Saturday, May 01, 2010

Should a foreign language be taught in kindergarten?

By Vijeth Mudalegundi
Grade 9, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL

Countries around the world are advancing as a whole due to diversity. This diversity comes from both population and variety of spoken languages. One country still refuses to let students take a foreign language in elementary school. This country is the U.S.A.

Research shows that many educational advocates in the US are now pushing to let students take a foreign language earlier in school.  Foreign language should be taught in elementary school because a young brain has a greater capacity to absorb information. Learning a foreign language will also allow U.S. students to be competitive in the global job market.

A new language should be taught when a child is young due to the fact that the world is becoming more diverse. When a child knows a foreign language, he/she can interact with people from different ethnicities. Some might say why not just teach the language in high school? However, when you look at the trends between each Census, it shows that the minorities in the U.S. are set to overtake the Caucasian population within the next 50 to 80 years. This is especially present in the Hispanic minority that is constantly growing in the U.S. As our country and the world become more diverse, students should be able to interact with people of different ethnicities by learning their language.

Foreign language should be taught early on in life due to the fact that young children learn faster than older children. Research shows that a younger child is more susceptible to new information as compared to an older child. This is similar to when you first use a computer, it runs fast, but gradually the computer slows down. The same happens with the human brain. This is one of the most important reasons why foreign language should be taught earlier in life. Students in high school struggle to grasp the grammar and structure of the new language, but as elementary school children, they were able grasp the basic concepts and words of the English language. If the same effort is put forth in teaching a foreign language to students earlier, then students will be able to achieve the same opportunities in other countries that kids from other countries get in the U.S.

People are now losing their jobs to people from other countries. This is only happening because the people in other countries have learnt English. If Americans learn a different language, they can get jobs in other global markets. American students can also get an education in a different country and experience the world with a foreign education.  With a different foreign language under their belt, Americans can become more competitive in the world by using this language to get jobs in foreign countries.

Without students learning a foreign language early in life and schooling, America will diminish from being the beacon of opportunity. A child gradually loses capacity to absorb large amounts of information such as a language. A child is able to learn faster when young, so a foreign language should be taught soon after the primary language of the child has been learnt. Everyone only wants what is best for their children. By doing this, parents are ensuring their child’s future globally.

 

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