The necessity and effectiveness of foreign language classes at MHS has been a controversial debate among administrators and the student body for a long time, making a discussion about it long overdue. Many students argue that these classes have become nothing more than added stress and the amount of information they retain from these classes is often disproportionate to the amount of effort needed to
pass. Administrators of high schools and many colleges across the country emphasize that foreign languages are imperative to the growth and development of students and allow them to be respectful of other cultures and more inclusive, throughout adulthood. This emphasis also translates into admission requirements for many colleges around the world, including all of the UC’s. Top schools such as Stanford and Harvard also have these requirements. Upon reflecting on this topic, I have concluded that there are two main questions that need to be answered: Are these classes achieving their goal and are these classes necessary?
Administrators and teachers often claim that the two main goals of these classes are to give students the opportunity to experience a new culture and to teach students a new language that they can use in a practical situation. The latter is often more emphasized. For example, if I ever find myself sitting across from someone who prefers to converse in Spanish, the hope is that I would have learned enough from my high school language classes to engage in a smooth conversation with this individual. However, many students who take foreign language classes do not come out with an adequate and proficient knowledge of the language. At MHS, languages are being taught in a dull, mechanical way, in which students are expected to complete tedious daily homework and take tests that may not be representative of their actual proficiency. Many of the foreign language teachers at MHS assign homework straight from the textbook that can easily be completed with AI and other sites, like Quizlet. The uninspired nature of the assignments, along with the structure of the course itself seem to be effectively useless in teaching the language, thus showing that the original intentions behind expecting mastery of these classes have gotten lost.
Students are expected to put in hours of effort for a class that doesn’t align with their major nor does it allow them to learn or retain anything, in a meaningful way. As a student wanting to develop certain passions, I may want to put that effort into another class that relates to my area of interest. One of the most important parts of high school is schedule space, and the imposition of certain classes, such as foreign language classes, fills that space with material students wouldn’t ideally choose to learn. Shouldn’t students have the right to choose whether or not they want to
learn a language? Why should colleges expect students to absorb material that they don’t choose to learn, themselves, especially material that may never be applicable in their lives?
Ideally, colleges would realize that these classes have become ineffective and lift their requirements; however, right now, all we can do is understand how these classes can be improved here at MHS. In my belief, that improvement starts with the teachers and the culture of our foreign language department.
When speaking with the other students, I have found that some teachers have not been creating an environment fit for maximizing learning. For example, some language teachers expect assignments to be completed in obscure formats and punish students with a zero on the assignment if that format is not followed, even if the assignment is completed. Students have claimed they received zeros on assignments done in pencil instead of pen or even assignments done without skipping lines. Homework is meant to encourage learning and when teachers create a classroom culture that emphasizes things like formatting over learning the material, it shows us that the classes aren’t even attempting to meet the original objective of helping students achieve proficiency.
An improved class culture that encourages learning, respects the time of students, and adds value to the lives of these students could become a catalyst for deeper understanding. Regardless of the specific improvements made, it seems to me that if students are expected and required by colleges to devote their time and energy to these foreign language courses, the school should be expected to try their level best to provide the students with the learning they deserve.