Before
I am in favor of the position that very young children should receive training in a language other than English. Given the global economy into which we are all moving, and the technological advances that are connecting even the remotest corners of the globe, I think it is undeniable that fluency in two (or more) languages will be of enormous communications value to everyone in the 21st century. It is undeniable that all of us learn better when we start learning young. Even the most difficult languages for Westerners to learn, such as Chinese or Japanese or Swahili, are picked up more readily when study starts early. The introduction of second language basics in elementary school seems like a no-brainer.
Those opposed to this proposal have a point when they argue that "basic skills," the 3R's, are undertaught and underlearned in the U.S. today, and hence are more important. This is not an either/or situation. Second language training can be of use in supplementing and reinforcing basic English skills. Learning a new grammar or vocabulary can inspire a student to investigate the grammar and vocabulary of English, and can make that learning easier and more fun. Wars and other international conflicts are less likely when people speak each other's language, and people speaking each other's language is more likely when they start their training in childhood.
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After
I am in favor of the position that very young children should receive training in a language other than English. Given the global economy into which we are all moving, and the technological advances that are connecting even the remotest corners of the globe, I think it is undeniable that fluency in two (or more) languages will be of enormous communications value to everyone in the 21st century. I further think it undeniable that all of us learn better when we start learning young. Even the most difficult languages for Westerners to learn, such as Chinese or Japanese or Swahili, are picked up more readily when study starts early. For these reasons, the introduction of second language basics in elementary school seems like a no-brainer.
Those opposed to this proposal have a point when they argue that "basic skills," the 3R's, are undertaught and underlearned in the U.S. today, and hence are more important. But this is not an either/or situation. Second language training can be of use in supplementing and reinforcing basic English skills. Learning a new grammar or vocabulary, for example, can inspire a student to investigate the grammar and vocabulary of English, and can make that learning easier and more fun. In the final analysis, wars and other international conflicts are less likely when people speak each other's language, and people speaking each other's language is more likely when they start that training in childhood. |