Transcript
A (0:01)
This show is a part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to your favorite. You'll get brand new episodes of all your favorite shows sent right to your device and you'll help us know that you're out there listening. Never miss another episode by going to podcast hillsdale.edu subscribe. That's podcast hillsdale edu subscribe or click the Follow or Subscribe button on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
B (0:45)
Welcome to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, bringing you insight into classical education and its unique emphasis on human virtue and moral character, responsible citizenship, content, rich curricula and teacher led classrooms. Now your host, Scott Bertram.
C (1:04)
Thanks for listening. The Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast is part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at podcast hillsdale.edu or wherever you get your audio. You also can find more information on topics and ideas discussed on this show at our website, k12 hillsdale.edu. we're joined by Diana Kinzer. She's a French teacher from fifth grade through high school at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, also a master lead teacher for Hillsdale's K12 office. Diana, thanks so much for joining us.
B (1:41)
Thank you so much. I'm really excited to be here.
C (1:44)
We're talking today about foreign language at a classical school. Why would you advocate for studying a modern foreign language? Why is it a part of our classical curriculum at all?
B (1:57)
Okay, that's a great question and I think oftentimes parents want to know this as well. I think first of all, something that modern foreign language can offer is the ability for students to actually do use a skill to be able to go out into the world and then interact with other speakers of the language. I mean, I think that's the most obvious reason, I think beyond that, at a classical school, I think learning a foreign language requires a lot of the virtues that we that we talk about, including courage and perseverance and humility. As they are taking on the rigorous process of actually learning a language, a lot of times they feel overwhelmed because they are being asked to do something that is very taxing for the brain, which is to develop this skill to be able to communicate in a language other than English. Which for those of you who have not taken a foreign language, or at least not in a long time, it's definitely a brain workout. And it's easy. It's easy for kids to feel overwhelmed and just kind of want to throw up their hands and give up. But we persevere we push them forward. We try to make it attainable through smaller goals, so it does the job of helping them learn virtue. And personally, what I feel like, though it is a tool, I think it's also a means of teaching compassion, and it gives us a deeper understanding of the human experience when we're learning about other cultures that use another language, because a language is a window into how other people think. And I think, especially when we're teaching a modern foreign language with younger children, especially here, we start in fifth grade. It's the prime time for kids to be thinking about and comparing their lives to lives of other. Other students and other places in the world and just begin to understand that just because someone is doing something differently doesn't make them wrong or bad necessarily. And so foreign language is just a great way to start getting that muscle warmed up and allowing them to have the experience of. Even down to the level of the word, to. To be able to say, oh, we say it like this, but they say it like that. I wonder what that says about how they think about this word or this idea. And so it's a great window into helping understand other cultures and therefore develop compassion.
