[HPforGrownups] Re: Kashrut / Languages (ot)

[Stephanie Becvar]

No: HPFGUIDX 6726

I will say as a high school 4th year French student that I believe language 
is an important aspect to education.  UNfortunately, many people feel it 
unnecessary, because also living in Texas, it does no good to know another 
language because English is primarily used, and despite a large 
Mexican-American population, no one speaks Spanish.  Also, the teachers are 
hard to come by and so many times a language can be spoiled by a bad 
teacher, or a, well to be frank, nut job.  Despite 4 years of french 
background, I feel as if I am only on an advanced first year level.  While 
yes, I take French because I am required, I wish more people had great 
oppurtunities of a European experience to learn a language because it is a 
dying art.

Stephanie....who realizes that really didnt serve a point, but i dont get to 
respond to nearly enough email

>Whatever they perceived as the reason they didn't want to learn, >there is 
>a certain reality that unless you live up North, near >Quebec, or down here 
>near the border to Mexico, you probably will >never need or use a second 
>language. In Europe, homelands where other >languages are spoken are much, 
>much closer than in the U.S. and it's >much more relevant.
>
>Now, if one is from a household where another language is spoken, or >if 
>one is lucky enough to have the funds to globe-trot or move to >another 
>country, then multiple languages are tremendously useful. But >for the 
>majority of Americans, they really will never need them. The >argument that 
>it broadens the horizons and opens other windows of >perception (I follow 
>Worf's hypothesis) carries little weight in our >minimum-education, 
>minimum-effort attitudes.
>
>--Amanda, Texas native who always wondered why they taught Spain's Spanish 
>and not Mexico's at school, and who can gesture fluently in Polish.


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