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nothing wrong with foreign language courses; however, not in elementary school. The kids can't even get the basic R, R & R down good yet. Concentrate on the basics readin' writin' and 'rithmetic'

I travel the world as part of my job. With out exception, citizens of every other country I travel to speak at least 2 languages, their own and either Englis, most, or the language of their neighbor. It is only Americans that cannot speak multiple languages and even expect others to accommodate us.

In Scandinavia, children start their first foreign language at 4 and their second at 7. Can't we just teach one at 10 or 11.

Families that have to live overseas say their young children become bilingual very quickly. Our schools may not be able to simulate that sort of immersion but they can start stimulating the natural wiring kids have. The U.S. would be better able to understand and deal with people of other countries if more of us were comfortable with their languages. Putting more resources into teaching them would be a smart investment for all Wake residents, even those of us without children in the public schools.

Learning a foreign language is like looking into the mind of a different culture. The way they say things, structure their sentences highlights subtle differences you can discern between the mindset of the peoples of different cultures. I think it is quite likely that a younger child can pick up language easier than a more adult mind probably because the way your language forms your thoughts becomes ingrained in your brain patterns over time. A couple of semesters of a foreign languge definitely doesn't stick with you through life though. If you don't use it you lose it.

All children should learn a foreign language as early as possible. Starting at 4, it is all a game and the brain absorbs the new words just like anything else around them. Starting in in high school or later is too late and shows at college level when most our students do not speak any other language even if they had a few classes in high school. In this global world it should be obvious why learn a language.

As a trilingual professional translator, I fully support every effort to teach foreign languages early and often. Children are able to learn much more quickly than adults and pronounce sounds that later in their development will become more difficult. I speak from experience, because I only spoke English until I was an adult. The younger you learn a foreign language, the better and easier it is. And in the end, the more prepared our children will be for a rapidly shrinking global economy. Who wouldn't want that?

Absolutely!! The earlier and younger they start the better. Children are more than capable of learning a foreign language as part of their regular curriculum -British children are offered French in many primary schools and some will take 2 or 3 foreign languages in High School, alongside the core subjects of maths,English,chemistry,biology,physics,history and geography. As part of the primary school program they very often start communicating with a penpal .Then in high school they take part in an exchange program and by this time have enough knowledge of the language to communicate fluently with the exchange family.

Do not under estimate the learning capabilities of young children. At the age of 4 or 5 learning is exciting,and how much more exciting could it be than to learn a second language . With some creativity and imagination the teacher can make it a fun,rich and rewarding learning experience-the children could partner with a class in the country of their language and through the internet or letter writing (with the help of their teacher of course) learn about their culture, lifestyle,day to day experiences,food,hobbies ,passtimes etc etc. It would open the childrens' minds to life outside Wake County , North Carolina  and the USA.

I think foreign language instruction is a must in elementary schools. I was very disappointed to discover that all Wake County elementaries did nto offer some foreign language instruction. My son has been exposed to Spainish since he was an infant. I think this is a must for the district.