No more French classes, s'il vous plaît

Since the academy is a few years off, I've advised my son to keep both options open. That means not only achieving stellar academic performance but taking the right courses. Recently, my son and I visited the Tech Web site to learn about the International Plan where undergraduates study abroad for a year in a country of their choosing. For my son, that would be Germany.

Understandably, proficiency in German — ideally four years during high school — is a requirement for admission. Consequently, my son's course curriculum over the next four years must include study of German.

However, despite initial indications that the new Johns Creek High School would offer a four-year curriculum in German and Mandarin Chinese, a lack of interest by students precluded it from offering either. Instead, school administrators are offering only the standard world language choices of Spanish, French and Latin.

I am disappointed with this decision for several reasons. First, this limited roster of choices is inadequate because it provides only three choices, thereby precluding several of the most relevant world languages. Second, it is outdated because these are the same three languages that schools all across America have offered students for the past 50 or more years. But much has changed in the world. Unfortunately, the course curriculum of my son's school and perhaps high schools all across the state are not keeping pace with these changes. Specifically, it is outdated because it places unwarranted priority upon French.

Why French? I understand the need for Georgia schools to offer Spanish. Although Spanish may have generated limited economic or cultural value when I attended high school in northern Indiana back in the 1960s, it makes perfect sense today. Latin always makes perfect sense, as this ancient language is an essential component of a "classical" curriculum. I have no issue with these two languages. But I do have an issue with the decision to offer French instead of German and Chinese.

We must ask: What is the payback to Georgia from the study of French? What benefits accrue to the state by training hundreds of thousands of young Georgians in this increasingly irrelevant language?

Educators may not embrace this point of view, but I suspect the vast majority of people who work in the business world would concur wholeheartedly. If you were to poll business people as to which world languages should be highest priority, I suspect they would reply: Chinese, German and Spanish, and probably in that order.

Admittedly, for a young musician to sing the art songs of Gabriel Fauré (that would be my daughter), a course in French diction would be helpful. But such specialized instruction is available at the university level for the few who need it. And for those young Georgians who might aspire to work with the International Olympic Committee, a mastery of the French language would indeed prove useful. Yet, I suspect the International Olympic Committee will not soon return to our great state.

For virtually all other young Georgians, the study of the French language is a waste of time. Worse yet, it is a poor use of taxpayer resources as it represents a substantial investment with virtually no payback. Today, as in my day, a student's selection of French is likely more based on "entertainment" or "novelty" than any genuine intent to base a career upon it.

I contend Georgia would be better served economically and culturally by offering its young residents the choice of studying German and Mandarin Chinese. In fact, every high school should offer at least four languages: Spanish, Latin, German and Chinese.

In explaining the rationale for not offering German or Chinese at my son's new high school, the school system said too few students were interested. That may be so, for the truth is many students might prefer not to take any world language if that were among the choices. But, I would ask the Fulton County school board to consider this idea: School administrators should take specific steps to influence student's decisions regarding world languages. Students are neither sufficiently worldly at age 14, nor adequately informed by the schools, to enable them to make informed decisions. As high school freshman, they simply cannot envision the implications and benefits to come in later years from the study of German or Chinese.

The International Plan at Georgia Tech would enable my son to study engineering in Germany for a full year, but unless something changes, and soon, my son will be denied this opportunity. This door will be closed in his face only because his new high school is set to offer French and not German.

Surely, state Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox and the state Board of Education will agree: Few business or cultural opportunities merge Georgian with French interests. Given this reality, the board's traditional commitment to French warrants reconsideration, for it seems to be a policy mired in the 1960s.

By any measure, this is unfortunate, not only for my son and his classmates, but for the entire state of Georgia. It is high time the state modernized its world language curriculum.

Jim Motter is the parent of two north Fulton high school students and owner of a biosecurity business.