Learning a language is not a requirement as much as it is a necessary opportunity. At Scituate High School, we have the privilege to attend a class where we learn a different language. Learning a language can really set you up for the rest of your education and even your life. So I guess the question is, why not take a language in high school? We are very fortunate to be able to learn the Spanish, French, and Latin cultures in a classroom environment. Sure it can be a challenge, but being able to learn something so sophisticated such as a different language, but the list of reasons why to take a language is much greater than why not to.
There is a reason that we had to take a language at Gates, so we could be prepared for another class in the high school. Also, in order to get into colleges, they definitely want to see that you have at least two years of high school language preparation. Chances are you are going to have to take a language in college.
Personally, I am extremely glad I have kept up with taking Spanish, because it has opened up so many doors that would have been closed if I had stopped taking it after two years. For instance, next year I will be part of the Spanish Exchange Program. Not only is this a great way too see the world, but it is an awesome social experience. In the real world, if you are able to speak more than one language, you can surely be able to get a serious international job.
If you dream to travel the world one day, good luck with not having any background in any language. It’s going to be difficult and awkward to try and communicate with others who are native to a certain language. Luckily many languages are extremely similar, for instance French and Spanish, as well as Spanish and Italian have very similar Latin foundations.
Believe it or not, the more you learn a language and the more you comprehend it, the better your English gets. Lots of foreign roots, prefixes, and suffixes are used in the English language. By learning other languages, we take for granted how fortunate we are to have English as our first language, because it is clearly one of the most difficult to learn.
Sure it may be hard to fully understand Pablo talk to Rosa about el juego de baloncesto this fin de semana during actividad B, but there really is no reason not to take a language. It will help you get around a different country, get into college, and to be diverse. Most important, it’s fun! So don’t be afraid to learn a new language, because you will never know where it may take you.