It has recently been suggested that the classical, or "dead" , languages Latin and Greek should be
re-introduced into the school curriculum. Those that oppose the idea claim that the ancient languages
are of no practical use and no help in getting a job. Those in favor of the idea say that education is more about training the mind than preparing for a career.
One issue with the idea of teaching classical language in schools is that it is very unrealistic to get the students to reach any level of fluency. Learning a language is all about immersion. In order to succeed, students not only have to pay attention in classroom and do the assignments, they also have to read, speak, and write the language whenever possible. This poses a problem because typically, people do not encounter Latin or Greek anywhere outside the classrooms.
Furthermore, introducing classical languages into the curriculum is also impractical, especially since the school time can be used to teach the more useful languages instead, such as Spanish, French, or Chinese. This compromise covers both the practical necessity and the mind stimulation aspects of teaching.
Nonetheless, given the influence of these languages on human civilization, schools should be able to pique children's interest to learn them. One feasible way to do this is by placing special chapters in history books about ancient Greek and Roman cultures. This in turn can aspire some students to actively learn more about the languages in their own time.
To conclude, it is unrealistic and impractical to teach classical languages in school. What a teacher can do is to aspire students to learn these languages on their own will.
re-introduced into the school curriculum. Those that oppose the idea claim that the ancient languages
are of no practical use and no help in getting a job. Those in favor of the idea say that education is more about training the mind than preparing for a career.
One issue with the idea of teaching classical language in schools is that it is very unrealistic to get the students to reach any level of fluency. Learning a language is all about immersion. In order to succeed, students not only have to pay attention in classroom and do the assignments, they also have to read, speak, and write the language whenever possible. This poses a problem because typically, people do not encounter Latin or Greek anywhere outside the classrooms.
Furthermore, introducing classical languages into the curriculum is also impractical, especially since the school time can be used to teach the more useful languages instead, such as Spanish, French, or Chinese. This compromise covers both the practical necessity and the mind stimulation aspects of teaching.
Nonetheless, given the influence of these languages on human civilization, schools should be able to pique children's interest to learn them. One feasible way to do this is by placing special chapters in history books about ancient Greek and Roman cultures. This in turn can aspire some students to actively learn more about the languages in their own time.
To conclude, it is unrealistic and impractical to teach classical languages in school. What a teacher can do is to aspire students to learn these languages on their own will.
