One of the high school graduation requirements that really annoyed me was having to complete two years of a foreign language. At the time, I was in 7th grade and didn’t really know what language I wanted to learn, if any. I decided to start Spanish early in 8th grade because a majority of people take Spanish and it is a useful language to know in California.
I quickly learned how difficult learning a language could be. The first year was spent solely on the present tense, and the idea of conjugating verbs based on a subject baffled me. Every oral examination we had, I would stumble my way through the one minute and thirty-second-time requirement.
In the second year Spanish, we were up against a whole host of new verb tenses. Past, past perfect, subjunctive, commands; with every new tense I just became more and more confused and mixed up. As much as I struggled with the language, I did like Spanish quite a bit. The sounds were very romantic, and the cultural background of the Spanish-speaking people was interesting.
I was hopeful my ability to speak and write Spanish would improve, so I decided to take the third year. The class proved to be my downfall, as I just couldn’t manage to do well. I found it unfortunate that I didn’t want to continue learning Spanish because of grades.
When I heard there was a 3-semester language requirement in college, I was indifferent. I signed up for first semester Spanish, looking for a fresh start with the language. However, at one point in the summer, I changed my mind and signed up for German. I’m one-quarter German and thought it would be neat to learn about something more in line with my cultural heritage, yet it is still unknown to me.
I’ve found that in learning a language, one’s interest in the language is the most important thing. I find German to be very manageable and have excelled in it so far. I’m very happy to want to continue to study it, maybe even past the requirement. When one chooses the language they want to study, they should be mindful of their motivation.
Is it just to complete a requirement, or is it to explore a new culture and language? I believe that studying a language that interests a person will give them the desire to put in the effort to do well. Learning a new language should be difficult, but it should be fun too!