[quote]OARSMAN wrote:
Imbrondir wrote:
I thought spanish were a obligatory school class in america? Anybody care to enlighten me?
No. It’s an elective class. Most kids in the US do not start studying a foreign language until they reach the high school level. This is why most native-born Americans cannot speak a foreign language.
Utter stupidity that is rooted in some kind of latent xenophobia if you ask me. Foreign languages should be taught from Kindergarten on.
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THANK YOU! I whole heartedly agree. I grew up in northeastern CT in a very white community. There was a small Asian population there and in a neighboring town a larger hispanic population, but foreign languages didn’t start till 6th grade. Elective and for only 6 weeks of spanish and 6 weeks of French. Once I moved to TX, I was done for. Most of our friends are bilingual. Additionally, the CT school system w/ the larger hispanic population (of the 2 areas I mentioned) began offering mandatory spanish-language classes starting in kindergarten just a few years ago. Yet here in TX they don’t…
My kids pick up Spanish from Dora the Explorer (bi-lingual children’s program for those who don’t know) and whatever friends of ours sprinkle their conversation with it. I think it should be mandatory. Kids pick up foreign languages better than adults.