Breaking the language barrier

“I moved to France and I learned the language in order to communicate with others. Only two people spoke english. They were in my class. They helped me if I had any questions on the homework or the classwork. I speak English, French and i’m getting pretty good at Spanish. I am in Spanish 3 Honors. I keep on practicing in class and I try to use as much Spanish and French as I can outside of scho...

“When I was was really little, my grandma speaks exclusively Italian, would speak to me frequently. She was the one who took care of me. I learned it by having it spoken around me. It helps having my grandma around, she lives with us so whenever I go home, I speak a lot of Italian. As far as Spanish, it’s nice having a class (Spanish 3H) every other day where I consistently speak it. While it’s difficul...

“I speak Spanish. My mom and dad only speak Spanish so Spanish is my first language. I would say for sure the benefits are money, money, money. It helps because not many people actually speak Spanish fluently.”

“I speak Spanish. I have been speaking Spanish since I was little- my grandpa taught me a little. Once I got into school, I stopped learning it and forgot most of it but then in seventh grade, I started taking it again. I am half Mexican. I use it to communicate with my family, I am really proud of my heritage. It looks good on college applications and gives me more job opportunities. I can also t...

“I know a little bit of Spanish because everyone on my dad’s side of the family were born and raised in Mexico and Spain. My dad was born in America but speaks a little bit of Spanish. I know enough to survive but not a lot. People don’t realize that I am Latina, so I will start speaking Spanish and my accent will come out and they will be like ‘What!’ It helps me feel a little more connected...