Immersed in a foreign language, so unfamiliar, but spectacular, I began my journey. At the age of five, my parents enrolled me in a French immersion program for my elementary education. Learning a second language at an early age has had nothing but positive effects on my intellectual growth. Consequently, because of my immersion schooling, I am now able to proficiently communicate in more than one language.
Although at times I questioned my immersion schooling, the benefits of knowing a second language have now become clear to me. Numerous studies suggest that studying a second language in elementary school boosts student achievement in other academic areas. In addition, linguistic studies have shown that children who begin learning a second language before adolescence exhibit a more native-like pronunciation and they end up speaking more fluently. Learning a language and being immersed in a foreign culture at a young age has many benefits, specifically the way in which my brain, like a sponge at the time, quickly grasps a new language a young age. I quickly picked up the French language in elementary school and in high school when I took Spanish for four years, I was able to make connections between the two languages and excel in a third language. Analyzing my foreign language immersion schooling has reminded me how incredible the brain is; it is a network of information that continuously processes and interprets the things we learn every day and it is truly remarkable.
