What foreign language did you take in HS?

[Mom-to-3]

Tennessee requires 2 years of the same foreign language for a college-bound diploma. DD#1 has orientation for HS this week and they want a preliminary 4 year schedule.
She can choose between Spanish, French, Latin, and German.

She says she has no interest in German or Spanish (which is spoken in more places than the others, obviously).

Why do kids take Latin? When I went to school it was for those who wanted to be doctors or lawyers.

Anything else to consider? What did you take? Would you change that now if you could?

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I took French, which was worthless.

DD and DS are currently taking Spanish. You might actually use it.

 

[helenabear]

I took two years of Spanish and two of Japanese. Truthfully Spanish is one that I could see being used the most out of all that were listed. My brother took four years of Latin in high school and he only used it in church

 

[Cindy B]

I took two years of Spanish. My only regret is that I didn't take it all four years offered.


I do use it actually. I got a job when I was in college, and I did use it quite a bit in that job. Most of it was stuff like "What are you doing?" "Is that alcohol?", or "Wait for police"

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I took two years of French, but we got a new teacher the 2nd year, who was horrible, so I didnt learn much that year I'd say that Spanish is probably the one people in the US would use the most, but I'm glad that I took French- I'm planning on temporarily moving to England in a year or two, so it will be nice to have some French background when I feel like popping over to France!

 

[grinningghost]

4 years of Spanish.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Can she get feedback from current students on the teachers? I know that sounds horrible, but as a teacher I know some of our foreign language teachers where I work don't do much at all for the kids--they could do 4 years, go to Paris and not know what anyone was saying.
I took spanish but barely remember it. I didn't want to take french--they offer german there now and I would have taken that.
Sometimes I have to read latin in my literature book, but other than that I don't know why anyone would need to know it unless, as has been said, they had an interest in law, medicine or the priesthood.
Robin M.

 

[BounceyOne]

I also took spanish and use it fairly often, but I live in NYC where it is spoken frequently. DN is on her 4th year of latin, I don't think she will ever use it in conversation, but it has helped her educationally.

French is good if you plan on visiting DLP.

 

[Lynn CC]

Spanish. I never got past Spanish 1 When they started getting into past tense and so on, I was kind of lost, so I decided not to take Spanish 2.

I help DS study his Spanish for 4 years now, whew, I could never do it, I have enough trouble trying to figure out my grammar in English.

 

[JC2]

I took Latin. I think Spanish would have been more practical for me.

 

[CamColt]

4 years of straight A's in Spanish.

 

[olena]

French

 

[kdibattista]

Latin and Spanish. Actually, Latin is a requirement and then you could choose either Spanish or French.

 

[nativetxn]

I took four years of French. Loved it, but I don't get to use it often

 

[debster812]

I took Spanish from 5th grade through graduation. I also took Latin for 3 years in HS, and it really really helped with English, especially vocabulary and SAT stuff.

 

[pixiedust218]

3 years of French. I really enjoyed it, but don't get to use it. DD who is in 5th grade has been taking French since 2nd grade. DS never took a language until this year (his first in HS), he is taking Italian.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

FRENCH

 

[jamsmom]

I took one year of Latin in High School and 2 semesters of Latin in college. I wanted something that might help me with vocabulary.

 

[supercarrie]

I started taking Spanish in middle school (you can get one year of high school credit for two years of middle school Spanish) and I started high school in Spanish 2. Next year I am taking Spanish 5 AP. I have found that it has helped me so much, especially living in Southern CA where there are many Spanish speakers.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I took two years of Latin. I should have taken 4 years of Spanish with all the non-English speaking people here in Chicago, very difficult to communicate with many people.