Every year, new ninth graders enter the doors of Chapman to start their high school careers. As freshmen, they have lots of things to figure out and get adjusted to. 

Most of the time, Spanish classes aren’t one of those things. Many of these students don’t even consider taking Spanish until later on. 

I strongly believe that Spanish classes should be added to freshmen’s schedules due to my personal experience as someone who opted to take them early on. It was the right decision for me and could benefit others as well. 

By taking your Spanish classes early, you are able to quickly determine if more Spanish classes are a fit for you. If you don’t like Spanish, you can just move on to take different electives afterward. 

However, if you find that Spanish is something you enjoy, you have time to take Spanish III, IV and even AP. Taking those classes can serve as a foundation for future language opportunities. Some of them might be studying abroad programs in college and possibly even becoming bilingual later on. 

When you take Spanish early on in high school, you can go ahead and get one of your graduation requirements out of the way. This gives you time to figure out your interests and avoid future scheduling conflicts. 

Having an early language background can also help point you to additional career opportunities. Knowing another language besides English allows you to communicate with many more people, which can make you an asset in many different jobs.

Also, if it’s something you’re interested in, taking honors and AP Spanish (that is, taking Spanish beyond the requirements) can help you stand out to colleges.

As we continue to bring new freshmen into our school, we need to ensure that they are allowed the greatest amount of time to explore their foreign language options by encouraging them to take their Spanish classes early.