One of America’s Greatest Mistakes

By Ladazhia Taylor

BLIMEY! I wish I had been required to learn a second language as a child. My short experience in London helped me to see what America is missing out on, and I think that thing is second language requirements. During my time in London, I heard so many different languages being spoken. Some languages were familiar to me, and others I had a harder time placing.

I think it is super interesting that people in other countries speak their native language plus English, yet in America about 78 percent of people speak English only (Dietrich & Hernandez, 2022). With this being said, there’s either too much pride in the English language, or there’s some serious discrepancies between our American school system and some of the other school systems worldwide.

In my experience, learning a second language wasn’t a priority until I began high school. It was my junior year that I was pushed to enroll in foreign language classes, and this left only two years for me to learn a new language as a young adult. If this wasn’t problematic enough, I don’t even recall students having more options of languages to take besides Spanish. Regardless, speaking Spanish was in high demand, so that was the language I embarked on.

Research has shown that the ideal time to learn a language is as a child (Bernoussi, 2021), yet when I was still in primary school, and still in some primary schools today, the requirements to learn a foreign language were non-existent. It wasn’t until I had the “graduation requirements” talk with my counselor in 2018 that I began thinking about the opportunity. This could have improved in those four years that it has been since I graduated, but I still don’t see students becoming fluent in a secondary language that they began in high school.

If I were to make some suggestions, I would start by saying that English is great, yes, but it should not be the only language we aspire to learn. I feel a second language could be more useful than some of the stages of math that we’re required to take, so we could substitute the language requirement for those. Or, we could begin implementing foreign language courses for younger kids to enroll in. It could also be helpful to have some language immersion activities, because there were very few spaces available for me to practice my new language outside of class.

All in all, naming the disadvantages and lack of resources you get when attending a public school in an urban area is something that I am really passionate about. Had I become even semi-fluent in a second language, I would be able to contribute to a more diverse culture, like London’s. I would be more qualified and more attractive as a job candidate, and I would also be able to hold secret conversations about people who are near me, hehehe.

It is a bit frustrating to not have the same opportunities as others, but I guess this is what Duolingo is for? If you agree, say OUI!

Bibliography

Bernoussi, D. (2021, November 18). Never too late to learn a language: Language classes for mature adults. ICLS. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.icls.edu/when-is-it-too-late-to-learn-a-language/ Dietrich, S., & Hernandez, E. (2022, August 29). Language use in the United States: 2019. Census.gov. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/acs/acs-50.html