Things you shouldn't say to me, Number 1 of N

[hennyanya]

At Ian's school this evening, we had the parent's orientation - I observed under my breath that the kids are not taking a foreign language class this year. A mom sitting next to me responded by saying, "Well, I thought that teaching them French was a waste of time

Comments

[heartsease]

Oh. Oh my. I can only imagine.

And of all the languages to pick. You know, i had a conversation with a customer who was selling us a bunch of Russian book this week about the lack of anything resembling a true "liberal" education in the old fashioned sense. I think it's horrifying AND it contributed to the lack o understanding and tolerance we are suffering from now. In tackling a different language, we learn so much more than how to communicate.

I declare, I was born in the wrong century.

[hennyanya]

I'm pretty sure I made the Birdface at her, but she wasn't looking at me and left before I could say anything else to her.

Learning any other language is NEVER a waste of time.

[missysedai]

Hah! I've been in outright brawls with other parents over this.

I've told the Monsters "I don't care what foreign language you learn, but learn at least one." I've said this in the hearing of other parents and have been told "That's so STUPID!"

(They tend to shut the fuck up when I give them The Stare while one of the Monsters says "Uh, you know she used to teach German, right?")

[ceara]

There are quite a few ways in which learning another language helps teach a person to think, period. It breaks us out of the way in which our own language frames our view of the world.