Department Chair Message

The LOTE Department at North Salem Middle/High School believes that Communication Skills and Cultural Understandings are THE STANDARDS for our students as they undertake the study of a second language. The department has as its goals:

• To develop the ability to communicate with native speakers
• To provide an entrée into many aspects of other cultures
• To develop skills that will be needed in the world of work
• To cultivate the development of a firm foundation for lifelong learning.

“The study of another language enables students to understand a different culture on its own terms. The exquisite connection between the culture that is lived and the language that is spoken can only be realized by those who possess knowledge of both. American students need to develop an awareness of other people’s world views, of their unique way of life, and of the patterns of behavior which order their world, as well as learn about contributions of other cultures to the world at large, and the solutions they offer to the common problems of humankind. Such awareness will help combat the ethnocentrism that often dominates the thinking of our young people.” The New York State Education Department, Albany, NY 1996.

The truth is that the one thing that over 98% of all human beings have in common is language. Over 98% of people are able to speak a language. This means that human beings have the inherent capacity to learn a language! I believe that all of them can learn a second, third, -as many languages as they are exposed to during the course of their lives. Languages, communication, and education have become the national defense of the 21st century.

The September 11, 2001 attack and the continued threats to our Homeland, underscore the need to take action on the foreign language and cultural capabilities of this country. “Gaps in our national language capabilities have undermined cross-cultural communication and understanding at home and abroad. They have restrained social mobility, lessened our commercial competitiveness, limited the effectiveness of public diplomacy, and restricted justice and government services to sectors of our society. And they have threatened national security. The United States needs broader and deeper foreign language capabilities.” The National Language Conference, 1 February 2005. The Call to Action for National Foreign Language Capabilities (chaired by Under Secretary of Defense David S.C. Chu).

We in the L.O.T.E. department believe that it is our privilege and responsibility to educate North Salem students to have an understanding of and the ability to function effectively in other cultural, business and value systems through Languages Other Than English proficiency.