Is it beneficial to take a foreign language course in high school?

Spanish is a language spoken in many different places. Ms. Arbogast has colorfully painted blocks on her wall that are labeled with the many different places to draw attention to the students.

Spanish is a language spoken in many different places. Ms. Arbogast has colorfully painted blocks on her wall that are labeled with these different places to draw attention to the students.

by Ashley Long

Many high schools in America have made a new restriction on graduating: students must have passed at least 2 courses of a foreign language. For many students, this seems like quite a hard task and some parents disagree with their children being required to take and pass an elective course. Although learning a new language can be quite difficult, the benefits outweigh the difficulties.

In 2012, the University of California, San Diego, found that elderly who spoke two languages were less likely to have early onset dementia or Alzheimer’s. This is because the brain is constantly working to remember all of the information processed.

Also, being bilingual can help you in the workplace. It has been proven that if an employer receives an application from someone that is bilingual and someone who is monolingual, they will almost always choose the employee that is bilingual because they have better communication skills.

“The mental gymnastics needed to constantly manage two or more linguistic systems increases cognitive flexibility and makes learning easier,” said Dora Alexopoulou, Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge.

Our capacity for attention or cognitive control, the ability to focus on certain information and ignore other information, seems to be strengthened by bilingualism.

Michael Bacon coordinates language immersion programs in public schools in Portland, Oregon. “Learning a second language should be required for all children,” said Bacon. “There is an assumption that it’s only the CEO, businessman, or people that fly around the world, who need it,” said Bacon.

Although many people are against immigration or being a “salad bowl” in the US, it is around us. It is much better to enjoy the different languages rather than finding negativity by not being able to understand someone that speaks a different language than you.

Many people who are bilingual can also travel a bit easier. They know the money and currency, the language, and sometimes the culture, as well. Most people don’t realize that when you learn a second language, you also learn the food, clothing, culture, and even some religions.

Children that are bilingual can also learn new words easily in both their first and second language, are able to use information in new ways, put words into categories rather quickly, come up with solutions to problems that will work the majority of the time, acquire great listening skills, and connect well with others.

“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way,” said Frank Smith, a contemporary psycholinguist.

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