Learning a languages that is not English should be required in middle & elementary school in the US

The difficulty of learning another language is the application. We are not practicing it on a daily basis. Classroom language doesn't prepare you for speaking the language. Living in a country or a community that speaks the language you want to learn helps more than a classroom. Europe is not more pro language than us, it is based on economics. There is an economic desire to learn these languages. We are heading towards that with the globalization of our economy, but only that will bring us closer to knowing more than english. In Europe it is out of necessity in America its too enrich us. Inevitably Europeans are enriched because they know languages beyond their native tongue.

i don't see the US learning another language just for fun. It takes more than a desire, it takes a need. Out of need come great things.

WOW I FORGOT TO ADDRESS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! I DONT THINK IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO LEARN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE IN JUNIOR HIGH. I THINK IT SHOULD BE THE STUDENTS CHOICE. SOME STUDENTS MIGHT ALREADY HAVE OTHER THINGS THEY WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE AND SOME MIGHT ALREADY HAVE TOO MUCH ON THEIR PLATE. IT JUST WOULDN'T BE RIGHT TO FORCE THEM TO LEARN SOMETHING THEY MIGHT NOT EVEN BE INTERESTED IN WHEN THEY ALREADY HAVE TO LEARN MATH, ENGLISH, SCIENCE, AND SO ON..

SINCERELY, A VERY SLEEPY SANDRA RAMIREZ

GOOD NIGHT!!

P.S. THANKS FOR THE TOPIC

I AM REALLY SURPRISED THAT NOTHIN WAS ARGUED FOR THIS TOPIC. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SINCE WE ARE IN AMERICA EVERYONE SHOULD SPEAK ENGLISH, THEREFORE THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR OUR CHILDREN TO LEARN ANYTHING OTHER THAN ENGLISH. I PERSONALLY DONT BELIEVE THIS SINCE I MYSELF SPEAK BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND ALSO TOOK FRENCH IN HIGH SCHOOL,BUT IT SURPRISES ME THAT IT WASN'T BROUGHT UP.I BELIEVE IF LEARNING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN STARTING AT A JUNIOR HIGH OR EVEN ELEMENTARY,WHERE THEY CAN CHOOSE WHAT THEY LIKE AND MAYBE CARRY IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO COLLEGE, THEY COULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE AT BECOMING FLUENT IN THE LANGUAGE THEY CHOSE. I DISAGREE THAT LEARNING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE WOULD BE TOO DIFFICULT BECAUSE CHILDREN TEND TO LEARN MUCH QUICKER THAN MOST ADULTS AND IF THEY START YOUNG AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE YEARS THEN THEY WOULD HAVE MORE TIME FOR THE LANGUAGE TO BECOME EMBEDDED IN THEIR MIND. WHAT I DONT UNDERSTAND IS HOW LEARNING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE WOULD REDUCE RACISM, BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND A LANGUAGE DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY AGREE WITH THERE CULTURE AND OR THEIR CUSTOMS. BASICALLY TEACHING AN OLD DOG A NEW TRICK DOESN'T MEAN THE DOG WILL LIKE YOU? WELL ON THE BETTER COMMUNICATION TOPIC I THINK THAT STATEMENT ONLY BECOME TRUE IF EACH CHILD WERE TO LEARN THE SAME LANGUAGES (ENGLISH AS A PRIME OF COURSE) AND IF EVERYONE IN THE US WAS ABLE TO BECOME EDUCATED? BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT DONT SPEAK ENGLISH ARE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES IN THE US AND I DOUBT THAT THEY ALL WILL, NO MATTER WHAT THERE WILL STILL BE SOME PROBLEMS IN THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION. SO BASICALLY MY OPINION HAVING OUR CHILDREN START YOUNG AT HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE WOULD BENEFIT THEIR LIVES. I DONT BELIEVE IT WILL REDUCE RACISM UNLESS THEY WERE TAUGHT MORE ABOUT WHERE IT CAME FROM AND BEING ABLE TO ACCEPT.(IF IM NOT MAKING SENCE, SORRY ITS HELLA LATE)

Although I think neither deserve a good vote, I am voting for PRO since CON did not refute any of his arguments and set a single, VERY refuttabel idea, that had no backup whatsoever.

I even disagree with PRO, but I am voting for him.

I refuse to vote on this, it was horrible on both sides, especially for a one round debate. Probably a guy debating with a sock accunt to get a better win record on his main.