There are hundreds of different languages that are spoken all over the world, yet UC High only offers Spanish Language classes. Spanish is extremely useful, especially with the large Hispanic community living in California, but why is that the only option that students have? Schools should be offering a wider variety of languages to spread cultural awareness, increase career and academic benefits, and because of the many mental and social benefits.
UC High should offer more than just Spanish because learning different languages helps students understand and appreciate a wider range of cultures. According to a website that expands on multilingual and multicultural education worldwide, “Culture is the collection of a group’s traditions, arts, customs, social institutions, and achievements, passed from generation to generation. But the surest way to understand a culture — to know it, empathize with it, and come to adore it — is to know its language. In studies, children who have studied an additional language like and respect the culture associated with that language, as well as demonstrate higher levels of empathy and tolerance,” (actfl.org). Exposure to different languages and cultures helps students become more open-minded and have more respect towards all types of people with different backgrounds. Since our school only offers Spanish, students do not get the chance to explore other languages and cultures.
Our school should offer more than just Spanish because knowing multiple languages gives students more career and academic opportunities. Many jobs today involve working with people from different countries, and being able to speak more than one language is a huge advantage. Lots of employers look for people who can communicate with a broad range of clients and co-workers, and knowing multiple languages will support this. “When employers list the skills they most seek in a candidate, ‘knowing more than one language’ is listed among the top eight — regardless of the job title, the economic sector, or the candidate’s experience. In other words, whether you’re an engineer, a restaurant server, a salesperson, or a small business owner — any role in any — multilingualism will serve your professional goals well” (actfl.org). As multinational companies and online meetings featuring workers from across the world are becoming common, having the opportunity to learn a language like Mandarin or Hindi could be a substantial benefit.
Learning different languages also improves mental skills and social abilities, which is another reason our school should offer more language options. According to the National Institutes of Health, “…these findings demonstrate that bilingualism confers advantages in executive control — the brain’s functions that allows humans to carry out complex tasks such as solving problems, planning a sequence of activities, inhibiting information that has already been perceived, directing attention to achieve a goal, or monitoring performance” (pmc.nih.gov). Learning multiple languages can help develop your brain to be more successful at solving complex problems. This will be useful in any facet of life.
Some may argue that adding more language options could actually make school more stressful. Sophomore Maximus Anderson said, “Many students already struggle to keep up with classes like Math, History, and English, so adding another language would just be too much for some students to handle.” This perspective makes sense because many students already feel overwhelmed by their current workload. However, the classes would simply be an option, in addition to Spanish, not a requirement. This way, interested students could benefit without putting unnecessary pressure on everyone. While learning a new language can be challenging, it can also build skills like time management and critical thinking.
Overall, schools should offer more than just Spanish in their language programs. Expanding language options would help students gain cultural understanding, improve their future career opportunities, and develop stronger mental and social skills.