From middle school to seniors in high school, the chance that someone has taken some sort of language class is extremely high. Whether it be Foreign Language Exploration in 6th grade or the highest level of Spanish in high school, understanding varies.
Despite this, there aren’t many opportunities for different language classes. The only option, once high school is reached, is varying levels of Spanish. Many students show an interest in other languages, so why is there only Spanish?
“I do wish we had more language classes available. It’s something I think we should have more options with, and I think it’s why a lot of people aren’t super enthusiastic about Spanish,” Jackson Seitz, 10, said.
Seitz believes that it isn’t a pressing issue that there aren’t more classes available, but it would be more beneficial if there were. Even with Spanish being the only available class, they see the advantage of the learning and real-world comprehension that comes with it.
Spanish I teacher Kelsea Stueve has a similar opinion.
“I’ve done a lot of research on how it helps you learn English better through the grammar concepts of a different language. With the growing Hispanic population in the United States, I feel like I have been able to use a second language a lot more than what people would anticipate,” Stueve said.
Even if Spanish is the only option, it still helps inside of the classroom and outside alike. As they said, a rise in the Spanish speaking population of America means that classes like Spanish will be more and more applicable in the everyday life of students.
Even with all of this information on why people take Spanish, it still doesn’t answer the question,“Why is Spanish the only available language?”
Among everyone asked, one common response was given.
“They [previously] couldn’t afford to pay a teacher, and now the next thing they’re considering—since obviously they do want to add languages—is the fact you have to be able to find teachers, and they are kind of hard to find.” Marlene Oxner, Spanish II-IV teacher, said.
In the past, there used to be a French class, but there wasn’t enough funding in comparison to the amount of students signing up. The main issues now still stand to be the hiring, the paying, and the scheduling for getting more language classes.
The funding and hiring issue for Spring Hill when taking other schools into consideration. For example, at Olathe North High School, there are more language classes available.
“It’s probably since we have a bigger school with more students,”Ryan Tuitoek, 11, previous Spring Hill student who transferred this year.
Since they have more students there, hiring opportunities are more promising. Additionally, there is a larger chance students will take these opportunities.
