Foreign languages reach local elementary schools

by Erin Eisinger
FOR THE POST

Want to be smarter? Learn a foreign language - and do it while you're young, if possible. While foreign language education is trickling into Athens, Ohio University student volunteers are making the trickle a rush by taking teaching into their own hands.

The advantages of speaking a foreign language are extensive. According to the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages Web site (http://www.adfl.org/resources/knowing_other_languages.htm), knowing another language will improve grades and entrance exam scores, enhance analytic and interpretive capacities, increase job opportunities, and help people connect with other cultures.

According to ADFL, once one language is learned, studying another one is easier. But when is the best time to start learning another language?

"When they are babies," said Emilia Marks, an OU modern language professor. "But if not, as soon as possible. Kindergarten, elementary school - when their brains want to learn."

But many elementary students do not have access to this kind of education, and some do not even have much exposure until college. Although speaking a foreign language might be seen as exotic and impressive, many students find it almost impossible to pick up and view the idea of fluency as a joke.

"Learning foreign language in college is just too hard," said Jessica Willis, a second year OU student studying Italian.

"Kids learn languages so much more easily...I wish I would have had the opportunity to learn (a second language) when I was younger."

Despite many students' disgruntled attitudes towards foreign languages, colleges still mandate them. Most OU colleges allow foreign language to fulfill a Tier II requirement. Kathy Schumacher, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the reason the college requires a foreign language is because all evidence points to its importance in the global community.

"Alumni and board members always come back and tell us, 'Make sure your kids can speak another language.'" she said.

But most students are not taking advantage of the opportunity to learn foreign languages. In fact, many will do just about anything to avoid them because, as Willis said, many students find it too hard.

According to an information sheet from the Ohio Foreign Language Association, children acquire foreign languages more naturally and efficiently. Children in foreign language programs have greater cognitive development, creativity and divergent thinking than monolingual children. Most important, the OFLA said foreign language study should be part of a long-term curriculum, and ensures parents and teachers it will not take away from the acquisition of other subjects.

The state of Ohio does not mandate foreign language education, but this will change soon. According to the Ohio Department of Education Web site (http://www.ode.state.oh.us/ca/ci/), the department is drafting an Academic Content Standard that is the "cornerstone of a strong educational system." The draft, which will design a standard curriculum throughout Ohio, will include world languages.

The Joint Council, a group consisting of members from both the Ohio Board of Regents and the State Board of Education, will design the draft in 2001, said Virginia Ballinger, Ohio Department of Education foreign language consultant. The curriculum focuses on helping high school graduates make a smooth transition into college and the workplace, she said. The specific curriculum has not been decided yet.

But many school officials and community members are not willing to wait. In an effort to bring foreign language programs to Athens, Pam Andrews, coordinator of gifted services for Athens City Schools, and Barbara Reichenbach, OU modern languages professor, have set up a volunteer program with OU students.

The program, which launched Winter Quarter as a part of Kids on Campus, uses OU students to teach Spanish and French in local elementary schools. It is comprised of OU students who are taking or have completed at least 300-level Spanish or French classes. The volunteers undergo an application process and a brief training before teaching for about eight weeks of the quarter. Although the volunteers follow a rough lesson plan, most of the class consists of his or her personal approaches to teaching foreign language.

Allison Hrovat, OU junior and volunteer Spanish teacher, said she finds the program to be rewarding, but it takes more time to prepare than she had anticipated.

"But I don't mind the work. In fact, I think it's fun, and I feel like I'm really making a difference," she said.

Reichenbach, who has been teaching for 32 years, said she became interested in foreign language when she could not communicate with her Slavic-speaking grandmother. She also credits some of her foreign language teachers with further inspiring her love for languages. But more than just being an interest, Reichenbach said learning a foreign language is going to be essential in the near future.

"It just makes sense," she said. "When statistics project that by 2020 more than 20 percent of the population is going to be Spanish-speaking, why wouldn't schools be teaching it?"

Reichenbach said she was not satisfied with the program only being offered at the schools that were involved in Kids on Campus. She said the program was offered after school, and by 5 p.m. kids were not paying attention - they were tired. Second, it limited the number of students who could access the program, because it was an after-school enrichment program and not part of the classroom curriculum.

This year, the program is called Foreign Language in Elementary Schools and is offered during the day. The elementary school teachers are involved. While FLES is playing a more active role in many Athens-area schools, it is not mandated. There are not enough volunteers to fill all the empty classrooms, Reichenbach said.

"The kids love it. The parents love it," Andrews said. "And it gives the students the exposure they need to other languages and other cultures."