Education is one of the most important human endeavors that there is. As any country, culture, or society tries to make progress, and grow, and evolve as the years wear on, they must make sure that their educational practices are up to speed, or else they will fall behind. There are too many ways to count to try to stay on top of things, and its hard to say which methods are the best before you try them. In today\’s world, however, many people get swept up in the wave of always growing and changing technology.

It seems that every day there is some kind of newer, smaller device out there that is supposed to make our lives easier. With such amazing things being cranked out all the time, it is no wonder that people sometimes forget that just because something is shiny, new, and interesting, that does not necessarily mean that it is capable of solving every one of your problems. In the world of education, as in so many other things, what is newest is not always best. Some of the best things that people need to do require little more than good, hard work at a subject that is worthwhile and rewarding. One example of a highly valuable pursuit that is anything but technologically advanced is the study of a foreign language.

The understanding of foreign languages used to be a more highly valued skill, but in this day and age, with automatic translators (which are not worth very much in actual communication) and other similar developments, many people feel that spending the time required on a foreign language just is not worth it, and even if they thought it was, they are so used to things being done for them that they probably do not have the patience to put in the time necessary to see results.

The benefits of studying a foreign language are quite numerous. In the first place, and without mentioning any of the many benefits specific to learning foreign languages, simply engaging in something as demanding as learning a new language is a great exercise in focus and discipline. Once you have learned another whole language, tackling a host of other problems seems a lot less intimidating. Also, studying foreign languages in particular is a great way to gain insight in how your own language works while you learn about another one.

It is easy for people who have grown up speaking their native tongue never to stop and think about the structure and grammar of that language. However, when you try to learn a new on as an adult, it forces you to think about sentence structure and word roots and those sorts of thing in a way that many people otherwise would not. This is a way for students to learn two new skills at once, because they are learning a whole new language, but they are also getting better at speaking and understanding their own native tongue.

Unfortunately, in this day and age speaking another language is an undervalued skill. However, if we can do our best to remember and appreciate what this type of study can do for us, we can hopefully keep this important aspect of modern education alive and thriving.

Author Bio: Diana Washington writes on various topics connected to education, with particular attention paid to teaching, preparing for standardized tests, and LSAT Prep, a significant concern for thousands of students hoping to go to law school. She is a staff writer for the Test Prep Blog Testing Is Easy.

Category: Education
Keywords: foreign language,school,high school,students,education,learning