Speech 2

Foreign Language in Elementary Schools 

Introduction/The Problem/Topic:

-      Statistics: only 18% of Americans are well versed in a language other than English, while 53% of Europeans can speak at least 2 languages 

-      The number of public elementary schools that offer foreign language education has declined from 24% in 1997 to 15% in 2008 

-      (https://dailytrojan.com/2014/11/06/foreign-language-should-be-taught-early-on/) ^^^ cite 

-      Talk about how foreign language is seen as a chore in high school or just a graduation requirement. Foreign languages can be hard to absorb and learn especially with a harder course load, work load, ACT/SAT prep, etc.… More on students plates. 

-      Administrators need to realize that by adding foreign language into education earlier on, it would be easier to learn, have a higher fluency rate, and would make the bridge between the United States and other countries less, making it easier to function and survive as a country, as well as furthering the country by being more aware of the cultures of other languages. 

The Solution:

-      Implement foreign language study time into education early on, for example in elementary school.

-      Hire teachers who are certified in another language that would be able to teach that.

-      This will only begin to help to solve the problem, there is more that could be done, like language clubs or other cultural events that could be offered to educate kids. 

The Justification: 

-      Math and reading and science are absolutely fundamental to a child’s education, but leaving language behind early on hinders a child’s ability to understand cultural diversity which is essential for our country to prosper economically and improve relations with other countries. 

-      “some estimates project that only half the world’s population will be speaking English by 2050”. Teaching only English in elementary education is unacceptable. Our country cannot afford to be left behind 

-      Being proficient in English is an important skill to have, as well as having a proficiency in a second language and should be a crucial part of American education. 

Conclusion:

-      There is a need for students especially at an early age to gain a proficiency in a language separate from English. It would be easier for students to learn it early on, improve knowledge of other cultures, and lessen the tension to take a language later on “just to graduate”.