do you think learning spanish should be made a requirement for elementary schools in the US...?

Question

since spanish is the 2nd highest spoked language in the US after english. since there are more spanish speaking people in the US than any other type of language speakers besides english. so should spanish be made a requirement for elementary school kids to learn?

i'm not talking about immigrants i'm also talking about children of all ethnicities that go to elementary school, i'm talking about all children.

Answer 1

It would help to get jobs where they require you to speak Spanish. Why not? In Canada, they have French as 2nd language and in England, Hindi as a second language.

Answer 2

I thought this question would have a wide range of opinions! Here's mine: Children should be required to learn a second language, but not necessarily Spanish. The research has shown that the earlier a child is introduced to a 2nd or even 3rd language, the more easily they will learn it, the more proficient they will become at it, and the more closely they will speak the language like a native-speaker of the language. Spanish would be an obvious choice due to the large number of Spanish-speaking immigrants (not just from Mexico, and not just illegal). But French should be an option, especially in our northern states (close to Canada). German is also an ideal choice - English is a Germanic language, and German is very easy to learn.

A lot of people are saying no arguing that English is the official langauge of the USA and everybody should learn it - I agree that everybody living in the USA should learn English, and that's actually what I do for a living (teach English to non-English-speaking children). But I also know that our society as a whole is becoming more and more of a global community. Learning additional langauges allows Americans to have more contact with people from other countries. Most people who are not Americans know more than one language (and in a lot of countries, learning more than one langauge is required in school).

On a personal note, my son has the opportunity to begin a dual language preschool program this school year (English and Spanish). Am I going to make him do it? You better believe it. At this time, Spanish is the only other language available for him to take. And he's highly likely to learn another language more easily once he has two under his belt. I would like him to take German and at least one Asian language, probably Chinese or Japanese. He has made great progress mastering the English language these past four years and speaks better than most adults.

Answer 3

First of all, the USA has NO official language. While our Founding Fathers were indeed English and therefor English speakers, they actually considered making German the official language of the US, but eventually decided on not having an official language at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_in_the_United_States

I think that teaching children a second language from an early age is a wonderful idea for several reasons. The earlier a language is taught, the easier it is to learn. Also, children who learn a foreign language gain a better understanding of their native language. I became aware of this first-hand when I started learning a second language when I was in high school. Spanish is a logical choice as a second language in the USA, simply because it's the second most widely spoken. Being bilingual in any language, but especially in Spanish, will make it easier to get a job when these children become adults. There are several jobs I wanted to apply for the last time I went job-hunting, but couldn't because being bilingual was required. As technology continues to improve, our world is only becoming smaller. While we are fortunate as Americans that our primary language is also spoken in other parts of the globe, we must not take that fact for granted. It's egocentric and ignorant to expect everyone to speak English because we do. American schools should make a better effort at teaching children to be bilingual from an early age, like most other developed nations already do.

Answer 4

NO! This is the U.S., and it was originally founded by those who spoke English, the King's English. Granted, we are a nation of blended ethnicities, but I think our main language should be English. Maybe the schools should concentrate on teaching English in schools. I'm a former teacher, and am appalled by the inability to read, write, comprehend, spell, etc. that is abundant in our teens and adults, simply because they weren't given Strong fundamentals when they were in elementary school.

I have no problems with children learning Spanish as an elective in Jr. high and high school . But, I am astonished to hear teens speak, and see their inability to fill out a simple job application because they can't spell, or understand the questions being asked.

Answer 5

Guten Tag, meine Frau: Learning a 2nd language provides many benefits academically and is now considered to be a great contributing factor in preventing Alzheimer's. The US is trying to catch up with Europeans, and others, who gain academic advantages through 2nd language classes from a very young age. Learning a foreign language usually makes people much more competent at their native language as well. Learning English and Spanish concurrently will give your child an advantage, and you're trying to defeat that, which doesn't make sense. Verstehen Sie mir jetzt? Il n'ya pas de problem ici.

Answer 6

I think it would be a good idea due to the cognitive benefits of learning a second language. Bilinguality has been linked to increased creativity, possibly because people who speak more than one language can think about one thing in multiple ways. As for the "official language" supporters, I agree that, since English is this country's official language, immigrants should be encouraged to learn it. They can not, however, be expected to just show up and instantly know English. It would be nice if the people here met them halfway.

Answer 7

Like it or not Spanish is on the ascent. Over half the babies born in America are Hispanic. If the border was perfectly sealed tomorrow the Hispanics would still become the majority. Santa Anna is smiling in his grave. Every one of these people will have minority status with all the federal benefits that go with it. Unfortunately there will be a dwindling supply of gringos to pick up the check.

Answer 8

Yes, learning a second language should be required and begin in elementary school, but Spanish should not be the only choice. Younger children have the possibility of acquiring near native oral proficiency in a second language, a feat that becomes more difficult by puberty. Extended study of another language improves one's knowledge of his/her native language. Statistics prove that second language learners score significantly higher on standardized tests such as the SAT.

Not only should children learn a second language, but they should be required to start a third one by high school. The cultural sensitivity gained would, in itself, help combat a general international perception of Americans as arrogant, insular snobs. The knowledge acquired would help prevent future costly economic blunders by U.S. corporations in the global market.

I say, teach the Romance, Germanic, and at least a couple of Asian and Middle Eastern languages in our public schools. Our kids (all of them) will be the better for it.

Answer 9

I think we should start foreign language instruction earlier on, but kids (and/or parents) should be given a choice of a popular language to learn (German, French, Spanish, OR another language popular in their area).

Also, what about ASL? There are some people who rely on that for communication, and at the very least, you never know if you'll end up losing your ability to speak (even temporarily) and/or your hearing. That language is useful to know for those reasons.

Answer 10

It is easier for a child to learn a new language in second to fourth grade than at any other time. So I would fully support having children in those grades take a mandatory language class rather than in High school.