Spanish is actually a required language in some schools now. It was an elective when I was in school, but my kids have been taking spanish classes since 3rd grade. They speak it as well as English. And certainly better than I speak it. Part of what makes it so effective is that once the kids reach junior high, spanish class is never taught in English with translations again. You simply learn more grammar, spelling, and pronunciation stuff, just like you would with all the English classes you're forced to also take. Essays in spanish are also common, usually about a topic involving the language or history.
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Spanish is actually a required language in some schools now. It was an elective when I was in school, but my kids have been taking spanish classes since 3rd grade. They speak it as well as English. And certainly better than I speak it. Part of what makes it so effective is that once the kids reach junior high, spanish class is never taught in English with translations again. You simply learn more grammar, spelling, and pronunciation stuff, just like you would with all the English classes you're forced to also take. Essays in spanish are also common, usually about a topic involving the language or history.