Edited by James H (Year 10)

はい、そうです 

 I’m sure we all have friends from different schools, ranging across many areas and education styles. Even though they go to different schools and may have different schedules, we all generally have the same subjects; maths, English, science, technology, history, geography, drama, and so on. 

One subject that sets these other schools apart is foreign language. 

Yes, the Year 8’s do have Dharug, and there are co-curricular activities that teach different languages after school, but those have their negatives. Being situated on Dharug land, the language has significant cultural importance, but it isn’t a language that the Year 8’s choose to do. For a student to enjoy the experience of learning a new language, they must have some desire to learn it. Letting the students choose a language that appeals to them may be beneficial to the student in allowing them to achieve this desire to learn. 

Furthermore, co-curricular language activities also have their own problems. Even though the students do get to choose the language they learn, they only have a choice between Japanese, French, German, and Chinese. The students also need to pay extra for the learning and the classes aren’t during school hours, which may limit some students from participating. 

However, if the College provides students with language education as a subject where the students can choose the language they would like to learn, it could tick all boxes needed for enjoyable, convenient, and effective learning. I am sure many students out there couldn’t be happier to learn to read and write in Korean, Latin, or many more of the unique languages out there. The benefits of being able to speak multiple languages are huge, especially if a student is interested in getting a job that requires them to communicate with people in other countries, such as field researchers, tour guides, and flight attendants. Additionally, the classes would be during school time and be a part of the student’s timetables. This would allow the language program to be accessible to students without the worry of transport, time constraints, or extra payments. There should be at least 5-6 different languages to choose from so that as many students as possible can find a language they are keen to learn. 

Having languages at William Clarke College could allow many students to strongly benefit themselves in their future career pursuits. Furthermore, it would also ensure that all students get the opportunity to learn what they enjoy without having to worry about transport or payments.  

Do you think different languages should be subjects here at William Clarke?