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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Hey, Guv: Don’t Take Away Kids’ Foreign Language Study
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I met my new boss on Friday. He is a well educated and traveled individual. He works out of his office in Brazil, and speaks Portuguese. He arrived at my plant in southwest Atlanta with one of his colleagues from Argentina, whose principal language is Spanish. Both speak English fluently.
I am far from bilingual. Despite three years of Spanish in high school and various refresher courses since then, I still lack a certain comfort with foreign language. Not so for my 8-year-old son. He’s been taking French at his public school since kindergarten. Now in second grade, he has a natural comfort with the language that I can only envy.
I took some foreign language in elementary school, and I still find myself recalling Greek phrases and words from those days in fifth grade — despite the growing distraction posed by girls. But I can hardly blame my lack of proficiency on Dina Valdez.
Recent news that Gov. Sonny Perdue wants to cancel funding for elementary foreign language classes is cause for serious concern. Research has shown that students of foreign language, who reach fluency, will have a higher earning power, on average, than those who do not. In fact, the benefits of second language study reach across all aspects of the curriculum, including reading, writing and mathematics.
But perhaps the best evidence comes from my son. He is taken with the language and culture he is studying. He finds French words in his daily conversations and seems excited to discover the interconnectedness of languages in general. It is his sense of wonder and zeal for learning that is partly fueled by this second language study.
Young children may not be able to master all subjects, but they understand very well the power of language. Should we deprive them of this opportunity?
Today’s guest blogger, a regular reader of Get Schooled, is a plant manager for a major consumer goods firm. His son attends Brandon Elementary in Buckhead. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, send a sample entry on any education topic to bgutierrez@ajc.com.
