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 Foreign Language Requirement 
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Angela's "School Diversity" thread got me thinking about our College of Education here at ASU. Even though I can't imagine trying to squeeze in another class to our requirements for our education degrees, I really hope future classes have a required foreign language requirement - specifically Spanish. Having Spanish speaking students in the classroom is an issue that needs to be addressed and teachers need to be prepared for. I feel really dumb now for taking French in high school instead of Spanish. Eventually, I know I'm going to have to learn to at least somehwat communicate using Spanish in my career and at least have the outside motivation to figure out how I'm going to learn. However, I'm sure a lot of other teachers don't. Learning a language takes so much time. Has anyone else felt this way? Another requirement sounds awful but I think this one would be incredibly beneficial to our professions.

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Lauren Leslie


Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:52 pm
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Lauren, I completely agree with your post. I believe that Spanish should be added as a requirement to become a teacher. I also know that our schedules and requirements now restrict us from cramming another class in but I believe it would be very beneficial. Todays society is growing rapidly and most are spanish speaking people. You cannot walk hardly anywhere, much less into a school and not see spanish speaking people around. I think that having Spanish as an added course to our already hectic schedule is a great idea!!

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Amanda Thomas


Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:07 am
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I agree as well and I am extremely thankful that I have taken Spanish classes (until beginning education in the College of Ed) since the 2nd grade. I do wish that there was a way to include a spanish class in our schedule. Even if this class was strictly a conversation spanish class, at least it would give educators the ability to deal with one of our hardest parts of our job.. Parents. Unfortunately the children in our classroom will be the main translators for their parents and if we have the ability to at least communicate on the lowest level we can get some points across to the parents without the help of their children as translators. Unfortunately I don't know how to include even a few of these classes into our ever so busy schedule... unless they want to take a few of the boring classes out :D .

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Kristina Bleynat


Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:37 pm
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I agree that some kind of foreign language should be required especially with the rise in hispanic populations. Almost all other universities require that you take atleast one level of it in college.

I'm doing my practicum at an elementary school where 65% of the students are hispanic and the majority of those children's parents DO NOT SPEAK english. I can't imagine trying to work with them on improving their childs education if they don't speak english and I can't speak Spanish! Some of the girls were talking about how the majority of the students in their kindergarten class don't speak english. Imgaine trying to help them learn if they can't speak English!

Wonder why Appalachian does not feel that this is a necessity!?!?

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Jenna Holland


Sat Apr 22, 2006 10:22 pm
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It's not just Appalachian State that feels we do not need to learn a second language. Our nation as a whole just does not seem to care. I had some Spanish classes in high school but they were almost worthless. We spent the whole time learning the rules and filling out worksheets. While it is important to know the rules of a language, if you do not get to actually use the rules then you will retain very little. The citizens of various European nations speak their native language in addition to English. I think that we should make every effort possible to learn a second language.

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Bobby Helbert


Sun Apr 23, 2006 9:37 am
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Sure, these days there are more spanish speaking kids in schools in America than ever, and it would be helpful to have bilingual teachers so that spanish speaking students won't be left behind. But as far as the foreign language requirement goes, I don't think we should have it at all. If you don't test into the higher levels, you are doomed to four semesters of a foreign language unless you take summer school. Here we are trying to become versed in the subjects that we will teach, and on top the education courses we have to somehow fit in a foreign language. It is the one requirement that messes up everyone, and I think they should cut it out completely, or at least make it smaller. Two semesters of an intermediate level class isn't going to teach anyone to be fluent in a foreign language. The truth is I will have forgotten any Spanish I learned in college about a year after I graduate.

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Karl Rahn


Sat Apr 29, 2006 2:51 pm
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As an English Secondary Education Major, we do have to take a foreign language. Naturally I choose Spanish, and I was really excited about having that going into teaching....BUT now I can't graduate this year because I can't manage to get a good enough grade to pass. So, as wonderful of an idea as it may sound..its a hard language, and I may never get to graduate because it is a requirement for us. So I see it both ways I guess

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Ann Boschini


Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:53 am
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Considering all the diverse learners that we will be responsible for teaching, I think that foreign language should definitely be a requirement for education majors. In practicum this year for my block classes there were so many hispanic children. I personally had a very hard time communicating with them and I think that if I had taken a foreign language it would have really helped me a lot in that situation.

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Leigh Ann Burleson


Sun Apr 30, 2006 2:12 pm
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