In recent weeks, The Rebellion has been inundated with letters from alumni advocating for Foreign Languages in the middle school. Every Monday a letter will be posted from an alumnus. The following is by Erica Johnson, Valedictorian of the Class of 1999. Erica currently teaches English at a school in France, and attributes part of her success to Walpole’s middle school Foreign Language program.

I am writing this letter in protest of the Walpole middle school foreign language program being cut, which I recently read about in the Walpole Times. I believe that this decision would not be beneficial for future Walpole students.

Learning a foreign language, any foreign language, is about more than memorizing vocabulary words and reciting verb conjugations. It is about being exposed to diverse cultures with different traditions and accepting those differences. Foreign languages are about accepting trial and error as a learning tool. Learning a foreign language pushes students to realize that communication is not about perfection, it’s about finding a way, however imperfect, to make your ideas understood. Learning a foreign language at a young age provides a solid foundation which can make it easier for students to learn other languages later in life.

The Walpole foreign language program has been a deciding factor in my life. I started taking French in 7th grade at Johnson Middle School, and because the content of the first year of French was spread out over two years, the teacher took the time to emphasize the fundamentals, like basic verb conjugations, grammar structures, and vocabulary.

I continued studying French at Walpole High School, and I chose to take AP French during my senior year. My French teachers had inspired me with such a love of French language and culture that I chose to continue studying the language at Bowdoin College, where my AP French score counted for one credit toward my French major. One of my French professors at Bowdoin actually commented on my impressive French vocabulary, and I responded that it was all thanks to my middle school and high school teachers.

After graduating with a double degree in computer science and French in 2003, I was chosen by the French department to move to France to teach English at a university for a year. Sharing the English language and American culture with my students was so rewarding, and loving French language and culture so much, I decided to stay. I have lived in France since 2003, I became a naturalized French citizen in April 2009, and I passed the national teaching exam in May 2010. All of this would not have been possible had it not been for the middle school and high school foreign language programs in Walpole.

I believe that foreign languages are just as important as any other subject. Learning to communicate in another language is a major advantage over other students who do not have the possibility. The middle school foreign language program is necessary because it allows teachers enough time to make sure that the students understand the basics before moving on to more complicated language structures. As a foreign language teacher myself, I often wish that the French system would give middle school English teachers more time to teach the basics.

Starting a foreign language in middle school also gives students the possibility of taking AP classes their senior year. This choice allows students to get college credit for their high school class, which is extremely important given the rising cost of higher education. Thanks to my AP French credit, I only took three classes (instead of four) in the spring of my senior year so that I could concentrate on my computer science research project.

I know that my career path has not been typical, and I recognize that not every Walpole student who studies foreign language is going to move abroad and use those foreign language skills on a daily basis. However, in today’s global marketplace, speaking a foreign language and even understanding foreign cultures are advantages. Therefore I encourage the decision makers for Walpole public schools to not turn their backs on the middle school foreign language program.