Trevor+G’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016

OG Tmasta


 * Die Zukunft **

Wir haben ein großes Problem hier, niemand weiß, was ich sage. Wir können nicht so weitermachen. //We have a big problem here, nobody know's what I am saying. We cannot continue like this.//

Tenemos un grande problema aquí, solo pocas personas saben lo que digo. No podemos continuar as í. //We have a big problem here, only few people know what I am saying. We cannot continue like this.//

We have a big problem here, I could have said the most slanderous, inappropriate thing, and my guess is very few people would have picked up on it.

We have an internal problem in our society that isn’t receiving any attention. The government deemed it unimportant to set aside time in school to learn foreign languages. It seems like a small, insignificant part of our high school career, that's because unfortunately it is. It is a tremendous problem that we aren’t doing anything about. There are many underlying reasons to learn a foreign language and learning a foreign language comes with many more benefits than we are aware of.

Learning a foreign tongue is more advantageous than just being able to speak another language. Psychologist Ellen Bialystok at New York University in Toronto discovered that students who study foreign languages tend to score higher than monolingual students, typically in math, reading and vocabulary. This means that learning another language is just as important as taking a complicated math class.

Few people who take AP calculus actually go on to pursue it in a career, but the class was still helpful because it taught the student how to think in different ways. Although they are different subjects, both languages and math teach the brain to think differently and more creatively. This is the whole point of taking such advanced classes. It teaches us how to think. This is the same principal for learning Spanish, except Spanish is a skill that you will be able to carry and use forever. Also, studies show that bilingual people are less likely to contract alzheimer's and dementia. It promotes healthy cognitive brain function and has long term benefits.

According to Pew research, the majority of Europe requires students to learn 1-2 languages throughout their school career. It is not a coincidence that many European countries are globally ranked higher in education than the US. The proof is out there, yet we have refused to change our education system to help aid students to learn another language. This only further contributes to the bad reputation America has given itself.

The United States government needs to not only require the language skill earlier, but also for more than only two years. It is a joke that students can get off with only scraping by with two years of a foreign language. Only having 2 years of experience is not enough to hold a decent conversation, this is why we must require at least 4 years of foreign languages.

Even here at Foothill, the best high school in Ventura and here we only have one language to offer. If anyone wanted to further express their interest in learning something other than Spanish, they don’t really have an option other than barnes and noble or going through the strenuous process of taking it at the college across the street.

I am a little biased because languages happen to be the most interesting subject to me. In my opinion, being able to express your thoughts and feelings in such a way that nobody understands you in a cool feeling. Saying what is actually on your mind when you are assigned pages of homework after a test and you can freely express your opinion with no consequences.

Languages are the most applicable skill that we learn in high school. Spanish is one of the only skills that I learned l that I have used in the real world. When I worked in a sushi restaurant, although everyone i worked with was fluent in english, the chosen language to speak was Spanish. I would have been left in the dust if i didn’t have a little spanish in my tool box.

Not only was having this job great, but it was a great learning opportunity. Being in this environment where all i heard was spanish spiked the learning curve and i picked up more in just a few weeks than I did for months at school. The true way to acquire a language is to put yourself in an environment where all you hear is the language.

This is why we need not only to teach students these languages, but also the parents. The skills taught in school are forgotten very quickly if they are not used at home and outside of school, so parents need to get on board with this too so they can help their children.

I know that it is unrealistic and idealistic to have our entire country get on board with this, so we at least have to help the future generations by starting now, and not waiting until it is too late for them too.

There are a vast amount of jobs out in the world for monolingual Americans, but there is a huge amount of doors that open when you are fluent in another language. For example my grandpa was a bilingual Lawyer back in his day. Being fluent in German and English gave him so many more opportunities to travel, work, and make more money. By traveling between Germany, Europe and America, he gained so much experience and knowledge which benefited him in the long run.

Language is an art given to us by the gods above, and it is disrespectful to waste such a beautiful art. Language is very similar to learning an instrument, in fact the brain has similarities in learning them both. To me, listening to people speak in other languages is similar to listening to beautiful opera, I don’t have the slightest clue of what people are saying, but I still have a sense of understanding, a connection.

I am far from fluent in both German and Spanish, but I have now spent years trying to learn both and I can say that I have come a long way, but still have a long way to go. For those who were lucky enough to travel internationally like myself, it’s easy to say that the culture of other countries has an everlasting impact, no matter where you visit. Speaking even a little bit of the language of the country you visit makes the journey that much more special.

It’s an indescribable feeling, being able to travel, explore, meet new people, try new foods, embrace the real world. To me, this is what it’s all about, why we work so hard in school, why we struggle so much, it’s for those moments, moments that we will undoubtedly remember forever.

Americans are notorious for being oblivious to other cultures. We need to break this reputation and show the world that we care. In this case, words are actions, and we need to speak now.

Dies ist das Amerika, das ich in leben wollen. //This is the America I want to live in.//

Este es la América en que quiero vivir //This is the America I want to live in.//

This is the America I want to live in.

Merci // Thank You //


 * Sources **

[|__http://www.medicaldaily.com/pulse/bilingualism-and-brain-health-learning-second-language-boosts-cognitive-function-even-343132__]

[|__http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/13/learning-a-foreign-language-a-must-in-europe-not-so-in-america/__]

[|__http://www.mbctimes.com/english/20-best-education-systems-world__]