I think learning a second language should be part of elementary education but it doesn’t necessarily have to be Spanish, though it should be one of the languages offered - here, being so close to Quebec, our kids learn French starting in the second grade all the way through 8th and then they choose to either stay with it or learn another language (Spanish or German) in high school - but I do think English grammar needs to make a comeback in the school - my kids don’t even know how to graph a sentence - ack! I took Latin which I think should be offered more often than it is - I have a good friend who is a Latin teacher and he has turned kids around in their speech from learning Latin!

As a lifelong educator, I am 100% in favor of offering a myriad of languages as options, but until we do a much better job of teaching English, this country has absolutely no business mandating another language. Have you listened to middle school, high school and even college student speak these days? Have you read their ‘printing’ (kids seldom use cursive writing anymore)? Deplorable!

In most countries, children are taught thier native languaga, and English. The kids are picking it up from each other anyway, enchancing communication from a young age is not a bad idea. My grandson already speaks spanish and is studying Japaneese by choice. If we truly want a unified world, the children are the future building blocks of accomplishing this goal. Blessings, Linda

I voted yes because I think that the way the world is going… our children need to speak a second language to be competitive. The world is getting smaller every day. Not to mention that our country is hugely spanish speaking. so why not? what is the harm in it? I love the idea of our children being bilingual.

I don’t see anything wrong or threatening about kids learning second languages. They’ve been doing it all over the world for decades. Plus, it’s good work for the brain, and it gives a kid a huge sense of accomplishment.

Only English should be taught as a mandatory subject. Other languages could be available (as funding permits) for interested students to sign up for as an elective subject. A proficiency in English should be required for a high school diploma. Some colleges require HS credits in other languages so students could be aware that admission to a college of their choice require a second language credits. I took Latin, Italian and German..havn’t used any of those to any extent over my lifetime, but Im also not an international traveler. I learned “barn Spanish” fromthe experience of having Mexican men work in the horse training barns as grooms and trainers. Schools are already underfunded for anything but the basic 3 Rs and in too many cases, not doing a good job of that. If language classes other than English were optional and perhaps carried a fee that would appeal to interested parents and students. In my grandsons school, advanced art, music and drama are available that way..Parents pay for their kids to be in those classes and the classes are full. This type of class is also taught some weeks in the summer. The other classes that seem to be full are remedial English and not all the students in there are immigrants children. Youngsters who hope to get good jobs and prosper in the US must speak English fluently and have a good vocabulary as well.

Americans are so fiercely independent that the word “mandatory” raises our hackles and we immediately make arguments about why our children should not be required to learn a “foreign” language. The truth is that Spanish is a great language to study, consistent in spelling, grammar and pronunciation; whereas, English is a mishmash of several linguistic influences with more grammatical and pronunciation exceptions than you can count. I’ve been involved with teaching/adminstrating ESL/EFL programs for over thirty years, and I can attest to the fact that no one over 14 or 15 learns English easily. However, it’s taught all over the world because it is the language of commerce, with Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic closely following. Before their brains lateralize, children can easily learn several languages; after puberty, it becomes more difficult, but certainly not impossible. This makes a good case for introducing languages early in the school curriculum, and our schools almost completely ignore that opportunity. Even when the “language muscle” isn’t used for several years, our memories file away some capability so that we can call upon a good bit of what we learned as children. I should have encouraged my own children to learn Chinese and Arabic, as well as Spanish, but I didn’t. If I’d done so, they would have been able to write their own career tickets. And they would have been able to read some of the most beautiful literature and poetry ever written. If I had it to do over again, I would have studied several languages, early on. As it was, I had four years of French, which I rarely used and have mostly forgotten. When I realized that Spanish was the language I should have learned it was far too late to become as fluent as I would have liked. I doubt that it will ever become mandatory in American schools, but parents with vision, who want their children to have expanded personal and professional opportunities, will see to it that their children learn Spanish and at least one other language while their minds are flexible and receptive.