Search

To view knowledge of a foreign language only as a classroom tool is limiting for any young person, and especially so for the black student. "What good will study of a foreign language do me?" is a legitimate question for any student to ask. For one thing, foreign language study liberates the mind. Beginning with the first contact with a foreign language, students develop a new perception of reality. Black students learn "indelibly and irrefutably" that minority status does not mean inferior. In addition to these humanistic reasons, there are also career-related reasons for foreign language study. Job opportunities open up in various areas for persons who, in addition to training in specialized areas, also have developed competence in a foreign language. Teachers, administrators and students themselves must see that Blacks receive training that will qualify them for superior positions and give them the flexibility needed for career adjustment. Both students and administrators must insist that good instruction and the opportunity to develop language skills are made available in the foreign language class. (AMH)