Second language education a must

Second languages have become a requirement for students. Learning how to interact with people who do not speak your first language is really important.

This necessity of communication is an important matter. Being able to communicate to other people in a different language gives us a huge advantage in the job world and opens up opportunities. This is why we are taught a second language.

I think we deserve the opportunity to learn what a different culture has to offer to us, but the school does not accomplish our expectations.

Taking a second language class is required only for two years, and with my experience I know that two years is not enough to be fluent in a language. We need intensive classes in Spanish, Japanese or Russian — whichever the student’s decision is. It is not a good thing to hear, “Oh yes, I took two years of Spanish, but I only remember a few words.”

In Europe and some South American high schools, taking a foreign language class is required, not an elective decision. Not only for one or two years, they take it all 12 years of school, because they know that it will provide them with more opportunity.

In her “700 Reasons for Studying Language,” Angela Gallagher-Bret states, “Languages just set you free,” and I strongly believe this is true.

It’s as if you are capable to go out to a foreign community and feel confident about what you say and do. Let’s have a better understanding of different cultures and become more motivated to learn. We cannot do this alone. I believe school administration should motivate us to learn more about our own and other cultures.

A language class is not easy, but with the right amount of positive criticism we can do it. They should start to demand more from our students and have higher expectations. They should help us understand how important it is for us to learn another language.

The school district may not believe that this is a big concern, but it affects every one of us and closes doors of opportunity for us that we might not ever have again. Now it’s up to us to care about our future.

English is my second language, and it has given me opportunities I thought I would never aspire to accomplish.

Domenica “Dome” Cevallos is an exchange student from Ecuador who attends Wasilla High School.