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In this day and age, people think education should lead to a good job and a high socioeconomic status.
That is the (unspoken) elephant in the room.
People may pay lip service to things like cultural literacy, but nobody really cares about that.
School-wise, I was from a community that was very much into things other than just $$$. We had a full time orchestra teacher, a full time band teacher, and a full time drama teacher in a school of under 1,000 students (most of the time), and those programs were, literally, in demand. Along with a huge 2-part gifted program. The latter was about $$$, but the former was about cultural awareness.
School-wise, I was from a community that was very much into things other than just $$$. We had a full time orchestra teacher, a full time band teacher, and a full time drama teacher in a school of under 1,000 students (most of the time), and those programs were, literally, in demand. Along with a huge 2-part gifted program. The latter was about $$$, but the former was about cultural awareness.
From how you e described the parents, they already have the financial aspect covered so they have the luxury of the cultural self actualization aspect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk
Earning a living is, so to speak, "job one." Once survival needs are handled, one can look forward to self-actualization.
From how you e described the parents, they already have the financial aspect covered so they have the luxury of the cultural self actualization aspect.
You always leave out a big part of the story. Yes, we had some very rich parents. And we had kids on free and reduced lunch. And quite a few kids in the lower middle class.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
The most important reason for learning a foreign language is...help you understand understand and learn about the local ... Culture.
But in terms of helping with your professional career ......
Consider it a learning opportunity to communicate and negotiate with non-english speaking cultures.
Many USA fortune 500 companies are owned by non English speakers.
I worked for a true blue USA founded company, but few of my bosses were USA based. My role was supplying our factories ALL on foreign soil, with parts made from around the world. Even occasionally parts produced in the USA
It's a very broad world of exposure for new employees. The best help we can give them is core, basic education, and the tools to learn for life, regardless of their future path or exposure. Be equipped and practice the habit of learning in and from all adventures.
I have no incentive to learn languages for my sole and selfish use. (Nor would I).
There's a much broader application and purpose, the ME, Me, me.
Same with Stem. It was to open my mind and to pass along my skillset and interests. (Ie, largely a career necessity)
Very few of the master teachers of my apprenticeship were native English speakers. It was an effort for all of us to communicate. There were certainly those apprentices and engineers who would only communicate in English. To their detriment.
The most important reason for learning a foreign language is if you plan on visiting or living in a country where that language is spoken.
It will certainly help you communicate better with the local population.
But in terms of helping with your professional career if you're working for an employer in the United States, I don't buy it.
There appears to be a positive relationship among learning/thinking in a foreign language, neuroplasticity, and dementia. This isn't my field, so I'll defer to any subject matter expert... but the idea is that foreign languages can help your brain delay the onset of dementia.
A knowledge of German continues to be immensely useful for aeronautical engineers in particular, and for practitioners in mechanical-type of engineering or even in physics in general.
Quote:
Originally Posted by compSciGuy
The requirement of French, German, or Russian for the math and physics department is the principle reason I got a BS in Computer Science instead.
The European Patent Office is in Munich; most business is conducted in German.
Of course, to become a patent attorney, you first need to be a scientist (hard science) or engineer.
You always leave out a big part of the story. Yes, we had some very rich parents. And we had kids on free and reduced lunch. And quite a few kids in the lower middle class.
And which ones footed the bill for all the wonderful things you school did? If you didnt have the tax base they provide..... one group is paying g the bill because they have reached the actualization level and the other gets it for free.
There appears to be a positive relationship among learning/thinking in a foreign language, neuroplasticity, and dementia. This isn't my field, so I'll defer to any subject matter expert... but the idea is that foreign languages can help your brain delay the onset of dementia.
Ah sort of...
"In the study, Grundy notes that bilingualism does not prevent or reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, it’s a form of cognitive reserve, like a demanding career or exercise, that strengthens and reorganizes the brain’s circuits, helping to fight off the initial symptoms of dementia until later in life."
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