At no other time has our world been so interconnected.
The internet and social mediums have opened the doors to communication, collaboration, and even inspiration like never before. As the world becomes more and more dependent on outside industries, it's important for our students to gain the skills needed to meet the global challenge of talking to neighboring countries and cultures.
Learning a foreign or world language has always been advised for students, mandated more in some parts of the world more than others because of closer geography. If U.S. students are going to compete in future careers in a 21st century that's reducing borders online faster than you can say Facebook or Twitter, learning a world language (or multiple) should be at the top of the list.
Reasons to learn a foreign or world language include:
1. Higher employability, after high school and college
2. Broader worldview and more inter-cultural sensitivity
3. Exposure to various language structures (and appreciation for native language and ESL students)
4. Ease with international traveling or studying
5. Greater reading comprehension and vocabulary
6. Ability to translate for others
7. Growth of general cognitive development and learning skills
Politically, economically, and socially, the more your student can understand and communicate with the world around him, the better he can make society in his lifetime. He can also spread knowledge to his children, keeping generations in touch with each other through an inherited academic tradition of multicultural communication.
Don't have foreign language courses at your local school? Or don't have many to choose from? Consider enrolling in an online world language course! Bilingual studies can be done easily from home in elementary or high school grades.
What do you think is the greatest benefit bilingual students have?