From learning the history to taking notes in class, many SCHS students and staff feel the world language department supports a passion to learn about the cultural aspects of the languages in addition to the language itself. For some, learning how historical expansions such as the French colonization of Vietnam has influenced the Vietnamese allows many to feel connected to both languages.
Sophomore Jace Vu has a personal connection to French and explained how learning helps her relate to the language that is spoken where she is from.
“Vietnamese and the French have some crossovers that influenced me to get better with French. Maybe if I learned French, then I would also like to learn Viet a little better,” Vu said.
Beyond just learning and speaking, culture and history are major advocates for the origin of many languages. Vu explained how cultural aspects are often implemented into her French class.
“The teacher goes out of her way to teach about French history and buildings, the everyday culture and how the society acts in general, not just about the language,” Vu said.
ASL teacher Talia Orsetti-Ng explained how little class participation can be harmful to the classroom learning environment.
“Being a member of a language community or community at large, if you’re not participating, then that means you’re hurting every other person in the room because they don’t get a chance to practice with someone else,” Orestti-Ng said. “You have a responsibility as a language student to be engaged in the content so that people around you can also learn from you.”
Orestti-Ng explained that recently-mandated classes for freshmen are limiting their choices.
“Freshmen are taking Ethnic Studies and Health, which is making it difficult for them to take language as a freshman,” Orsetti-Ng said.
Orsetti-Ng explained after seeing a massive decrease in attendance for the French course, there was a decision made by the district to remove the class, vastly affecting the world language department.
“That is the kind of decision-making that has been happening,” Oresetti-Ng said. “They (the district) see the low numbers, not enough numbers, (so they) cut, not realizing all of the disastrous effects that are going to be resulting from this decision.”
French teacher Grace Garvin described how the shortages of French classes started abruptly, which resulted in the removal.
“Suddenly, last year, we only had two very small classes, and then this year, there was going to be one, and they said, that isn’t even. We didn’t even have enough, so we’re not going to have it,” Garvin said.
Before the decision was made to cut the French course, according to Orsetti-Ng, there was an opportunity to buy new resources for the classes. After discontinuing the French course, the resources will no longer be used.
“All languages across the whole district had the opportunity to update their curriculums, to get to think about new books, because of that French book. And now they cut the program. So they just bought a whole new set of books for a class that won’t exist,” Orsetti-Ng said.
In hopes to regain attendance in the French classes, Orsetti-Ng suggests encouraging students in middle school to join the class once they attend SCHS.
“My first teaching partner who worked with me in ASL, she used to take her classes over to Central Park Elementary and Pomeroy and get those kindergarteners signing,” Orsetti-Ng said. “I think that the language department hasn’t really ventured out of our classrooms in the way that we could have to really bring in the excitement for what it means to be a world language student.”
Orsetti-Ng said language is much more than just speaking. It is about being a part of a community, culture and system.
“It’s not just about learning the language. It’s about being a global citizen, and not only understanding the language of other people, but the culture of other people, how to interact with other people and their belief systems and respect to those things,” Orsetti-Ng said.