How to Experience the World One Word At A Time by Laura

How to Experience the World One Word At A Time by Laura - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

America is known as the great melting pot, of which is created by different cultures. These cultures bring forth their own traditions, even more importantly their language. In today’s society that we live in everything is fast pace. People want to know what is going on in the world, and especially what is impacting them. To do this people must listen to information that is conveyed to them from communicating, watching television or even reading newspapers. Yet sometimes there is communication barriers. Not everyone speaks the same languages. This barrier can make it hard to efficiently communicate ideas or information.
This is why if I had to become a teacher, the academic subject I would teach is foreign languages. Currently in America it can be seen that many people do not speak English as their first languages. English is slowly starting to lose its title as the most spoken language in America. Languages such as Spanish, Chinese, French, Tagalog and many other languages are slowly gaining popularity of usage.
What does all this mean though? That most people don’t speak English or that English is slowly going to be an unpopular language? No, this stresses the importance that learning a new language can be beneficial in a multitude of ways. In all the interviews that I have experience the one question that I have been frequently asked is, “Can you speak another language?”. Having the ability to speak another language tremendously helps facilitate a work environment. When people can effectively commutate with one another it takes away the stress of not being able to give orders, directions or express your thoughts. Being bilingual or multilingual not only give you an advantage in you field of work but it can also make the work day much smoother.
Although it is helpful when working to learn another language, this is not the only reason why learning is important. When learning a new language you are not only learning how to speak. You learn about a different group of people’s culture and customs. Learning of these customs not let you to fit in better with other cultures but it gives you more knowledge about the world that we live in today. Being aware of how other people act, talk, live, and express their ideas can help you make sense of a world outside your own. This can give people a new perspective on many different things, which is extremely important to not only have a one sided view of life.
Lastly, learning foreign languages can provide numerous health benefits. Many people say that when they start learning a new languages they are shy and feel uncomfortable talking in it. This anxiety can steer many people away from learning. Yet when people are able to conquer this fear they gain a new confidence. This confidence can be carried over when a person is trying to succeed in a differing subject or even trying to get the courage to talk to a new person who does speaks a different language. Furthermore once one language is mastered many people find it easier to learn a new one. This pattern continues and can only benefit people in the future.
For these reasons, this is why I would want to be a foreign language teacher if the roles were reverse. When I was four years old I was taken to a Hebrew school. Here they taught us how to read Hebrew and speak it. Since I was little I thought nothing of it, but as I got older I realized how important it was to learn a new language. This language brought me closer to my culture it made me feel proud to be who I am. It made me feel unique as most people I knew did not know how to speak another language. Furthermore it gave me confidence that if I ever needed to I would have no problem talking in public.
A while later I was in 7th grade where I was introduced to my first formal curriculum of learning another language. As I continued my Spanish career throughout middle school and into high school I saw many kids struggle learning it. I never had a problem learning it which I thought was strange. Then it struck me that I knew other languages which were classified as “harder” to learn than Spanish. I was able to see firsthand how knowing another language helped me succeed in my academic studies. All these things further motivated me to peruse learning languages and get better each and every day. Now I am currently in AP Spanish, can effectively speak four languages and am planning on double majoring with Fishery and Spanish in college.
I would not be where I am today without the help of my foreign language instructors. Due to them I catch the eyes of every interviewer with my language abilities. My instructors have not only taught me how to communicate with people but also how to bond with them. I am culturally aware of the world and I know how people act in different areas. They have shown me how to gain a new perspective of the world that I live in and appreciate each culture for what it is. This is why I would chose the academic subject of foreign languages.