What language did your child take in High school?

[golfgal]

Both my kids take French. Had no choice in elementary and then why not continue in HS after 5 yrs of the language. My DD continued thru AP French and now in college is debating a French minor cause she would only need a few courses but can't decide between a French minor or an English minor. My DS is in 6th grade and has had 3 years of French and I would imagine will stay with it but who knows he may change.

DH tested out of 3 years of college Spanish when he started college. He needed 4 classes to get a major in Spanish so he took those classes (one each year) and got a double major (Economics and Spanish). He really didn't think he would use it much but his first job he worked with a lot of customers from Florida and he could understand their Spanish better than their English so he often used that instead.

I would tell your DD to get both the English and Spanish minors if it is possible-it can only help on her resume.

 

[Art 1]

Took Spanish K-8 then all 4 yrs of high school. Some universities now require 3 yrs of the same language in high school. She knew more Spanish than English until she started pre school.

 

[bumbershoot]

Honestly, I think your DD has a better chance of learning to converse with her grandmother by actually doing just that.

I completely agree.

OP, I grew up in San Jose CA, and it was handy to know Spanish. So that's what I took. Some other friends took French and Spanish (all of my friends and I started our languages in 8th grade). Today, we all use our languages to about the same extent as each other, it seems. Those of us who made fun of the French and German kids use our Spanish just as much as they use their languages. And Spanish is easy enough to pick up, if you find yourself in need of knowing the basics.


Several of my friends were from some sort of Spanish-speaking families...Mexican, Cuban, etc. Some of them took Spanish, thinking it would either be easy for them OR that it would help them at home. NONE of them found either of those to be true!

Why? Because the Spanish spoken by relatives was NOT textbook Spanish! Each family from each different area spoke it differently. One friend had a mom and grandma who spoke mainly Spanish to each other. But she ended up finding out that they had totally morphed their Spanish into Spanglish. Just like my husband's family, including their Korean-born mom, speaks "Konglish". So it made her feel funny about her relatives...for instance, "to rent" is actually alquilar, if memory serves. MOm and grandma would use the made-up verb "rentar".

She survived it, because she is IMMENSELY intelligent to begin with. Others weren't so lucky, it really mixed them up.

The Cuban-American friend really only survived the class because her mom, the caucasian-american parent, was a Spanish teacher herself! So her mom was able to help her, because the Spanish spoken in her home was not anything like what was being taught in the textbook.


So OP don't be upset by this choice. Learning Spanish in a classroom isn't really all that likely to help her with what her grandmother probably speaks. If she's interested in talking with her grandmother, she will do so. If not, a class isn't going to make her do it.

Aren't both languages similar? I have heard once you learn one it is pretty easy to pick up the other.

I think that once you take a language for a couple years and really put an effort into it, it becomes easier to pick up most languages.

I actually find a lot of similarities between Spanish (took it from 8th through 11th grade) and Japanese (12th grade and freshman year of college). Having the Spanish really helped me with Japanese.

This is kind of off topic - but do students in the US generally not take a second language before high school?

Generally speaking, that is correct. Ridiculous, isn't it?

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Let me preface that my DH speaks Spanish. My in-laws only speak spanish. My children have taken Spanish in middle school. Now going in to High School my second child has opted to not continue in Spanish. She wants to take French. Nothing against the French of course but if she took Spanish she could talk with her grandmother! She isn't fluent in Spanish yet.

But she wants to take French. And I am venting on here instead of telling her what a mistake I think she is making.

So tell me the success stories of your high schoolers language choices. My oldest took latin! At least it helps on the SAT's. What's up with them hating Spanish?

My kids took Spanish and Italian.

Today I would tell them to study Spanish and Mandarin, being the Chinese will soon own the USA.

 

[luvmy3]

My dd is not in HS yet, she is in 7th grade and its the first year of a foreign language. She is taking Spanish and plans to throughout HS. We live in an area with a large Spanish speaking population and she has some friends who speak it.
I took French in HS and never ever use it, dh did as well (and in college) and has used it on many occasions because he travels to France and Belgium for his work. I don't think he knew he would use it 20 years out of HS, I'm guessing when it came time to pick a foreign language in HS, Spanish class was already full.

 

[palavra]

I can't speak for public school. But, my son is in private and has been taking Spanish since kinder. It is required.

same here

 

[Colleen27]

I can't speak for public school. But, my son is in private and has been taking Spanish since kinder. It is required.

same here

Mine are in public and in both districts we've lived in it has been the same. Spanish is a required elective, same as art, music, and media.

 

[drag n' fly]

It is mandatory here to take French up to grade 9. Ds switched to German in grade 10 and dd will be doing the same in the fall.

 

[lpereira]

I took French in high school and college. I learned my Greek and Latin at church. I am learning Portuguese from my husband. My Spanish is "on the job" and limited to basic medical information.

The private school we hope to get our daughter into teaches Spanish and Hebrew from kindergarten. She will eventually enroll in Portuguese school which meets on the weekends- because her father speaks country Portuguese and she will need to be literate. I'm not sure but I think to get her education recognized in Brazil she has to have the culture, history, and social studies of that country. My husband could be blowing smoke on that one- I can't ever tell.

I don't think in the end it matters what language your daughter takes in high school. There are mental benefits gained from learning a foreign language that extend beyond whether or not you still know it in 10 or 15 years.

 

[agnes!]

Mine are in public and in both districts we've lived in it has been the same. Spanish is a required elective, same as art, music, and media.

Anybody else ever think that the phrase 'required electives' contradicts itself?

agnes!

 

[beaucoup]

I took French.

 

[michael61]

spanish in fla you have to know how to speak it or your in trouble here. in Miami some places wont even anser you in english so it is important to know it.

 

[Kitty 34]

My oldest son took French and Spanish

My other two sons didn't take any.

 

[coneeny4]

Both my kids are in a school that teaches Spanish from K-8.
My DD is in 7th and my DS is in 3rd.

My two DN are in high school and one takes Italian and the other takes Latin.

 

[LadyLvsTramp]

Both my children by our insitance took 3 years Spanish in high school then in college 2 years Spanish I hope someday it will serve them well. Our son is a policeman and our daughter is in Business.

 

[haydeejamison]

My kid took...

Mandarin and Spanish...

They say Mandarin is a good language too so he took it...

Spanish because we have an Spanish bloodline...

 

[ozarkmom]

I think spanish for most may be the most useful second language. I see job ads all the time seeking spanish speaking individuals. Everything from the medical field, legal, law enforcement and I noticed our local turkey processing plant is looking for supervisors, and administrators that can speak spanish. Even the bank that my brother works for is looking for individuals that can speak spanish.

 

[maelstrom]

I was pretty much forced to take Spanish in junior high and high school (I had wanted to take French, the only other language offered). In college, we had a choice of Spanish, French, Italian (doesn't go beyond two semesters of classes), or German (usually got cancelled because not enough people signed up). I took Spanish again and still hate it and still suck at it.

My dad took Russian in high school and I wish that I had that opportunity.

I'm jealous of your kids' schools that offer Japanese, Mandarin, Latin, etc.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I would have liked to see Mandarin, CHinese offered.
My child refused to take Spanish so it is Italian and German. We are paying OOP over summer for a Xtra language, Mandarin!