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Greetings!

Deborah Wuehler and family

Aren't we supposed to be slowing down in the summer? I'm sure Todd Wilson will have something to say about that, but my summer is keeping me busy, and all in a good way. Although our family schools year-round, we take it easy in the summer just doing the basics and we throw in some day trips here and there. But for the most part, we are much more relaxed.

For me, I am rejuvenated when I take the summer to pray, think, and research what each child needs for the following year. Really, I love to plan for the new school year. This summer, I am considering which foreign language curriculum to use for my 6^th and 8^th grade boys. There are so many choices, aren't there? That's where prayer and research comes in.

To help with that, I read several articles on foreign language to get the big picture, and then I research specific curriculum.

I did a search on The Old Schoolhouse� Digital Magazine (found on the front page of the website) and clicked on the "Back Issues" tab on the left contents bar. Then I put the words "foreign language" in the search bar on the top of the page, and 131 results came up! As I looked through several back issues, I got an overall view of several important reasons for teaching foreign language. Here are some of the subjects that were brought to light in the articles that came up:

• Foreign missionaries (your child may someday be one)

• Foreign exchange students (you may host one or your child may be one)

• Military assignments in foreign countries (your family or your child may join the military)

• Sign language counts as a foreign language (My son began learning ASL at age 9 and is now pursuing his BA in deaf studies)

• The importance of Hebrew and Greek (important for Biblical studies)

• The study of Latin (helps all language learning)

• As a requirement for high school (many states require two years of a foreign language)

• Being bilingual is a plus for gaining employment worldwide

• Babies and young children pick up languages easily

• A child's brain gains great strides when learning a language

Not only did I get the big picture of "why" but I found a lot of options in curriculum choices to review and pray about. My next step will be to look through our website's product review section on foreign language products --found here to help with my decision making.

There are multiple values to learning a foreign language in today's world. You just never know where God will lead you or your child. The possibilities are endless!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork..Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19:1-3

Happy "foreign language" trails to you!

~Deborah

TOS Senior Editor

Diana Waring

Wow! Another topic where I have a strong opinion. Are you ready? Here goes. First, I agree completely with Todd, that you don't need another burden to carry! 

But having said that, here's something to consider:

The world is bigger than us. 

That should be obvious, but sometimes we live with cultural blinders. What I mean is that we go through our day thinking thoughts in our own language within our own culture. And we don't really pay attention to the reality that there are multitudes who think thoughts in another language in another culture.

I have some experience with this myself. When I traveled to Europe with my father in 1971, I remember standing at Piccadilly Circus in London and watching a young salesman handling several international customers at a time--each one in a different language. I was incredulous that anyone could speak that many languages, let alone use them in rapid-fire succession!

My second experience was when I traveled across the U.S. with a Youth With A Mission team to the Montreal Olympics and then to Boston. It was there that I met an Egyptian who spoke English with a perfect British accent. It was fun to chat along in English about our shared experiences, but it was absolutely shocking to me when he would then turn to an Egyptian friend and answer a question in Arabic. I could barely grasp that they really understood each other--it seemed to me to be an incomprehensible language!

It was life-changing for me to come to grips with the fact that lots of folks speak and think and live in a language other than English.

What I gained through all of this is that learning someone else's language is a gift and a responsibility. It opens doors and expands horizons. And it very efficiently helps to remove those cultural blinders.

Dear ones, there is a huge wide world out there to serve, and learning a foreign language is great preparation. And, perhaps more potently, it will better equip our children to be world changers!

Stay relational,

Diana