Are There Any Schools That Don't Force Spanish? (Atlanta: elementary school, college)

[Lqfite]

I would like to move to Atlanta one day, but I'm not impressed with the schools. Public schools are out of question, so don't even suggest that. I was looking into private schools(both religious and secular) and it seems that every single one I've looked into requires the students to learn Spanish. Now, I'm all for my child to learn Spanish if that's what they want, but I don't like the fact that ALL(at least the ones I seen) of the pre-k and elementary programs force the students to learn it.

Sorry if I sound like a bigot, cause I'm not. I just don't think its a good idea to confuse young children who are trying to learn our language(English) and end up getting confused with another language.

[mco65]

Gwinnett County public schools are among the best public schools in the country..
Gwinnett Schools Win Prestigious Prize

Also, I don't know of any PRIVATE Schools in the state that require SPANISH, at least not at the elementary age when kids are still learning English????!!!!!

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by mco65

Gwinnett County public schools are among the best public schools in the country..
Gwinnett Schools Win Prestigious Prize

Also, I don't know of any PRIVATE Schools in the state that require SPANISH, at least not at the elementary age when kids are still learning English????!!!!!

I don't know of any...

[sjuraud]

Yeah, I've never heard of that being forced in school here either. I might be wrong though. Studies have shown that younger kids can learn and absorb languages better than older people do. I've also heard that once a person learns a second language, learning additional ones comes easier. I have plenty of friends that come from multi-lingual backgrounds and they never had any problems separating the languages they know. A large percentage of people in Europe (I've lived in a few countries there a few times) even typically speak 3 – 5 languages. I'm guessing this is because they grew up around them. I had a girlfriend a long time ago and her parents were from Hungary. Her mother spoke 15 languages fluently! With the large Hispanic population here in Atlanta it's even possible that your child/children would pick up some Spanish without even being in a class for it. I know my sister's son has learned to speak some Spanish because of friends he has at school (Elementary school) that speak it. My wife's cousin is Korean but grew up mostly in the US. Her husband is from Columbia and he also mostly grew up here. So they are teaching their young son Spanish, English & Korean all at the same time. He doesn't have a problem discerning between any of the three even though they switch between all three languages all the time with him. So I think that exposure to whatever language it might be, could only be seen as positive.

[AcidSnake]

I wished I was encouraged to learn another language. Why do my fellow Americans trend towards insularity and closed-mindedness? How do we advance as a people?

It's no small wonder that so many other countries are beating us in the education department! Depressing...

[testa50]

Why wouldn't you want your kids to learn Spanish at the age when they're most able to retain and learn new languages?

Knowing Spanish will improve your child's knowledge of English, not diminish it. For example if your kid learns the word for "dangerous" in Spanish ("peligroso"), s/he'll probably be able to deduct what the word "perilous" in English means. Ditto the place where you live in college (a "dormitory") and the word sleep ("dormir"). Or what it means for a relationship to be amicable ("amable" means "nice"). These are a few examples of hundreds: Spanish and English are very interrelated, and knowing one improves your understanding of the other.

Plus it's not like learning a second language will "confuse" your kid. The vast majority of learning in one's native language comes from life outside school. All you'll be doing by having them learn Spanish at a really young age is making their lives a LOT easier when they have to learn it in high school/college/for work.

[sjuraud]

I agree with the other posters and will also add that knowing more than one language can really help in any type of business situation that one might find themselves in. Probably 4 of the most important languages to learn for business reasons on this earth are Chinese (Mandarin), English, Indian (Hindi) & Spanish. Why? They are the most spoken languages on this planet.

[mco65]

FWIW, Spanish is not even an option in Elementary school.. not in Gwinnett County anyway. They have specific classes with no electives that I am aware of. Spanish aint one of 'em.

Obviously Spanish is available in High School and I think kids are required to take a foreign language but it could be French or Spanish...

I don't think there is any doubt that learning Spanish as well as English will help a student excel in all aspects of life. I wish I was fluent in Spanish..

[Febtober]

Wow, thank God my mother wasn't so insular that she didn't want me to study new languages at a young age when my mind was best prepared for it.

Although there have been some horrible side effects, such as having multiple high paying job offers from every corner of the country and - oh wait.

So tell us, why exactly do you hate your child so much?

Originally Posted by Lqfite

Sorry if I sound like a bigot, cause I'm not.

Oh, good

[testa50]

Originally Posted by sjuraud

I agree with the other posters and will also add that knowing more than one language can really help in any type of business situation that one might find themselves in. Probably 4 of the most important languages to learn for business reasons on this earth are Chinese (Mandarin), English, Indian (Hindi) & Spanish. Why? They are the most spoken languages on this planet.

French also deserves to be on the list. It's hugely important in Africa, the Middle East, as well as...France. It was the diplomatic language up until the rise of the US.