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thảo luận Should all students be required to learn a một giây language? Why/why not?

81 fans picked:
Yes
   64%
No
   36%
 mrshouse62689 posted hơn một năm qua
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70 comments

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mrshouse62689 picked No:
I think it should be optional, not mandatory.
posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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claire-aka-bob picked No:
i seriously struggled learning a language in school. i did german for three years and still cant say a proper sentence :P
like mrshouse said, it should be optional ♥
posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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Sappp picked Yes:
I think this kind of depends of wether or not you're from an English-speaking country.
Learning English I think should be mandatory: that way you can get around in most country's.
Spanish, French, German etc, I think should be optional.

posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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coolguy111606 picked No:
Basics are ok, but to go specific, (or in my case have a strict teacher), then no.
posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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Jillywinkles picked Yes:
I think it should be a part of required curriculum, yes...it seems an important part of knowledge to me.

And how is it fair that everyone in Europe knows at least two languages, usually more, and us Americans don't? (myself included!)
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blisslikethis picked Yes:
monolingual education is an entirely American concept. there are no (as far as i've been able to research) other countries in the world where bi- or multilingual education is looked at as a disadvantage. most European countries require students to learn multiple languages throughout their education, and there has never been any kind of educational crisis resulting from this, in face, quite the opposite. when my grandmother was a girl in Belgium, she had to learn English, French, German, Latin, Spanish, and Flemish. it seems ridiculous for American kids to complain about the pitiful amount of French, Spanish, etc. they're forced to learn in school these days in comparison.

it's just another case of lazy kids who would rather play video games or watch mindless television than learn something valuable. i'm sure we can all remember grumbling about learning math as kids, but as adults we're aware that knowing 2+2=4 actually is worthwhile.
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Snerkie picked No:
blisslikethis, it's not that i'm "lazy" (and i have finished my schooling) but come on...i can count up to 100 in Spanish and that's it and i learnt it for...8 years? Maths is helpful, you can use maths every day, how often do i need to use spanish? i think maybe twice in a few years laughing at how "impressive" i can be.

Also as for "mindless tv" i have learnt a lot more from watching tv than i have from learning spanish for 8 years.
posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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jess_welsh picked No:
whats the point if u aint going 2 live in their country like coz i live in wales we learn welsh in school but it is optinual in year 10 and 11 but u still get 1 lesson a week like coz it is technically our home language and i love it but other lanuges such as frence who cares not like i will use it again only if u go on holiday but most speak english now anyway
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rohosoho picked Yes:
I'm hugely grateful that my school was a language college and made every student take at least one foreign language GCSE. I did German, French and Russian and they've been invaluble to me. Most schools here (England) don't enforce any languages beyond Year 9 and those students are the people that I saw all round France this summer talking to waiters in loud, obnoxious English, getting glares from everyone around.
Also, I heard about some research saying that learning foreign languages (especially from a young age) leads to higher IQ and generally better all round academic performance.. Something to do with the way the brain works.
(Final point: when in France I managed to buy all my food at a market stall for the half the price of this other English guy just because I bothered to try and speak to the owner in French. Languages pay.)
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Snerkie picked No:
see rohosoho, i think it's easy for people in places like England for the point of learning languages like French and Spanish since it's not far away, easy travel. Australia to France...lolz, no
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blisslikethis picked Yes:
as rohosoho pointed out, learning other languages isn't just about being able to converse with native speakers. it exercises parts of your brain that don't get much use otherwise, boosts your overall IQ and leads to better academic performance in all subject (including math!). i'd find you a link with the statistics on how French immersion students consistently perform better than monolingual students, but honestly, i can't be bothered.

jess_welsh - i sincerely hope your Welsh is better than your English.
posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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Snerkie picked No:
to be honest i don't think it boosts your IQ by that much. Sure it helps you with different sounds but that's it. Learning the culture of a different society i agree with, language i don't think is that important...unless you would like to know how to count up to 100 in spanish...would you?? :)
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rohosoho picked Yes:
it doesn't boost the IQ a huge amount but what it definately does do is improve your learning in other subjects, languages require a lot more than just learning different sounds and learning about and understanding all the different aspects of a language(listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocab, grammar etc.) has been proven to improve performance in all subjects. i think it's something to do with the neural pathways in the brain, but i'm not an expert so don't hold me to that!
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Jillywinkles picked Yes:
...and whatever happened to just learning for learning's sake? Most of the stuff we learn in school we will never use in our everyday lives. That's not the point.
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Sappp picked Yes:
(It's Dutch, not Flemish. Flemish is not a language, the people in Flanders speak Dutch. It's kinda like saying people in the USA speak American, while they speak English (the American way)
Sorry for nagging, but I'm Dutch and it's sore point, because the Flemish always defeat the Dutch in the 'Great Dutch Dictation Exercise'.)

French is always good to know, since the French and French-speaking Belgians are too goddamn proud to speak English.

And lots of things don't boost your IQ because of WHAT you learn, but because it strenghtens the connections between the different parts of your brains. Learning a new language is one of the things that does this very strongly.

I wish I has started learning French and German earlier, because then it would've been easier (little children learn languages rather quickly) and it's a great advantage.

Even knowing a little sentence like 'hallo' and 'how are you' in a different language can be an advantage: when you meet people who speak that language they will look kindly upon you when you greet them in their native tongue. Imagine what kind of impression you'll make if you can actually talk to them.

I think Americans aren't that concerned about second languages because it's a very big country where (almost) all the people speak English. In Europe there is always a country nearby that has a different language, thus it is more necessary to learn several languages.


posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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blisslikethis picked Yes:
You're right, I should have been more specific. Flemish is actually the name of the Dutch dialect spoken in Belgium. Yes, it's Dutch when it comes right down to it, but it's different enough to warrant it's own name :)
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daisy_star4444 picked Yes:
It is in my province (New Brunswick(Canada))
NB is the only province who is legally bilingual, so to get my high school diploma I had to pass an exam in English (my native tongue is French), if you don't pass you don't get your diploma, wasn't a problem for me, so why not?

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nerysflynn picked Yes:
i reckon that students should be encouraged to and get the choice to learn another language yes.. but if they are forced to learn it it may lead to them not enjoying the subject at all, studying a different language and culture should be an interesting experience
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DietCokeGirl picked Yes:
If maths, science and english are required (which they should be), then languages should be too. I feel lucky to have studied french and german.

Besides, if we could all communicate and understand each other's cultures a little better, there'd be less war :)
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FutureDancer picked No:
i quote Calvin from my favorite comic book series "if english is good enough for me, ITS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD!" lol ok mabye i dont take that quote seriously =) but i do feel if people are coming to the U.S., that they need to know english. but if you live here, the only language you really need to know, is english. i think you should know at least a few sentences in another language, but other then that, i think it should optional. and for the record, i have learned more things on TV then i have in school, including most of the spanish i know ;)
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xrockstarx picked Yes:
I think it's important and I'm glad I was made to.
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thelxiepia picked No:
I can get by in Welsh, but I didn't learn it by choice. I'm naturally awful at languages and learning French and Spanish until year nine, and then Welsh until year eleven was hellish.
I think you should be allowed to choose whether you study languages or not, and be given a wide choice if you do. And the other kids can just... play with the safety scissors and glitter. :P
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sapherequeen picked Yes:
Absolutely. Communication is one of the most important aspects in the world. Think about it, if we were to choose the most common, most needed activity we all do every day, what would it be? Speaking. To other people. Communicating with one another is evidently something a person HAS to do almost anywhere. How can the teacher arm her students with knowledge through silence? How can a lost child cry out for her mother? Heck, how is this debate even continuing? By talking with one another. For something as important as communication to be crippled by a factor that is so resolvable such as different languages not being taught, this would be....I can not think of a word.

It is highly, highly important for a student to learn a second language in my strong opinions.
posted hơn một năm qua.
 
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kiraragirl200 picked No:
I think it should be an option rather than a required class.
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Cinders picked Yes:
We already do.

Students who already speak English often don't see the struggles of an ELL student, who is not on gradelevel in any subject simply because she lacks the language.

We have bilingual programs in the United States, but a strong emphasis is put on English. If an English speaking student fails to be proficient in Spanish, we don't consider it a big loss. But if a Spanish speaking student fails to be proficient in English, that child struggles for at least the rest of her scholastic career, if not longer.

I believe that the United States is a multilingual society, and that English is only dominant because of the status we attach to it. If we become more aware of the struggles of ELL students - perhaps by sitting in a Spanish classroom and not understanding what's going on - I think we would all be a lot more sympathetic, and a lot more eager to learn their language and help them see that their language has value. If we offer more second language programs, these students can see the value of their home language, even assist their fellow English-speaking students, and promote a better community in schools, rather than the language-segregated ones that exist today.

And here's a thought - In the United States, bilingualism is considered an advantage, if your primary language is English. If your primary language is not English, it's not as valued.
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fugiami picked Yes:
definetly! if people arent required to learn other languages, the world will slowly be shut down from communication. if its not a requirement, people wont go out of their way to learn. Future generations wont be able to handle things with the rest of the world. could you imagine?! the world would be paralzed!!!
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bri-marie picked Yes:
My own personal experience tells me yes. I'm learning Sign Language right now and it's already helped me with my English/writting/speaking/people skills. It's also a cultural advantage. The Deaf consider ASL to be a large part of their culture, and I consider language to be a large of any culture. How can you learn a countries/people's customs, habits, beliefs if you have no knowledge of their language and how it works?

Besides. The world isn't made up of one language. There are other people who speak other languages, to travel or move to other countries. If they have to learn your language, it's only fair that you learn theirs.
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Dimentia44 picked No:
It's a hard fact, but many people simply do not use the skills they learn in world language classes later in life. My father, for example. Its greatest value to students is stimulating brain activity, but that effect can easily be achieved through other means. A high school age student can decide for him/herself what will best assist them in later life.
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fishypup picked Yes:
My school system requires us all to at least take language classes in middle and high school; of course, whether you actually learn and remember anything is up to you. ;) (And many people learned very little!) It seems a rather good idea. I took five years of French and am VERY glad I did so...I enjoyed it and did extremely well. Maybe you won't use what you learned later on, but odds are, some of it will come in handy eventually...and at least you've stretched and exercised your language-learning abilities a bit. They naturally decrease drastically from childhood to adulthood, you know.

Hell, if algebra is required, then languages ought to
be. There's no guarantee that you will or won't need the skills of any particular class--it depends on the individual and their future choices and circumstances. I figure that of all the subjects which could be or are required, that languages are among the more important ones in today's interconnected, multicultural, integrated, globalized world/society. It definitely helps if you travel internationally, especially to places with low percentages of English speakers.

Our only choices, by the way, were French and Spanish. Since then Italian has been added, and if I'd had the chance to take a semester of Chinese in college, I'd have enjoyed doing so. I did take a semester of German and liked that as well, though of course, I retained hundreds of times more of the French. :)
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xDark_Angelx picked Yes:
It's not to say that you have to learn everything about a second language; just get the hang of it and understand it enough. There's a reason there's a diverse amount of lanuages that could be learned in schools (in my high school, there's Latin, Spanish, French, and another lanuage that slips my tongue right now...).

And that reason is that this world is not just English. There's so many languages. And if you want to travel the world, or you want to go to, say, Paris, when you get older and want a job outside the U.S, you can't just know English. You have to know French to understand their culture and get use to it. It could help you become culturally diverse, and that's a good thing to help you in your life. And this is simply one good example.
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MCHopnPop picked Yes:
Actually I would like that,but I would want it to require that students picks the language they want to learn,because after all they're the one whose learning not the person who usually picks it,it would make a great addition for school,because I personally enjoy learning new languages,but aside from me,and another reason is Not everyone is this world speaks english,and if someone wants to travel outside of the U.S,it'll make it extremely difficult to travel those places because,you have know the language and culture,like I've said there a countries where they don't speak english,and a person will have an extremely difficult time there,if they don't know the language,because the people there might not understand you,and then what?, I think it helps to learn more about other languages and cultures,because it will help you later in life.
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RiverIce picked No:
not required
but they can chose one if they want.
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elcastellano picked No:
I said no because no one should be forced to learn another language. I also think we need to take language classes out of school curricula, and focus on subjects that will make people smarter. (learning another language doesn't make you smarter) But realistically, math, reading, science, these core subjects should be the only subjects, sports should be removed too. I believe Japan teaches just core subjects (don't remember all of them). But what ever the world language may be, I believe if you don't already speak it, you should learn it, and it would be wise to require it in schools, if say, Javanese, became the world's language, believe you me, I'd learn it in a heartbeat. And this coming from a linguist (admittedly amateur), and one who is bilingual, planning on being a polyglot, I say encourage learning another language, but don't force it. (Currently alternating between classical Latin, Japanese, old English, Cherokee, Turkmen (maybe other turkic languages by extension), ancient and modern Greek, and every other romance language as I already speak Castilian (also wrongly known as Spanish), and possibly Mohawk thank you assassin's creed three.

And possibly Mandarin, and Korean, and any other language that piques my interest, Swahili I'll focus on later and I believe it's Zulu.

So yeah, love language, just don't wanna force it on anyone, but for the life of me, cannot figure out why more people aren't into it.
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elcastellano picked No:
I agree with giving someone the choice as MCHopnPop said, can't believe I didn't think of that.

Forgot to say interested in Javanese. Also Basque.

So I change my answer to yes kinda maybe, as long as it's the world language used everwhere if it's not your own, and if you want any other language of your choice, now it might not be feasable, but the future, hopefully.
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elcastellano picked No:
And finally PIKACHU! Yes you must learn the pokémon language! I demand it! Just a little humor.
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blackpanther666 picked No:
No. Why should it be a requirement? Nobody learns anything when they are 'required' to do so... People learn when they want to and put in the effort to do so. Making something like this a requirement will just reinforce that notion.

@blisslikethis. Kids are getting lazier and lazier these days because of technology, not because they don't want to spend time learning a language they may never use. Besides, you 'American' kids should be learning to understand your own language better, instead of butchering it and then trying to learn more... Master your own language, before attempting others, because America is terrible for people who can't spell, utilise the concept of grammar correctly and not speak without some 'txt' language amongst it.
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cassie-1-2-3 picked Yes:
I think people should at least study another language, with no expectations of becoming fluent.

I took six years of Spanish and i'm still horrible at it, but I do not regret one moment of it. It actually helped me understand English better (by "understand" I mean understanding why English is English. The finer mechanics of English. I don't mean knowing words)

Really, I don't think learning anything is ever a bad thing.
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blackpanther666 picked No:
@cassie-1-2-3. Yeah, you think that learning is a good thing and so do I... But, not everyone sees it from that perspective. Learning is difficult for some people and making learning a 'requirement', for certain things that usually are not, will make it harder for them to learn. Often, people who find it difficult to learn, or don't wish to do so, see learning as something that has to be enjoyable for them, or taught in a way that they understand, which makes it quite difficult to make language, and other such educational processes impossible. If they don't enjoy it, then they won't learn and won't make the effort. Simple.
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cassie-1-2-3 picked Yes:
I know not everyone likes learning, but honestly, they should just get over it.
It's a part of life that they can't avoid. Sometimes, you have to learn. Even if you don't like it, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing, it just means you don't like it.
As for the not liking something means you won't learn anything... I don't really believe it happens like that very often, but if it does, they're only hurting themselves. You can't expect schools to only teach what students like.
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whiteflame55 picked Yes:
I think the basis of any answer to this question comes from a comparison of necessity to other classes that all kids must engage in. We teach every child math and English skills, science and history. Why do we teach these things? Math and science are necessary for a child to develop a logical understanding of the world around them and how it functions. History allows them to understand what came before them and therefore give them some understanding of where we're going. English is to interact with other people, and it's probably the most essential portion of all this. Without English, we wouldn't be able to discuss as we currently are. Interaction is essential to any given skill.

And interaction is where we are failing. We are becoming a heavily globalized world, and learning a foreign language is becoming as important as any of these skills. English is hardly the most central language of the world, and even if it was, we do ourselves a disservice by ignoring all of the others for children. I personally think I would have been better served if a foreign language had been taught in my elementary or middle schools, but I did not have access. Individuals and the world at large would be better served by this.
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tiagih picked Yes:
i think it could be a good idea
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blackpanther666 picked No:
@Cassie-1-2-3. You need to stop seeing it only from your perspective and see it from someone else's point of view. And, honestly, people not learning because they don't to happens a lot more often than you think. Either way, having it as a requirement simply won't work out the way you seem to envision it.
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bri-marie picked Yes:
^According to your perspective, there shouldn't be required education, because kids shouldn't learn something if they don't want to. Is that right?
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cassie-1-2-3 picked Yes:
I do see it from other perspectives.

I had to learn weightlifting techniques in school. I didn't like it, there was no point in my learning it because i did not participate in the weightlifting for health reasons, and I never will lift weights in my life. It did not enrich my life or experience in the slightest. I was still required to attend the lessons for school policy reasons. I only retained about half of it because I found it to be pointless information for me personally.

What did I do about it? I got over it. I just sat there and listened. There was nothing else I could to. Becoming angsty and complaining was not going to accomplish anything at all. Rallying to change school policy because I just didn't feel like learning about it seemed even more pointless.


As I already said, it doesn't matter if you like learning or not, that doesn't automatically mean learning is bad.
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ThePrincesTale picked Yes:
"but other lanuges such as frence who cares not like i will use it again only if u go on holiday but most speak english now anyway"
"but i do feel if people are coming to the U.S., that they need to know english. but if you live here, the only language you really need to know, is english"

Comments like these really do just perpetrate the arrogant, pretentious outlook that many people associate with Americans. Why should they only speak your language? Why can't it go both ways? At least make an effort to show that you're not egocentric- attempt to be bilingual. The stereotypical American tourist ordering their French meal in obnoxiously loud English comes forcefully to mind.
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tiagih picked Yes:
^good point but to be fair don't most schools require students in highschool to learn English? I know when I lived in parts of Asia highschool students were required to learn English, so some people may assume that if you know English you dont need to know another language because most school make it mandatory to learn the language
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ThePrincesTale picked Yes:
Yes, you're saying that people in other countries learn English anyway? True, but my point is that's it's extremely arrogant to go around the world with your "high and mighty" English, not bothering to learn another language because even when you're in THEIR country, they should speak YOUR language. See my point?
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tiagih picked Yes:
^yeah
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ThePrincesTale picked Yes:
^ :)
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hetalianstella picked Yes:
I believe Bilingualism is very important and seeing how many languages make up the world it will most likely be something you are going to use in life. I mean, only about 500 million out of 7 billion people speak English.
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cassie-1-2-3 picked Yes:
where is that statistic from? that doesn't sound right
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blackpanther666 picked No:
@Cassie-1-2-3. I never said that learning was bad, I didn't even say that people view learning as bad. I'm simply saying that many people will never learn things like that, because they are too lazy, or don't want to do it, or find learning hard. Anything else is irrelevant to my point. Just because you think it should be a requirement, doesn't mean that many people will follow that requirement... That's just how humans are. Just saying that learning a second language is a requirement does not mean that people will simply follow that rule. It's like making alcohol illegal, or marijuana legal: it simply won't happen the way it is supposed to happen and there may be adverse effects from this. To a lot of people, a second language is not a requirement to have, therefore they would view it as pointless. If people want to learn a second language, then they will... If people don't want to learn a language, then they simply will not, no matter what is said. If they are forced to, then they'll be unenthusiastic and waste the teacher/tutor's time and never make any effort to learn it.

@Bri-marie. No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I never said that 'learning' shouldn't be a requirement. I'm saying that we shouldn't say that a certain aspect of learning should be a requirement. Or rather, that learning a second language shouldn't be a requirement. I would never advocate people not learning at all, because knowledge is important, but an obsure factor of learning, like learning a language, should not be mandatory. To a lot of people, a second language is not a requirement to have, therefore they would view it as pointless. If people want to learn a second language, then they will... If people don't want to learn a language, then they simply will not, no matter what is said. If they are forced to, then they'll be unenthusiastic and waste the teacher/tutor's time and never make any effort to learn it.
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bri-marie picked Yes:
To a lot of people, there's a lot of things that aren't a requirement to have. I'm going to be a Sign Language Interpreter. Why do I need all the math and science classes they've made me take over the last 16 years? Or the philosophy classes college made me take? I have way more than a 'basic' understanding of math and science, and it was all a waste because I'm not going to use 90% of what I learned. I wasted my time and money, and also all those teachers' time.

Again, this argument is just as problematic as the first. No child is going to utilize all the knowledge it gained as an adult, because each child is going to go down a completely different career path. So, either there is not going to be any general educational requirements, or there are going to have to be concessions about what children learn. Some of them are going to have to take classes that they don't want to, or don't need to in order for everyone to be educated the same.
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cassie-1-2-3 picked Yes:
Again, if someone has to take a class they don't want, they should just get over it.

I don't think rules should be taken away just because some people don't follow them. It's just not important, who cares if some people don't like learning languages? Who cares is some people smoke marijuana illegally? Who cares if people drink underage? Just because some people break rules, that doesn't mean the rules shouldn't exist, because there are plenty of people who do follow them. There are plenty of people who would and have advantaged from learning, or at least studying, a second language.
Some people don't want to, but who cares?
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blackpanther666 picked No:
@Cassie-1-2-3. I don't think you are following my point... While I agree with what you are saying, I think you are missing the point of what I was saying earlier. The fact is, if many aren't going to adhere to it, then why waste the time and energy on it? It seems pointless to me. I realise that humans waste a lot of time and energy on manhy useless things, so why add another to the list. If we were as smart as we think we are, we would just concentrate on the important things, instead of wasting money trying to make people do something they don't want to do.
Honestly, I think you have brought up many good points, and I agree with most of them, but I think that forcing people to do things they want to do is a waste of time. It's much, much easier just to let the focused and motivated people concentrate on things that others find pointless, while the others just concentrate on things they find important, otherwise we are spending money on trying to force people to utilise knowledge they probably won't ever use. If I had my way, I would force people to spend money on trying to stabilise the environment, spend money better and live a life where sustainability is actually a possibility and educate themselves as much as they possibly could. However, it won't happen. I wish it would, but is simply an ideal of mine, just like learning a second language as a requirement is someone else's ideal. Idealism is great, but it needs to be focused on the right things.

@Bri-marie. What you are saying is a good point, but I don't think we are on the same page. This poll is asking 'should learning a second language be a requirement'?. You are saying that people will have to learn things they don't need, and may not ever use. So, yes, I agree with that point. However, they are possibilities of a career choice. This question is about making any one form of education a must. It would be like saying 'should learning bio-chemistry be a requirement, or should learning ecology be a requirement'? - its the same thing. When people have to take a subject, because they want to do a certain paper, it is not a lawful requirement - it is a requirement of the specific course they are doing... They have a choice - to choose not to do the paper and not do the course, or to do the paper and consequently take the course. 'Should learning second language be a requirement' is different entirely, because you don't get the choice... You HAVE to do it, by law.
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cassie-1-2-3 picked Yes:
I realise that humans waste a lot of time and energy on manhy useless things, so why add another to the list.
Well that's strongly implying that studying a second language is useless activity to do for fun, which leads to a completely different discussion.

Language isn't a career specific course, it's a world wide thing that people WILL use in any job out there. It's not really a hobby.
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DramaQueen1020 picked No:
It shouldn't be required. I want to learn Italian and Yiddish though, the two most beautiful languages in my opinion! :D
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prophet69 picked Yes:
I guess, yeah. In order to get into college, one must learn at least the basics of one foreign language through two years of study. So- yes. In order to create a smarter future generation and to increase their chances of getting into college to get a better education and to get a leg up on the economic world in order to earn more money at a good job- then yes- language should be manditory.
language--> good college--->good job-->more money
more money= stronger economy/ stronger country!
They could actually earn a higher salary, since they know this language, and jobs are looking for people who speak Spanish and other languages! It also helps in learning their own languages' grammar and such better! There are a lot of benefits to learning a language.
Example: You know Spanish and the area you want work in has a lot of Spanish speakers! You apply for this job, but the person who is also applying and has the skills doesn't know Spanish. You could easily be picked instead of this person just, because you know Spanish.
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blackpanther666 picked No:
@Cassie-1-2-3. It will be mostly useless if not enough people focus on it, though. Sure, it is important for a fragment of the population. If everybody can speak their native language, then they are set for any country that speaks their native language - if they wish to visit a country that speaks a foreign language, then they surely will do it - but telling people what to do seems, again, like a waste of time, effort and money, when most people will not make an effort for it.
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bri-marie picked Yes:
...For some reason I didn't get any updates for this thread 0.o

Anyway.

Schools all have education requirements that all students must follow. Sometimes those requirements mean that some students learn things they don't need to, or want to, and that it wastes time on everyone's parts. However, the alternative is that there is no requirements for people to follow -- that students learn whatever, whenever. Which seems nice in theory, but is horrible in practicality.

I'd also like to point out that I'm a cashier at Burger King in a small town in a nowhere state in the US, and I've had to assist Deaf customers regularly, because there is a language barrier between them and the other cashiers. My manager (who's from Egypt), assists customers who only speak Arabic/ who's English is not yet good enough for them to speak fluently. A co-worker assists certain Spanish speaking customers. And this is just at Burger King.

Foreign languages aren't isolated. When people move to different countries/visit other countries, they are not automatically gifted with the native tongue, nor are they automatically provided an interpreter/translator to follow them around until they can master the language.
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blackpanther666 picked No:
@Bri-marie. Okay, you do make good points. However, my point was that it should be optional, because the same number of people will choose to learn a second language, whether it is optional, or mandatory. The ones that don't want to do it will waste peoples' time and cause disruptions to the class, whereas those interested in learning it, will just learn it and there won't be any time-wasters.
I think you seemed to think that I disagree with people educating themselves by mandatory rights, but that is untrue... I love learning new knowledge myself, but I understand that not everyone has that same thirst - some people can do it and some people can't/won't. Plus, for something like a language (second) you can't argue against some people finding it useless... I know it isn't, you know it isn't, but they don't - and they are the problem, the ones that would ruin it for everyone else. Personally, I have been teaching myself Japanese, and, to a much lesser extent, Latin... And, I enjoy it.
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bri-marie picked Yes:
The ones that don't want to do it will waste peoples' time and cause disruptions to the class, whereas those interested in learning it, will just learn it and there won't be any time-wasters.
There is literally no reason to think that there will be so many disruptive students that foreign languages shouldn't be mandatory. Speaking as a student and an STA, students are disruptive for reasons outside the class, not because they're in a class they don't want to take. Also, you've taken classes with people who didn't want or need to be there, and they were perfectly behaved people. You've taken classes you didn't want or need to have. Were you disruptive in every single one?

Again, you're missing my point. Either you're advocating for there being no set requirements at all, or you think there should be set requirements. If there are set requirements, then there are going to be students who are going to take classes they don't necessarily need. You can't have set requirements for all students, and still expect every student to never take a class they won't need or want. It's not possible.
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prophet69 picked Yes:
Even though it's not necessarily required, if the student wants to get into a good school, having that second language is a necessity. Plus,
it broadens the mind. I think students should be open to learning new and interesting things. By learning new languages, it helps their brains to memorize and think things through different than if they knew one.
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blackpanther666 picked No:
I never took classes I didn't want to take. I always got the choice - that's why I don't see why it is such a big deal to NOT make it mandatory. And, for the record, the people who didn't want to be the classes I happened to be in, they DID cause disruptions and it was incredibly frustrating trying to learn when people just didn't care and made no effort.

Missing you're point? Or you missing mine? I never said that this had to happen for every single class - I'm saying it for learning another language - we get enough time-wasters as it is, that's why I don't advocate it being mandatory - that way, we don't have to worry about time-wasters for yet another class. Plus, even if I though that there should set requirements for every single person in every single class - I see that you're right, it wouldn't work - but I never said anything about it, so the point is void.
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AudreyFreak picked Yes:
Maybe not required but I so wish it were encouraged. Non Americans are often fluent or at least have so.e understanding of a foreign language but American schools just aren't designed so that we can actually fully LEARN a language. You can't get that from a year of French. You need to immerse: listen to songs in that language, movies, listen to conversations, and most of all, practice it yourself.

I so badly wanted to be fluent in French as a kid but the won't give you any real language education till high school. Here, if you were lucky, you could take Spanish at the high school if you were in middle school.
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ShadowFan100 picked No:
Required? No. Optional? Yes.

Because, if you make it required, than that will just turn students away from learning it simply because someone told them to. And lets face it, no one ever wants to do what someone tells them. Ever. If you let them know they have a CHOICE, then they may be more open to it.
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zanhar1 picked Yes:
I think that it would really help! Personally I wish that I was taught a second language growing up. It's a helluva lot easier to learn a second language as a kid than it is as an adult.
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ShadowFan100 picked No:
I agree that it is helpful, I just think they should have the option. Because by not giving them any options, you make it sound like a "have to" kinda thing, rather than something fun. Learning a language should be fun, not something you dread doing.
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zanhar1 picked Yes:
Idk other countries make English mandatory. I think that the USA should join the party. I'd rather have language than fuckin math lmao.
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ShadowFan100 picked No:
Well, yeah. I hate math, so I'm with you there. Math can go die in a fire lol

And speaking of language, I also made a poll regarding this... kinda? link

IDK if you have seen it yet, but I brought up an interesting topic.
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