I just found out my kid's kindergarten class is teaching Russian 40 mins per day.

[Sympthsical]

169. I learned French starting in first grade

It was part of a "gifted" program that about eight or so of us were in.

I promise us working class suburban kids were not being prepared for our eventual gallivanting across Europe. When were we ever going to use French outside of vacation? I enjoy Moliere as much as anyone else, but . . .

It's about neuroplasticity in children and taking advantage of it when they're young. Just as children who learn to play an instrument when young tend to be better at math and science when older, children who are taught different languages with different structures when young tend to have better language skills later on. Even if they don't use it as adults, their developing brains benefit from the exercise when younger.

The specific language isn't the point - thinking about language differently is.

But instead of understanding that point, people have decided to go with galloping xenophobia. Some people would have been real, real comfortable with some of our less admirable behaviors during WWII, I think.

(And I did eventually take vacations in France, so suck it, Mrs. Hood! Thought I'd never use bleu in a sentence, did you? Outside of a Wendy's at some indeterminate point in the 90s. It's about being cultured!)