Which Language Should Your Child Take?

As a Spanish teacher, I'm always being asked for				bring that excitement into our classrooms and
recommendations about which language a child				instill that love in all students. But sometimes, as in
should take.				any relationship, the heart is elsewhere.
This frequently comes up when children are				In languages, as in love, el corazÃ³n tiene
moving up from elementary school - where in				razones que la razÃ³n desconoce. The heart
many cases, Spanish is the only language offered				has its reasons that reason knows nothing of.
- to middle school, where they actually have a				But what about those "wasted" years, the time
choice for the first time. And this is what I often				spent on another language that would be
hear:				abandoned if a child moves on to another
"Joey want to take French, but I think he should				language?
keep taking Spanish. I mean, he's been learning				No te preocupes. Don't worry. I don't believe any
Spanish since kindergarten, and it's such a useful				of that time, or any of that language learning, is
language ...."				wasted. In fact, the opposite is true. In languages,
To which I reply ....				anything that you have already learned will
Joey should take whatever language he wants!				enhance what you study in the future - you have
Parents are almost always surprised by my				programmed your mind to learn vocabulary,
response, especially since I am a Spanish teacher.				sentence structures, and different ways of
And in fact, there are a number of language				expressing things. And anything that you study in
experts who would disagree with me. Neither one				the future will reinforce what you have already
likes to see what was learned in elementary				learned - "Oh yes, that's like what I learned in
school "wasted" if the child moves on to another				Spanish," or "Oh, that's different from the way
language.				you say it in Spanish."
But to me, language is about a passion to				To reinforce my point, I always point out to
communicate, a connection to the people, a love				parents - whose children, in many cases, started
for the sound and feeling of the language, an				learning Spanish in kindergarten - that I didn't learn
interest in the culture and the countries where the				a word of Spanish until 11th grade. I studied Latin
language is spoken.				for four years, and only after that did I begin to
So as much as possible, you should be studying				learn Spanish (and the following year, Italian as
the language that appeals to YOU.				well). Despite that "late" start, I achieved
I don't want people in my Spanish classes because				near-native fluency and now spend much of my
they think it's useful or - even worse - that it's				day speaking Spanish.
easy. (Hello?? Por vs. para? Ser vs. estar? A				How and why did I become fluent? Because I
gazillion irregular verbs? Subjunctive????)				loved the language, the culture, the people, the
I want students who want to learn Spanish				music, the food, the poetry, the literature .... all of
because they love it, because they love the				it. Because I followed my heart and my interests
sound of it, the culture, the music, the people, the				and my passion.
poetry, the history, the literature ... all of it.				So, which language should your child take?
Certainly, we as teachers will always strive to				Ask your child!

The Col

Which Language Should Your Child Take?