Whether you like it or not your child is already being exposed to a foreign language

Today, TV introduces us to different languages whether we like it or not. Not only do we have shows such as Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, but commercials also throw in different languages as well. The most familiar commercial with a foreign language phrase is Taco Bell's Chihuaha saying: "Yo quiero Taco Bell!" meaning "I want Taco Bell!" Another example of a commercial with a different language is for Old El Paso Taco. In this commercial you see a father nailing into a table so that he can make a taco stand up straight, so it won't fall over and lose all of its contents. The son then asks in Spanish "What if it had a flat bottom?"
TV shows that actually teach your child various phrases from a foreign language include: Dora the Explorer; Go, Diego, Go!; Ni Hao, Kai-lan; and Sesame Street. Back in 1989, Sesame Street had a special (Big Bird in Japan) where Big Bird goes to Japan and teaches children phrases such as "Good Morning" - "Ohayoo"; "one" - "ichi"; "two" - "ni"; "three" - "san"; "Thank You" - "Arigato"; "Please" - "Douzo"; etc. In 1983, Sesame Street did a special (Big Bird in China: Learning Mandarin for the Olympics) where Big Bird went to China. Big Bird learns phrases like: "Hello" - "Ni hao"; "Goodbye" - "Zai jian"; and "I love you" - "Wo ai ni." Shows like Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! allow kids to learn Spanish. Ni Hao, Kai-lan is a show that teaches children Mandarin. These shows give children a fun way to learn a foreign language. They'll have the child shout out stuff like "Rapido!" to have the dolphin swim faster. The characters of the show will also greet the audience in their spoken language. For instance, Kai-lan will say Ni hao to the children whereas, Diego and Dora will say Hola.

Foreign Languages in Elementary Schools?

When I was in second grade, I remember Mrs. Buchannon coming into my class to teach us a little Spanish. I had actually looked forward to these days. Mrs. Buchannon taught us numbers, colors, and a few other things. I remember wishing that Mrs. Buchannon could actually teach us all of the time, because it was interesting and fun. But to my dismay, she only came to teach us a few times. To this day I still remember the numbers, clothes, and greetings from learning them in second grade. When I went to take Spanish in high school, I thought it'd be fun like it was in second grade and that I'd actually have an easy time learning it. I was WRONG, Spanish was a lot harder than I remembered. I would learn the stuff for the quizzes and then forget what I had learned. I wondered why I was having so much trouble. Partially, I blamed my teacher because he rarely had us say anything from previous lessons; then I also blamed myself because I wasn't grasping the language. So I gave up on Spanish after one year. Then when I came to college I decided to try out German. I bet you can guess how that turned out, huh? I sat in class for three weeks and had no idea what was going on. My German grandmother had even tried to help me to no prevail. In the end, I went straight back to Spanish and still had problems. I have since kept with Spanish and am now in my third semester. To my surprise, I have actually learned part of the language, but I don't remember about half of the stuff. Now that I'm in college, I really wish that I could have learned a foreign language in elementary school. I feel it would have been a lot easier for me then. The sole purpose of my blog is this, I believe that foreign languages should be taught in elementary schools. Why? It's because it's easier for younger children to learn foreign languages than it is for preteens-adults.
The audience that I wish to target with this issue is students, teachers, school faculty, and other community members that have the same desire. The learning of foreign languages early, can allow for students to better learn a language. Young children are also more apt to become fluent in the language and pick up on the accents and dialects.Young children are already being introduced to foreign languages through shows like Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!. These shows simply prove that a young child is capable of learning a foreign language.
Although there are a lot of controversies and problems that may arise over this issue, I believe it is a matter that should be thought through by the public. We are now becoming more and more global and are in need of more foreign language speakers so that we are able to communicate with foreign industries and such.