David1917 wrote:It's still lazy to just do the bare minimum and not seek to learn for learning's sake. We have idiotic terms like "nerd" to describe people that take learning seriously. Do the nerds who get A's in language classes and actually learn to speak the language actively refuse to not learn? Is it just pure luck for a student to somehow learn a language they have no "access" to learning?
This is such a strange conversation. I am one of those straight A nerds who left high school without attaining any significant level of proficiency in the languages I studied. I am not at all unusual. World language instruction in US schools does not have a great track record. This is hardly new news. And yes, there IS an element of chance involved. Not all students have the same opportunities. Again, not new news.