It happens frequently that students are annoyed with having to take Spanish and will mutter: "Why do I even have to take this class.. I'm not gonna go out of the country and here everyone speaks English!".
I can understand to an extent that they don't see the point of it.. much like many struggle to see the point of learning topics in Math Class or Language Arts. Nevertheless, the fact is that there are a great deal of benefits from taking another language.
The most obvious one is not always the most important one if you ask me! Yes, it can come in handy to be able to understand and get by with some Spanish 101 if visiting a Spanish speaking country BUT in my opinion it is much more important to develop a positive attitude and understanding of foreign cultures and other ways of doing and saying things.
If we think about many of the feuds around the world, aren't many of them based on misunderstandings and judgment of each other? Refusal to compromise or taking the time to learn more about the reasons why people are the way they are?
This is of course not the case with everything but I believe a lot of problems could be lessened by exposing ourselves to things completely different from what we are comfortable with. I'm talking about food, music, dance, traditions, religion, family structures and such. This is hard to do at first.. no one likes to come out of their comfort zone but I can almost guarantee that once you try it, you will find it is not so bad!
And by the way, I always tell my students: it's OK to say "I did not like that" or "I prefer my own holiday". At least you tried it and know more about it.
I have included an article with 10 reasons why you should consider taking on another language.
Feel free to comment! ¡Hasta luego!
Ten Amazing Reasons Why You Should Learn A Foreign Language
I can understand to an extent that they don't see the point of it.. much like many struggle to see the point of learning topics in Math Class or Language Arts. Nevertheless, the fact is that there are a great deal of benefits from taking another language.
The most obvious one is not always the most important one if you ask me! Yes, it can come in handy to be able to understand and get by with some Spanish 101 if visiting a Spanish speaking country BUT in my opinion it is much more important to develop a positive attitude and understanding of foreign cultures and other ways of doing and saying things.
If we think about many of the feuds around the world, aren't many of them based on misunderstandings and judgment of each other? Refusal to compromise or taking the time to learn more about the reasons why people are the way they are?
This is of course not the case with everything but I believe a lot of problems could be lessened by exposing ourselves to things completely different from what we are comfortable with. I'm talking about food, music, dance, traditions, religion, family structures and such. This is hard to do at first.. no one likes to come out of their comfort zone but I can almost guarantee that once you try it, you will find it is not so bad!
And by the way, I always tell my students: it's OK to say "I did not like that" or "I prefer my own holiday". At least you tried it and know more about it.
I have included an article with 10 reasons why you should consider taking on another language.
Feel free to comment! ¡Hasta luego!
Ten Amazing Reasons Why You Should Learn A Foreign Language