Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-03-02
Who Needs French?

Strange as 1t may seem to
the rich and well-to-do of
Montgomery County, there
are many taxpayers living on
low incomes who cannot af-
ford to own automobiles. It
Is not right that public money
should be expended for driv-
ing lessons and other free
handouts which are not re-
lated to basic education. Par
ents who have the money to
enable their children to clut-
ter up the over-crowded
roads with cars should be re-
quired to pay full costs for
all driving essentials.
The President has stressed
the Importance Of foreign
language instruction in our
schools in order that we may
keep pace with the multi
lingual children Of other
countries. However, he
knows, as do most of us, that
foreign children are well
versed in the language Of
their respective countries,
whereas reports show that
ours are not.
One cannot pick up a news
paper or magazine nowadays
without reading of commit
tees being formed to fight IL
literacy, Of parents worrying
because Johnnie can't read,
and Of complaints from in
dustry because stenographers
can't spell. Not long ago 1t
was reported that a teacher
In a Greenwich, Conn, school
didn't know the correct use
Of well" and good" in a
sentence. If this be progress,
then by all means let us go
back to the days when chill
dren could read and spell.
The lamentations over the
slashing of French lessons
should be supplanted by
concern for the colossal ig-
norance of our language.
This kind Of thinking smacks
of Bernard Shaw's. cockney
flower girl who was eager to
learn French but was cool to
the idea Of anyone offering to
learn me me own language"
1t is hoped that the econo-
my-minded Board of Educa-
ton remains in office to eff
feet further cuts in free bene-
fits for the rich and well-to-
do.
Hilda N. Wilbur.
=
AS a resident Of Montgom-
cry County since 1854 and q
member Of the foreign Ian
guage teaching profession, I
protest proposed elimination
by the School Board of q
vital part Of the county's ex-
cellent foreign language pro-
gram. / refer to foreign Ian
guages In the elementary
school FLES), and in par
ticular to its core Of "a we'll
trained and experienced
FILES specialist teachers.
The crucial item amounts
to a Saving" Of about $34,-
900 in the coming school year.
In a SIS million budget this
is very little. And retaining
1t means not losing a rare
asset built UP for the county
by 10 years of painstaking
effort on the part OF many
professionals and hundreds Of
devoted parents and citizens.
The FILES teachers are using
a carefully built sequence Of
materials - specially con-
structed for the county and
unequaled anywhere - TAX
ing the student from Grade
4 into secondary school. The
asset Is rare because. unfor-
tunately. for several years
the profession will not be
turning out even a small per-
centage Of the well-qualified
FILES teachers that the ma
tional need for language
competence requires. and that
hundreds Of school systems
are desperately seeking. II
these "a teachers were lost TO
the county It might take an
other 5 TO 10 years TO build
Up q comparable team.
There are four requirements
for effective second-language
learning: an early start (be-
fore age 100: competent
teachers; good materials, and
a long sequence Of study.
In Russia, six years OF for
eign language study in small
classes under good teachers
are compulsory for an estim-
ated IL million boys and girls,
starting In the second grade.
In many countries the Sc
quence required goes 10 eight
or ten years. MONTGOMERY
County Is building up a for
eign language program very
well attuned 10 the vital COM
munlcations needs OF this
Nation.
The county program should
be carefully and solidly ex-
banded. not cut off at the