Je veux voyager. Yo quiero viajar. I want to travel. Maybe you know what one of the aforementioned sentences means. But being able to communicate comfortably in that language is another story.
The phrases, sentences and vocabulary that we learn in language classes set us on the road to proficiency, but most of this knowledge dissipates due to disuse. Though Stuyvesant’s foreign language program currently offers a diverse selection of course options, few students have the opportunity to practice their language of choice outside of a 41-minute class period and nightly homework.
Stuyvesant should encourage students to become fluent in a foreign language by offering foreign exchange programs. Assistant Principal World Language Arlene Ubieta said traveling is “not just about the language. It’s about the people you meet. It’s about a different culture.” If the school truly believes this, it should consider implementing such a program.
As globalization increases, it is becoming more important to be able to communicate with people from other countries. The United States is far behind the rest of the world in this movement.
This summer, my family and I spent two-and-a-half weeks traveling in Spain. I wanted to gain foreign experience and maybe improve my Spanish skills. Especially in larger cities, however, almost everyone knew more English than I knew Spanish.
While waiting in the lobby of our hotel in Granada, I overheard the receptionist check in three different groups of people in three different languages. As far as I could surmise, she spoke all three languages fluently. Maybe my goal to improve my Spanish skills enough to be able to get by wasn’t lofty enough.
In Europe, entirely different cultures and languages exist just across borders, encouraging people to learn multiple languages. But in the United States, few of us live near countries where a language other than English is spoken.
To address this issue, some New York City high schools, public and private, offer their students the option of studying abroad for a semester.
Before 2002, some Stuyvesant students also had this option. The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation sponsored a foreign exchange program for Stuyvesant sophomores and juniors.
A participating Stuyvesant student would host the European student for the fall semester, and then go abroad in the spring. Visiting students would enroll in Stuyvesant for the semester, and Stuyvesant students would keep up with their courses at the European schools, which were often international schools.
The school administration is concerned that, with such programs, students “would lose valuable instructional time, even though they would gain so much from the experience,” said Ubieta. But Stuyvesant students handled their courses when the program was in place.
During the selection process, students had to be interviewed and write an essay—only highly motivated students would even be offered the chance to participate. Additionally, only foreign schools capable of offering a comparatively rigorous education would be allowed to participate in the exchange.
There are also existing exchange programs not affiliated with Stuy that students can research and participate in on an individual basis. However, in these cases, students run the risk of not being allowed return to Stuyvesant, at the discretion of the principal. The administration should instead be more open to allowing exchanges on an individual basis if students demonstrate a commitment to their coursework.
In the meantime, summer programs such as Experiment for Living present excellent alternatives for individuals who wish to spend a month in another country. School breaks are also an opportunity totravel abroad. The Beacon School, another New York City public high school, sponsors exchange programs to multiple countries during Thanksgiving and February breaks. While immersion for only two weeks is not ideal, it is an option Stuyvesant should seriously consider.
Americans need to understand the importance of speaking other languages and appreciating other cultures. Stuyvesant has taken a small step by changing the title of the Foreign Language department to the more accepting World Language department. But this attitude shift must also be developed into a curriculum change. Stuyvesant, and the United States in general, needs to re-think its approach to teaching languages.