Pick an L2! Pick Spanish!

Background info: I am currently enrolled in a course entitled Orientation to Second Language Pedagogy. Within this course I am doing 100 hours of observation at Aurora High School, where I will be student teaching come spring semester. Here is my first blog post on the topic of advocating for my language - ESPAÑOL! 

http://miniproject1.blogspot.com/

The advocacy project enlightened me in many ways. I had never really considered the idea that I may have to defend or promote my language to “the powers that be.” If world languages or Spanish are on the chopping block then I may have to convince the administration in my school district why they should keep this subject. Or perhaps I will need to advocate for my language to get a program started. I can see this happening if I were to propose putting Spanish in elementary schools or beginning an immersion program.

I had considered advocating Spanish in the sense of promoting it to students so that they will sign up to take the program. In another class we had made posters to advertise our subject. This can be just as important as advocating to administration. Even if they give you the green light for your program, if you don’t have enough students enrolled, you may get the axe anyway. At Aurora High School this can be seen in the upper levels. There are six sections of Spanish III and only two of Spanish IV. (The numbers in Spanish IV are small that there had been a debate of whether to offer two sections or only one.) A lot of students drop off after Spanish III and the teachers were talking about why this is and how to keep the students in the program.  I definitely think advocacy will be a part of my life as a teacher in one form or another.   

I enjoyed hearing from the ladies with different language concentrations. I had never been particularly interested in Latin but I gained a better understanding of what the language has to offer. It was especially interesting to hear from the ladies in American Sign Language because I have not had much exposure to it. One conversation was difficult for me to wrap my head around. That is the value of one particular language over another. I definitely see the value in studying language, all languages, and any languages. But there is some strategy in selecting a specific language. I guess it depends on what the individual wants to do with his or her new language. I chose Spanish over French because I wanted to know the language that had more speakers globally. I would never say that French shouldn’t have a place in schools but I would also argue that we should include other languages, say Chinese and Arabic. I hope not to offend anyone by saying this. I, myself, am still trying to understand what I feel about this and how it works out.

But I will say, you should learn Spanish and speak it with me!!!