In today’s world, learning a new language isn’t just a school requirement, but an essential life skill. The importance of language learning is emphasized here at NDB and for good reasons as well.

Whether it’s ASL, French, Mandarin or Spanish, students who take what they learn inside the classroom and bring it into the real world can use it in several different instances.

As technology brings many people together nowadays, connecting with others through different cultures and lifestyles remains essential. Students use their school-learned languages on service trips, school or even at home with their families and in their day to day life.

Senior, Evelyn Fox, explains her opinion on why learning a different language is so important: “it teaches you to look at life from a different perspective. I think we get used to seeing things from our point of view…and looking at something in a different language introduces you to a whole new world and a whole new set of experiences.”

Fox also describes how she uses what she learns in the classroom and takes it out to her everyday life. It is especially relevant in the Bay Area, where there are lots of Spanish-speaking people.

She also shares how she went on a six-week service trip to Paraguay, where she lived in a rural community where she could mostly only speak Spanish. It helped develop her understanding and helped speaking skills. Taking Spanish through school for multiple years (not only at NDB) definitely helped her prepare for being able to speak Spanish consecutively.

Her journey leading up to her being in AP Spanish Literature class started a lot earlier on in her life; “I went to a Spanish immersion school and once I came to Notre Dame, I wanted to continue furthering my Spanish education.”

Furthermore, French teacher Emilie Alba stated that “[I do think language learning is a critical part of a students education] because it allows us to connect with more people. In a French language classroom, we talk about a lot of topics, about daily activities, those topics, so it really helps with connections.”

She says that her most effective teaching strategies. Having her students listen to music helps them process words in other ways rather than just hearing it or using it in a conversation. She also has to build their own stories and repeat them. They also create gestures so they can associate them to the word as another way to remember them.

Overall, language learning is very helpful for students, especially earlier on in their lives. This can lead them to various new and exciting opportunities, for example, they can use these skills for abroad experiences, connecting with others, or just in the classroom.