“Taking four years Spanish is something that our Spanish teachers are encouraging us to do. Most likely, many of us won’t come across a time where we need to be able to have a conversation with someone in Spanish unless we are in a foreign country. If we do ever need to have a conversation it is likely we would have forgotten a lot what we learned in the years we took it and haven’t practiced using it since. There are many more electives that we could take instead that would get us ready for college or for a career.”

Alyssa Hain, 9

“I have never heard someone say that they regret taking 4 years of Spanish in high school; only that they wish they had. Language learning benefits go way beyond just being able to speak and understand a language other than English. It provides [amazing] opportunities otherwise not available, and it utilizes parts of the brain otherwise not accessed. The process of language learning requires patience, dedication, and passion; characteristics that students take beyond the classroom. Regardless of a student’s post-secondary plans, having the ability to speak [multiple languages] is a skill they can implement in any field, trade, or career.”

Amanda Sauer, spanish teacher

“Some people believe many years of foreign language is vital to your future. Others think Spanish is useless and unnecessary. In my opinion, foreign language is something everyone should try, but it’s not something everyone needs to continue with in order to be successful. Everyone has a different calling and not everyone is good at Spanish. Foreign language isn’t required for every job, so why would it be required for every student? On the other hand, knowing Spanish isn’t just something people use in their jobs, it’s a life skill. Overall, Spanish can be very useful, but not always necessary.”

Madison Sutton, 9