| Foreign Language Education Essay, Research Paper
In seventh grade every awkward prepubescent in my Homeroom class made schedules for our last year in middle school. The week before, we were herded into the media center to listen to representatives from local colleges to discuss starting college preparations early. The counselors really knew nothing, which wasn?t a shock, but they provided us with a list of requirements necessary for both graduation and college entrance. Among the list of 4 years of English and 3 of science there were 2 years of Foreign Language that had to be taken. I didn?t know what I was getting myself into when I started by signing up for Spanish 1. I took it upon myself to be a critic on the integrity of the Foreign Language requirement. Overall, is foreign language education necessary?
As a student in foreign language classes in high school, I had many experiences, thoughts, and ideas regarding my foreign language education which were both positive and negative. Examining my 5 years of taking Spanish, I know I?ve wondered countless times if what I was learning had any validity, and even if it was valid, is learning it worth it? Was there going to be a point in my life when I needed to know the definition of altramuces? Am I going to ever be in a run down mercado in Mexico looking for bitter lintels? I don?t think so, it led me to further thought. Foreign language education has been a very rewarding thing to have taken in high school. Language is a very complex thing. It takes thought, organization, and verbal reasoning to be able to speak Spanish. It is very complicated to fumble words, both Spanish and English, to put them in the correct order, tense, and agreement. No idiot can do it. Knowing this, the moment when I communicated with another person in a different language was self-gratifying. I felt a sense of self accomplishment.
The first time I addressed the issue, I was immediately for foreign language education. Learning Spanish was a great experience that had broadened my horizons in many ways. This particular education had enabled me learn a language and culture. At Northeast lately we have been particularly sensitive to multiculturalism and unity among races, genders, creed and so on. My second/third year of Spanish focused mainly on learning about the land and culture of the people whose language we were trying to learn. Isn?t it genius to incorporate multiculturalism like that! Our Spanish teachers had genuine enthusiasm in teaching, because of that I am more open other cultures. I understand who they are, where they come from, and what they represent.
Educationally speaking, I have learned mucho about languages, not solely Spanish. I know meticulous nitty-gritty information about the English language studying Spanish. I had to analyze sentence structure, verb conjugation, and the silly rules that make up the English language. I know what a gerund is, what more can you want from our educational system? Another benefit of foreign language education is learning more about one?s own language, it seems to me that the common skeptic would also say that it would be more beneficial to the taxpayer to have a class solely based on the nitty-gritty on the English language. I could agree in some aspects, maybe it would make the previous run-on sentence not run so much.
I personally feel that the my biggest gratification in learning Spanish has been the ability to communicate. When I talk to native speakers I often get asked why I?m so happy. The answer is that I love speaking Spanish!!! The emotions behind putting something together that I?ve been nurturing for 5 years must be like the emotion an artist feels while unveiling his piece that he has been on for years. I?m only am showing what I?ve done, what I?ve learned. Although I can speak Spanish it doesn?t mean others can, this is the hard part. I know that I?ve had many things that have facilitated my capacity to learn another language, mainly my desire and motivation. It wouldn?t be normal if all the world was to be as excited about Spanish as I am. I firmly believe that what we love to do, is what we learn the most from. I learned a lot about Spanish and how to speak it because I love it. I am one of the few that actually have the ability to carry on a half way decent conversation. Many of the students that learn Spanish don?t learn anything, for instance my sister who wouldn?t be able to converse. I know that having a best friend who is fluent in Spanish has also been an asset. He has helped me on many assignments. We have created a motivation for me to learn more Spanish, only so that we can talk about people without having to whisper. The ability to speak another language is variable, it depends on what you put into it. It produced for me, because I invested in it.
I feel that foreign language is a requirement. It is necessary to understand, or at least attempt to understand something that is alien. It provides many benefits which can be utilized in many aspects of anyone?s everyday life. In conclusion, through my skepticism, foreign language education is essential, not just a requirement. It will facilitate furthering my career, broaden my cultural horizons, and give me a better understanding of myself. These things can be used por todo el mundo.
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