Have to or Don't have to?
2012. október 13. | 10/13/2012 | 0Comment
These days speaking at least 2 languages is a natural thing. As more & more young people want to leave their country, for example for a better salary, language knowledge is indispensable. And to speak the chosen or often not chosen language very well, children already start to learn it at primary school. If not in kindergarten.
But what kind of language shall the parents choose? What should they do when the child is a teenager & doesn't want to learn the language anymore? Do they have to force it? Do the children/teenagers have to learn the language they already started or not?

But turning back to languages, as the baby is a baby- i mean (s)he cannot choose language (s)he wants to learn- the parents choose it. Here it's usually English or German.
I think English is pretty popular & it's a worldwide known language so most of the children are fine with learning it. We have to learn one foreign language until the end of primary school, however there are some exceptions, some school already introduces the second language at 7th or 8th grade as a "preparatory language class". This is the German language, however students can stop learning it if they go to a high school where they can choose another one.
And here comes the big deal: it's not sure students can choose their second language. At better places they have the chance, but still some schools can only provide the "EnglishorGerman" function. As children/teenagers are aware of what they are doing (in this case-learning);
~case 1) they will accept their second "told-to-learn" language
~case 2) they have to struggle what's given to them until they graduate & get their
their language certificate
Be honest to yourself: case 1 can be really rare. Maybe they will like the language after some time, but it's more real poor teen will hate the language even more.
Let's examine case 2. They struggle with it, because they have to do it, maybe they can go and do the language exam, get the certificate, parents will be proud... but what about the student? It's just like forcing the History lesson to your head- you remember it for a day's time & after you wrote the test everything disappears. It's totally the same. And poor head struggled with it for years. For what? The big nothing?
I know this situation very well. My parents are the same. Especially mom. I'm struggling with German, now more than 3 years and still the only correct sentence i can say is "Ich möchte schochopuding essen."- which is not very useful.
As I'm only 17, you can say I'm too young for understand it/examine the situation correctly, but for all the languages sake if pushing the poor head to learn that freakingfriggin language won't be useful, it WON'T be useful!
Of course learning a new language takes pretty long time, but if you don't feel liking it & you're just getting more & more lost in the rules, I bet it's not the sign of that language is for you...
So I have an advice for young or old parents or parents to be people: let your child decide! I don't think anything bad can happen if (s)he likes what (s)he learns. You have chosen instead of him/her when (s)he was small, i think this time you can allow him/her to choose.
I believe that's the key for success. To like what you're doing. I don't think Bill Gates ever hated IT...
My answers for the questions above: 1) parents: choose the language which (s)he will need in the future, 2) if your kid wants to stop learning the language, think about it 1000 times but decide the right way & remember, forcing somebody for something won't have a pretty result.
Note: Of course what I wrote is concluded only how people behave in my environment (this is non-uniformed -as many things here-).