At ROJH, students are required to take one semester of Spanish in 7th grade. Yet at the high school, students have the choice of Spanish, French, or ASL (American Sign Language). The district should seriously consider adding additional foreign languages to the junior high.

There are many students who don’t like Spanish or think it is too difficult and would rather learn a different language. Adding French and ASL would help solve that issue and give students more of a choice, instead of being forced to learn a semester’s worth of Spanish.

Also, adding French and ASL would allow 8th graders to choose a different language for high school credit. If a student took ASL 1 in 8th grade, then they would be more prepared for ASL in high school. And the ASL 1 would go towards high school credit, so they aren’t forced to take a foreign language as a freshman.

Some students may not like Spanish, so French or ASL might be more interesting. Some may have trouble learning Spanish or they might not find it interesting, but they would find ASL or French more engaging and would pay attention more. If a student wanted to go to France in the future, then they would want to take French in junior high to get a good grip on the language.

The school district should add French and ASL to the junior high. Although it would require adding new teachers and classroom spots, it is worth it because it adds to students’ choices, which will help them when they get to high school and college.