German (my choice), and Spanish.

That was in a conservative state and a more conservative time in that state. Imagine that.

[babylonsister]

7. Yes. I think the general population needs to wise up; kids are

supposedly a lot easier to teach. I don't see a downside to it.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. I think the law should mandate that persons from priveliged

families that "may" be sending a son or daughter to the wh be tutored in English. Right now one of the biggest differences I see between gwb and the two Democrat contenders is English.

[LakeSamish706]

9. I don't think the law should mandate it, because you then have the problem as...

to what language you mandate.

[superkia]

25. That is what I was going to say, agreed.

[JackRiddler]

30. It doesn't have to be one language...

a language out of a choice of as many as can be made available, mandated in the same way Math and Science are. Ironically this multicultural society may be one of the most monolingual in its majority on Earth.

[bean fidhleir]

65. Not really. It would be quite easy to teach 1 from each major cultural area

One each from Europe, East Asia, and Africa. Four years per language (roughly BA level competence). Given able teachers, other subjects could be taught in the language du jour as well, improving fluency.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Yes absolutely... by the time I started junior high I knew Hebrew, Spanish

and English... I doubt I was more intelligent than your average American Kid.

[Withywindle]

11. Yes, definitely.

And as wide a variety of different languages as possible should be offered.

Kids do learn languages more easily when they're young, and it affects thinking processes in a positive, broadening way. It's a big world out there, this country should be less provincial.

[Cornus]

12. No

I think that foreign languages should be taught, but it should not be a law.

[JuniperLea]

18. I understand keeping laws out of our lives to a point...

But education is not one of the points I would consider.

If you want to keep laws like this from coming to fruition, what is keeping us from abolishing all laws that say kids need to go to school? And what is the difference between compulsory schooling and the curriculum within that compulsory education?


Edited to say... a better education boosts the society as a whole. A rising tide floats all boats.

[HummanaHummana]

13. No way!

Kids have enough trouble learning English.

[JuniperLea]

15. So lower the bar?

Welcome to DU... I think.

When kids are having trouble learning, you lower the bar so they don't have to learn as much? Brilliant. :eyes:

[Donnachaidh]

20. Considering how little English Composition is taught I'd partially agree here.

But I would crank up the English AND require at least one other language before Middle School. Children in Switzerland are taught multiple languages in grade school. Have we dumbed down our society so much we think our kids incapable of learning?

[knitter4democracy]

34. Learning a foreign language helps them with their own, though.

Think of it this way: teaching grammar in English classes is hard because the kids are practically programmed to think that it's boring. Take that same topic, put it in another language, and make a game of it, and they're enjoying themselves. That way, kids learn the parts of speech, sentence structure, and the language we use to talk about those.

[JuniperLea]

14. Yes!

The sooner children learn a second language, the more easily they will learn subsequent languages. All of the Europeans I know, without exception, know a minimum of three languages.

Plus, I'm sick to death of the bar constantly being lowered for our kids! We as a society are getting dumber and dumber and it's disgusting.

[ConcernedCanuk]

16. Mandate? - no - make it available yes.

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And even here it is not law - so I'm wondering as to the accuracy of the statement;

"as is done in almost every country outside the United States"

besides -

For the USA in particular, WHAT language should be taught?

Ya don't know which country is gonna take you over yet.

But Chinese and Russian might be a good start.

[JuniperLea]

19. Do you have compulsory education?

Are there curriculum mandates within that compulsory education system?

[ConcernedCanuk]

29. Not sure about the question - but I think the answer is yes - my sister home taught her children

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within the guidelines up to grade 5 level I think.

I can't ask her to be certain as she died over 10 years ago in an automobile accident.

But I met some of them at my father's funeral last year - and they are quite bright and worldly.

But yes - education is compulsory - the content is variable.

Learning a second or third language is not one of the compulsory ones.

Hope that answers your question.

[JackRiddler]

32. Obviously it should be a choice of languages...

And no one country is ever again going to "take over" the world. That's late imperial paranoia.

[ConcernedCanuk]

37. "no one country is ever again going to "take over" the world" - I sure hope you are right

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As for empirical paranoia

I believe that the USA empire is about to fall

others will fill the void,

but hopefully not be so empirical about it.

hopefully . . .

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Yes, of course. Non-issue.

There are already plenty of laws mandating so many credits in various courses- science, math, english, etc.

I can imagine xenophobic pricks having problems with this. That's about it.

[gauguin57]

21. Law, no. But individual schools could easily make it a requirement.

You've got to get kids during what's called the "critical period" -- when humans are most capable of learning a second language.

"At about seven months, a baby's neocortex develops to the point that their long-term memory starts working. This is the beginning of what psycholinguists and neurolinguists call a child's critical period. During this stage, and until the brain begins losing its plasticity around age 12 or 13, children have their greatest potential to absorb and retain language skills."

from newsforparents.org ... and my teaching english as a second language class.

[Selatius]

22. States balk at such suggestions. It's an issue of federal power v. states' rights

Public education is still largely funded at the state and local level with the federal government kicking in some funds, but currently, the states would be hard pressed to increase funding for foreign language education beyond what they currently spend. The federal government would have to kick in more money, or states will cite it as an undue hardship, especially poor rural states.

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. That would be ideal,

but I would actually be happy if they could just manage to teach English.

[unapatriciated]

24. Yes - and the metric system too

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

26. You're kidding?The US public could never decide what language to taech.

[ConcernedCanuk]

38. I just had to respond - TEACH THEM ENGLISH - "taech "

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you have time to edit if you want . . .

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

40. Good catch---I'll leave it alone--it's humbling. :-)

[ConcernedCanuk]

41. That's ok - I really respect those that can admit not being perfect.

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And I suspect that it was a typo, and not a result of a lack of education.

Sometimes this board makes me more aggressive than I like to be.

I have to kick myself every now and then

And I'm not talking about my posts

I'm talking about my ass.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

27. Ja

Ich habe deutsch in der Schule gelernt (aber nicht Buchstabieren!)

Learned German in third grade, and can still speak a bit of it. Have been told by German natives that I speak without an American accent.

[ConcernedCanuk]

42. I think you left out an important part - WHERE did you learn German in the 3rd grade?

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Was it in the USA?

I'm curious.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

44. Champaign Illinois

They were doing all sorts of pilot programs for the gifted when I was in grade school, and this was one of them. It was an after school class, and free to whomever wished to attend. My teacher was from Hamburg, and when I've spoken to Germans, they ask how long I lived in Hamburg, so I must've gotten the accent down pretty good.

[laylah]

28. Absolutely!

English as a SECOND language is required in many countries. How do we dare to be so "elite"?

[alstephenson]

31. I grew up in Wisconsin and a second language was mandatory..

in fourth and fifth grade. We were offered Spanish, French or German. You could take classes beyond fifth grade, but it wasn't mandatory. I took French all the way through high school and into college. Now I wish I had taken Spanish. I think it's a great idea, but I don't know where they will get the teachers for anything but Spanish, and if Spanish were the only language and it was mandatory, well, I think there are some folks out there that would have a shit fit.

[knitter4democracy]

33. Yes. My kids have Spanish classes at their elementary.

They love it, and since that was one of my minors, I get to practice with them. Very fun, and it's wonderful for brain development and native language acquisition.

[JackRiddler]

35. I CONFESS! This thread was prompted by another...

Asking if English should be made the official language, with a majority of those voting in the poll saying YES.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3067408

As if there were no real problems in this country - such as a lack of knowledge of languages (increasingly including English, as the Resident has shown) and of the world in general.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

36. Yes.

In high school in the late 60s, we could take Spanish, German, French or Latin.

I took Latin, because it is the foundation for all Romance languages and nearly all legal terms.

The Latin teachers taught English as well because they did not have enough students in Latin. The two ladies who taught me were the best educated teachers in the school. One of them went to Vassar where they sang "Gaudeamus Igitur" at student assemblies. That's the main theme of the Academic Festival Overture by Brahms. It's probably an old student drinking song from Germany.

The other one went to Rutgers in NJ.

[dysfunctional press]

39. possibly. that is when they can learn them best.

nt

[greyl]

43. I'm sortof ambivalent on that, I think. I'd prefer mandating Critical Thinking.

Of course, that would go against the whole goal of churning out homogenized citizens who are compelled to become a part of the economy by joining the job force at entry level because they have no survival skills and little choice.

[mainer]

45. Yes. ANY foreign language the kid chooses. But at least one.

We're practically the only modern country in the world that doesn't mandate this.

[aikoaiko]

46. yes, but only if it is Latin

just kidding

[Breeze54]

47. The schools already require it in my state. Don't they across the USA?

I think it's a good idea. Start them young but when you say mandate, you're talking more money and
people balk at that. Schools have been cutting back on 'those' type classes due to budget cuts.

[Karenina]

48. YES!!! CHINESE!!!

:rofl::evilgrin::rofl:

[BoneDaddy]

49. No

I think that encouraging a bi-lingual approach is great and should be "part" of the curriculum. I have worked in education for almost 20 years and we are dealing with a situation where students who cannot even understand the rudimentary blocks of English are being forced to learn a second language.

Again, I think bilingualism is great and should be part of it, but priorities need to be set and the reality looked at for each individual student. For instance, students who show a proficiency in English should participate in a bi-lingual program, but not those who cannot demonstrate a basic understanding.

[LanternWaste]

50. Absolutely.

I imagine the U.S. is pretty low on the list of countries whose populace can speak more than one language.

There's no one bad thing about learning a new language, and the benefits (both direct and indirect) are numerous and long-lasting.

[BoneDaddy]

52. Unless the individual

cannot show proficiency in their native language first. Let's work at one thing at a time.

[LanternWaste]

53. i imagine that those who cannot speak

I imagine that those who cannot speak their native language very well are far and few between. Anyways, no need to work on them one at a time... I took and English class and a French class during the same semesters in HS, it's not really that difficult.

[BoneDaddy]

61. LOL...um do me a favor and volunteer at your local school

Not to sound unkind, but you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. There are plenty of students who lack the basics. Put some experience in and then come back and talk to me about it.

[LanternWaste]

64. I've taught in the past...

I've taught in the past and I do have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. If you think it's too difficult for today's American students to learn more than one language, then I can only imagine you have a lower standard of today's youth than do I. I will be the first to admit that there are many more parents who have little to nothing to do with their children's education-- but that's on the parents.

As an aside, I do find it amusing that a person will qualify an insult with, "not to sound unkind" or "pardon my french" as though that gives the speaker a moral leg leg to stand on or to cover up an assumptive fallacy.

[DFW]

51. I hate laws that mandate stuff like this, but in this case, they should

I realize that it will affect people who don't need it. Knowledge of
another language is more important in Boston than in Helena, but even
so, we must realize that there is a big world out there, and the more
we can communicate with people from cultures other than our own, the
more they will communicate with us, and that is always the basis for
understanding and a barrier to irrational hate. It may not always lead
to peace on earth, but it's a start. Besides, nothing says that someone
who grows up in Helena can't become a scholar in Russian literature.

I don't advocate mandatory bi-lingual education or bi-lingualism, but
job prospects do open up to those fortunate enough to have it. My younger
daughter, who is bi-lingual in German and English, got a job translating
German legal documents into English while she was in undergrad school in
Washington, DC. The head of the law firm was so impressed with her ease and
speed, he gave her $25 an hour to stay on with him. She only did it part-time,
as she was, after all, going to school, and had a grade average to keep up,
but to a 20 year old kid who works part-time maybe ten hours a week, that
was real money. The guy would have paid her that for a 40 hour a week
full-time job if she had been willing to drop her other plans for her life,
and a $50,000 a year job for a 20 year old isn't bad. For someone fluent
in Chinese (written as well as oral, which is a bigger hurdle in Chinese),
I'd bet the pay would triple, and coupled with other skills, progress
upward geometrically from there.

I got my job as station chief for my outfit here because I speak German,
Spanish, French, Russian and a few other languages. Not that it's necessary
to become a walking UN to have a fulfilled life, but having the attitude that
the world should learn our language and we shouldn't have to learn anyone else's
is not the way to promoting understanding and friendship.

Besides all that, if I hadn't learned German, I wouldn't have been able to
strike up a conversation with this lovely woman back in 1974:

and we are still together today (and we still speak German at home).

[goddess40]

54. yes, but we are too cheap and arrogant

I don't see it happening soon, especially with the debt the way it is. We're going in the other direction, cutting social studies, history and electives so we can teach to the tests.

[LWolf]

55. Yes. n/t

[Karenina]

56. Serious answer this time: ABSOLUTELY.

There is NO DOWN SIDE to young children learning a second language. It's SO EASY for them. Early exposure confers a LIFETIME benefit, the first of which being an OPEN MIND. Spanish should be MANDATED in CA, AZ, TX and FL for starters. As they develop MORE opportunities should be provided.

My 2, now grown sons, decided they could decipher Japanese on their own (at 8 & 6) having NO use for half-assed translations for games and anime. The stories they tell! :rofl::rofl::rofl: NO ONE expects a bi-racial American boy to understand Japanese, much less to speak it fluently. When they choose out themselves, HILARITY and (well-earned) embarrassment follow!

The ability tends to break down stereotypes and ASSumed exclusions.

My funniest experience was on a train when a middle-aged hiking group got on and upon seeing me their "class clown" made some very off-colour (pun intended) jokes. He was just SO SILLY and I didn't take him seriously for even a nano-second. Then he said something that totally cracked me up! His wife BLANCHED! "OMG!!! SHE UNDERSTOOD EVERY WORD YOU SAID!!!" I was laughing so hard at that point the tears were rolling down my face. He came over to me and put his arm around my shoulders saying "Forgive me. I'm really harmless." I could barely croak out, "Ich weiss!" What a lovely trip we had.

[Scout]

57. yes, that is the best time to learn a second or third language

when you are young.

We were taught French for two years in elementary school, then it suddenly stopped. I don't remember why.

[LeftishBrit]

58. Yes - provided that one ensures that teachers will be available

There is little point in making a subject compulsory if there's no one to teach it; and linguists often have other priorities than teaching young children.

But once that's sorted out, yes. It is easier to learn the sounds of a foreign language before adolescence; and perhaps one might end up with less of the attitude - common in both the UK and USA - that English is the only language that matters and one needn't bother to speak anything else!

[CT08]

59. Have a second language available but not mandatory

It's true students with knowledge and appreciation of more that one language or culture for that matter are better off, but to fund new teachers to administer the second language when the money can be better used elsewhere should be a choice of the family/student/taxpayer...in my opinion, it should depend where the strengths and weaknesses of the teachers of any given community lie.

[pleah]

60. Yes.

[Zynx]

62. Yep. I think teaching at least a basic core of languages should be mandated.

[laureloak]

63. It's not worthwhile unless you use it. Everyone should learn

ENGLISH instead!

[devilgrrl]

66. There doesn't need to be a law, it would be a good thing to be taught in general.

eom

[Starbucks Anarchist]

67. Yes.

[yasmina27]

68. Absolutely!

As a French teacher myself, I have always been an advocate of FL learning as early as possible. Studies show that learning languages as early as possible stimulates the synapses in the brain. Combining FL learning with Phys. Ed. (body movement and control) and music education (learning to play an instrument) increases student achievement in math and English exponentially.

My husband & I, (he teaches orchestra) have frequently dreamt of opening our own charter school, where for grades k-3, students do nothing all day but learn languages, music, and phys. ed. In 4th grade, yes, they would be behind their peers in the other subjects, but would catch and surpass them within the year. I've read somewhere of this being done successfully.

So to those who say "teach them English first", please do some research. :)

[Blue_In_AK]

69. My grandsons are in Russian immersion

at their school ... one's in kindergarten and the other in third grade (he's been in the program since kindergarten, too). Half of their day all the subjects are taught in Russian. They're doing very well in all subjects. Alaska has close ties to Russia still. I'm glad the kids are learning the language.