Answering Why? in the Classroom

ANSWERING “WHY?” IN THE CLASSROOM

Finally Providing an Answer to the Age-Old Question “Why?” in the Classroom:

The Spanish Language is important, valuable, and extremely advantageous, learn it and use it for the rest of your life.

Kevin Dinnegan

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to portray the true purpose of learning Spanish. Enrolling in Spanish class when I came into South Orangetown Middle School in sixth grade, I had no idea that Spanish was important. To me, Spanish was one of the three foreign language classes offered in my school district. Enrolling in Spanish didn’t make sense to me at the time, so I asked my teachers, parents, and peers, “Why do I have to learn this?” Unfortunately, the answers I received from each person I asked were not at all satisfying, leading me to believe that taking a foreign language was just a requirement all students had to “go through.” Luckily for students, I aspire to put an end to this. In this paper, I discuss why students need to learn the Spanish language. The insight I provide in this paper is made up of a number of things such as my own experiences and responses to texts I have fully digested. I agree with the research I have read that has supplied countless reasons to learn Spanish and I’ll explain why. I’ll also acknowledge counterarguments and then restate my claim.

Learning another language, especially one with growing global importance like Spanish, is simply invaluable. For starters, Spanish is a spot ahead (2) of English (3) in the list of languages by estimated number of speakers in the world. (Nationalencyklopedin, 2010) Spanish is spoken in over 25 different countries worldwide, including the United States. Though English is the most commonly spoken language in the U.S., 37.6 million people here speak Spanish as their first language. (Lubin, 2014) Believe it or not, analysts predict that the number 37.6 million will grow rapidly, so much so that in 50 years or so, the United States will be the largest Spanish speaking country in the world. For many, that would be enough to encourage them to learn the language, but for the students out there who are “forced” to take Spanish classes and need to know why they have to learn this wonderful language, these statistics are more than just numbers, they’re your ticket to a promising future.

Many 9th grade students out there may have some arrogant statements to make when it comes to expressing their disinterest in learning Spanish. One example of this is as follows; “This is America. I shouldn’t have to learn another language because we speak English here.” This student is correct, English is the de facto national language in the United States, but this student isn’t grasping the idea of learning another language. From this student’s standpoint, he understands the English language and he will be able to survive in the United States just fine that way. It’s hard to blame this student, for he sees successful people all around the U.S. who speak solely English. To him, speaking Spanish is useless. This student, though, is missing the point. Learning another language isn’t about getting by in daily life. Learning another language is about expanding your universe and setting yourself up for a better future.

How can learning another language expand your universe? Well, with the Hispanic population growing at such screaming high speeds, you’re bound to run into someone who speaks only Spanish in your daily life. Unfortunately, a 9th grader might say, “that’s their problem.” Once again, the 9th grader is actually right, but not in the same ways they think that they are. Many people in the U.S. who speak exclusively Spanish do have this problem, but it is merely because they are not granted the opportunity to learn English. A large majority of English speaking 9th grade students, on the other hand, have this special chance to learn another language. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity. Learning Spanish will allow you to communicate with your Spanish speaking neighbors, travel the globe with ease, and even help others, thus expanding your universe.

Learning Spanish will open up doors everywhere you look. Unemployment rates have surged recently in the United States. There are millions of qualified and competent people in this country without jobs. How is it that they are jobless while others who went to the same universities and graduated with the same grade point average are employed? The truth is, a large majority of the employed have a little something extra on their resume. That’s right, they are bilingual. A rising number of jobs are beginning to require individuals who can speak Spanish. (Planas, 2012, 1) Wake up! If you’re bilingual, you will be more marketable and have more career choices than your former monolingual self. Those who know Spanish will without a doubt have an edge in the professional world.

The benefits of learning Spanish surely didn’t come out of the blue one day. It has been known for many years that learning this language would put you at an advantage in many aspects of life. How many years has this been known? Taking a look at a piece called, “Hispania,” by E. Hills and George McCarthy can lead to that answer. Many might think a scholarly article dated all the way back to 1918 would be a waste of time to read, but it makes sense to use here because it points out how many people have been so unaware for so long about the upper edge that the understanding of this language will give someone. On page 101, the authors state, “The clear thinkers, the students who can understand that in the present we are making the future, have seen the hand-writing on the wall, that during the next decade the Spanish language will be of more practical value to the average young American than any other modern language . . .” Somebody predicted this coming all the way back in 1918! These authors were correct, and were way ahead of their time. It’s time we take their advice and make the most out of our time in the classroom in all of our lives, by introducing ourselves to the Spanish language and improving our odds of succeeding in the real world in the near future.

So much time is wasted in the classroom today by students asking this “Why?” question. Is it a valid question? Absolutely, students deserve the right to know why they have to learn this. “Students who don’t know the intention of a lesson expend precious time and energy trying to figure out what their teachers expect them to learn. And many students, exhausted

by the process, wonder why they should even care.” (Moss, C., Brookhart, S., Long, B., 2011, p.66-67) This quote from Knowing Your Learning Target is exactly why it is our duty as teachers to answer this “Why?” question, and it cannot happen if we don’t understand the importance of our content ourselves!

I will not be that teacher who cannot answer the beloved question, “why do I have to learn this?” Too many times in my academic career have I found myself asking this question and being denied an adequate answer. That was one of the worst feelings I can remember as a student, having teachers without a true passion for their subject matter. When the infamous question was asked, they eluded to generic responses that they’ve fallen in love with over the years. Replies such as, “Because it’s in your graduation requirements,” or “because the Regents will test you on it,” the list of lousy answers goes on and on. This is extremely unacceptable for me as a future Spanish teacher. If I’m going to teach something, I’m going to be passionate about it. I will not teach you just so that you can one day receive an Advanced Regents Diploma. If this is something you achieve along the way, more power to you, but I will teach you things in my Spanish classroom that will have great value years down the road. Of course I want you to do well in my class, and of course I want you to graduate with an exceptional grade point average, but it is my greatest hope that what my students learn travels way beyond an assessment. Students can know something but not understand it, so my goal as a teacher is to aim for students to understand. This means my students will not just memorize the material I teach for the sake of passing their Spanish class, rather they will engage in the material, knowing and making meaning of it, so that they can transfer their learning to new, unique, and significant situations such as conversing, traveling, and applying for jobs.

I’d like to use my experiences over the years in the Spanish classroom as an example. I began learning Spanish in 6th grade. At the end of the year, these were some of the “I can” statements I could make;

-  I can introduce myself

-  I can name colors

-  I can say the alphabet

-  I can count to 30.

This agrees with what is said by McCarthy in his “Hispania.” He says, “The first year the foundation of the lingual edifice is laid; we are initiated into the mysteries of grammar, composition, and conversation.” For the next 2 years, I was enrolled in Spanish 1. At the end of this 2 year learning period, I was able to make statements like;

-  I can participate in a simple dialogue in the present tense

-  I can count to 100

-  I can conjugate verbs in the present tense

-  I can describe things in detail

-  I can identify Spanish speaking countries and their Capitals.

This is also directly in accordance with what McCarthy believes to be the next step in learning the language. On page 101, he continues saying, “. . . we continue the erection of our “building” slowly and surely, working from the abstract to the concrete; we assemble to a practicable, working force the knowledge assimilated in the previous year. We are beginning to become conscious of our growing power and of the great value of our increasing knowledge.” Finally, I’ll list the “I can” statements I was able to make upon completion of Spanish 2 which was 9th grade.

-  I can hold an elaborate conversation talking about past or present time

-  I can tell you how I feel

-  I can tell you what things are like/ what they look like

-  I can talk about the weather and time

-  I can compose essays with minor to no errors in grammar and spelling

Once again, these “I can” statements are in unity with what is said in “Hispania.” McCarthy writes, “The third year, with increased vigor and great spontaneity of interest, we culminate our study with the most practical work possible. Now we have a personal satisfaction that we possess an inserting wedge, possibly a foundation for a very successful business career.” Now, this comprehensive list of things I was able to do as I completed just my 4th year of schooling in Spanish speaks for the potential knowledge you can gain if you continue to pursue learning this amazing language. After completing all levels of Spanish in high school, you’ll be able to...

-  Be very skillful in the language and therefore benefit in the work field

-  Speak to anybody in Spanish wherever you decide to go!

These abilities are achievable for high school graduates. Imagine then continuing studies in Spanish after finishing high school, the benefits will be endless.

You have to learn the Spanish language because it will, number one, allow you to communicate with more people than ever before. Your understanding of the language will allow you to do things you’ve never before imagined, such as traveling to any of the 25 Spanish speaking countries and interacting with people effortlessly. Secondly and more importantly, understanding this language simply gives you a better chance at succeeding in every aspect of life. Do you think there’s a chief executive officer of any company that has ever said, “this person knows too many languages, we want the people who only know English.” No way, They say exactly the opposite in fact. So, why do you have to learn this? You need to learn this because as teachers, we care about our students’ futures, and understanding this language will make your future better in every single way, from social life all the way to employment, guaranteed.

Works Cited

Hill, E., & McCarthy, G. (1918). Hispania.1(2), 99-106. Retrieved September 19, 2014, from

JSTOR.

Lubin, A. (2014, February 13). 6 Reasons Why Everyone Should Learn Spanish. Retrieved

September 24, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-for-learning-spanish-2014-2

Moss, C., Brookhart, S., Long, B. (2011, March). Knowing Your Learning Target. Retrieved

September 21, 2014, from https://lms.manhattan.edu/pluginfile.php/142866/mod_resource/content/1/Inquiry%20-%20Knowing%20Your%20Learning%20Target.pdf

Planas, R. (2012, November 4). 17 Reasons Every American Should Learn Spanish. Retrieved

September 24, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/reasons-learn-spanish_n_2070094.html

(2010). Top 100 Languages by Estimated Number of Speakers. InNationalencyklopedin(). :

Nationalencyklopedin. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://www.alsintl.com/blog/most common-languages/

Word Count

Abstract – 194 words.

Text – 1,879 words.

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