The World Language department at East High School consists of Spanish, French, German, and Chinese courses. Across the board, all of these curriculums aim to not only teach the language, but also to educate students about the culture of various French, Spanish, and German speaking countries. Additionally, all the teachers try to stress the importance of being bilingual in today’s society and its various benefits. East High has a lot of amazing teachers within the World Language department that come from a variety of backgrounds that help teach a comprehensive understanding of different languages.

All of our world language teachers have a distinctly unique journey concerning how they decided to teach a language in high school. Mrs. Maupin, a French teacher here at East, describes how teaching French wasn’t her original plan. “When I went to France and I taught English there, I knew I would always come back and teach something,” Mrs. Mauping said. “I thought it would be elementary, but I had an opportunity to teach French in middle school when I moved back to the states so that solidified my love for teaching French.”

Mrs. Rosenberry, a Spanish teacher at East, mentions that for her the deciding factor was the importance of teaching students to become bilingual. “[I wanted] to help them be bilingual and bicultural so they can understand more of the importance of the language,” Mrs. Rosenberry said.

There are several reasons why being bilingual is important in today’s society that both the teachers at East, and the curriculum of all the world language classes aim to stress. By learning a language you subsequently learn about the culture that is connected to the language, which creates more well-rounded and open-minded individuals. Additionally, Mrs. Maupin mentions how being bilingual opens up doors to more job opportunities. “Knowing only one language is a hindrance, it really will hold you back,” Mrs. Maupin said. “…You will see some of the requirements of businesses now [are] we need people to speak languages.”

The curriculum in the World Language department gives a holistic approach to teaching different languages, by teaching not just grammar but also speaking, listening, reading, and culture. In the French department the teachers put a large emphasis on teaching about french-speaking countries so students understand that French is spoken all over the world in countries such as Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mrs. Rosenberry mentions that the new curriculum revolves around real life situations to keep students more interested. “For instance, we did a unit on dance and music, social media, immigration so that students can get engaged about what they are learning,” Mrs. Rosenberry said. By having a curriculum that is more based on communication than grammar, students are more likely to pay attention, retain more information, and have a comprehensive understanding of the language.

Although taking a world language is not a graduation requirement, it is an extremely beneficial class to take. Not only do some universities require students to have taken a world language, but learning a second language can open doors to several different career opportunities. Additionally, by learning about other languages and cultures, students become more empathetic and open-minded towards those from other countries who are learning to speak English.