Let's become bilingual early!

Why is it that a second language is taught in high school? Why is it that it is taught like a list of facts to memorize? Why is it that the majority of the population don't speak more than a few words or sentences of another language, when they took at least a year of foreign language in high school?

I believe that a second language enriches an education in amazing ways I can barely begin to imagine! And I believe that, like writing, a language is something which is acquired, not taught. And this should happen well before high school! The older a child gets, the harder it is to learn a language. Don't we all know this? But who acts on it? Too few, too few. I've always been interested in languages, even since I was a small child. And even though I knew it would be harder to acquire them when I was older, I hardly looked into learning at all. Sure, I glanced at some Sign Language and Spanish dictionaries or curriculums... but I didn't commit myself and follow through. I wish it had been part of the education I was given, instead of an interest on the side which I could postpone.

Don't take me wrong - it's never too late to learn a language, if you are interested. I took one year of Sign Language and one year of Spanish in high school, and I plan on acquiring more, until at last I am fluent in these. But that is for my own interest. I believe that a young student should become fluent during their elementary years. Think Rosetta Stone. It's a software which teaches by pictures and situations, dynamic immersion, it is called, which basically means picking up the language the way a baby picks up their first language. You can give it a go on the free demo here: http://www.rosettastone.com/demo#

In elementary school, children could easily become fluent, whether you use Rosetta Stone or find another good source. How about a trip to the zoo or a nature walk where no English will be spoken? How about writing letters to each other in the second language? Fun, fun! Like writing or speaking in a secret code! How about going to the library events where people gather to practice their foreign language fluency? How about reading books/listening to audiobooks which are in/have been translated to that language? I've enjoyed Spanish audiobooks of the Narnia series! But the point is, language learning should be alive and part of the student's world, not merely a lesson in a book where they get graded on how well they remember the meaning of words. No, let life bring the joy of learning and the reason of learning! Let there be a reason to remember how to speak these foreign words. Let them be a fascinating and challenging method of communication, not the most boring of all boring subjects!

Even if you don't speak another language, you can learn right along with the children! They'll learn faster, but they will help you, and it will be lots of fun. ;D And they will thank you later for this gift you've given them, at the time in their lives when their minds were most able to receive it.