By Alex Johnson
Staff Writer
Richmond High School has offered Spanish and French courses for decades, allowing any student to begin their journey of learning a second language. Being knowledgeable in more than one language opens your eyes to a culture that expresses feelings and ideas in a way others don’t. Someone who’s mastered to showcase the beauty of foreign language to others is Ms.DeMotte, a Spanish teacher.
Spending hours preparing lessons for her students, she does so with the hope that students will use what they learn to break their silence with others.
“I really like the idea that, when teaching a new language, I can inspire my students to gain values of empathy, love, understanding of others and the difference that we may have,” Ms.DeMotte explained, “Essentially, my favorite part of teaching a foreign language is the ability to break barriers and build bridges.”
Ms.DeMotte makes sure her lessons incorporate relevant topics relating to her students' day lives, along with necessary conversations about a variety of cultures and ethnicities. In order for students to apply these lessons to real life situations, routines are vital to one's capability. Routines vary from person to person, but most students feel the most comfortable learning in a classroom environment daily.
“Confidence is a crucial aspect for learners of a second language,” Ms.Demotte commented, “A classroom environment benefits teaching and learning in many different ways, one of them is that it brings a positive and relaxing atmosphere that can reduce levels of stress.”
Maintaining a sense of familiarity when learning something new is important, so what happens to students when that routine is disrupted?
In September 2022, Ms.DeMotte, left the building for health issues. In a sense, her students became their own teacher. Not everyone had the resources they needed to sustain a form of fluency, and they slowly began to lose bits and pieces of what they knew before.
“My Spanish proficiency and retention were greatly impacted, as I lost the daily usage of the language that Ms.DeMotte gave us during the majority of the class period every day,” Olivia Lauren, a senior at the Richmond High School, stated. “We came out much less confident in our skills than before her leave.”
While studies have shown that people don’t quite forget what they’ve learned, the untapped language is harder to access than before. This leads to difficulty with basic conjugations and sentence structure, which will need to be reviewed until understood again. This cycle can be tedious and often proposes the risk of becoming impatient with your progress and ultimately quitting.
For some, giving up is simply not an answer. Take Madalynn Dixon, a sophomore at the Richmond High School who fell in love with Spanish at a young age.
“As a little kid, my dad was really big on the idea of me learning Spanish,” Dixon recalls. “Fast forward 12 years, and I met a very close friend whose first language was Spanish. Over time, I became very interested in learning the language.”
Dixon wishes to attend a college in Spain to further her studies on teaching language to children. As a student herself, she knows what it’s like to be the one learning an unfamiliar topic. While she’s been interested in Spanish since she was young, she acknowledges how normal it is to find challenges along the journey.
“I struggle everyday! Learning a language isn’t easy and requires a lot of personal dedication and persistence,” Dixon explained. “I’ve definitely realized from learning Spanish that it’s a fear you have to overcome to really progress.”
In this case, the fear relates to her social anxiety of uncertainty. What works for someone may not work for someone else, and that’s a part of the fear surrounding learning a new language. However, there are ways to stay engaged with your studies.
“It’s an ever-changing process, and that’s one of my favorite parts of it! I love watching the local news in Spanish, listening to music, reading books,” Dixon shared. “And oddly enough, I’ve found it really helpful to change the language of my phone to Spanish!”
While classroom and personalized education both have their pros and cons, having resources that you can take outside of the classroom can be beneficial to remain knowledgeable in a foreign language. Whether you just want a good grade or you’re passionate enough to apply this new skill to your everyday life, there are plenty of benefits. Being bilingual can introduce you to new career opportunities, improve your memory and increase your understanding of the current language you speak.
If you choose the delightful path of learning another language, be aware of how much effort you need to put into studying daily. It’s an investment of time, but one that Dixon says is rewarding.
“Remember that it’s going to be a process! Some days will be harder than others, but practicing every day and building small habits will lead to big changes. Find a way to absorb the language you enjoy and switch things up. Each time you hit that special goal you set yourself, it makes every struggle worth it.”
