Foreign Language Academy

Since 1986, the Virginia Department of Education has sponsored the Governor's Foreign Language Academies, summer residential programs for Virginia's most motivated and talented foreign language students.  As of 2005, approximately 6,350 high-school students have completed one of the six programs in French, Spanish, German, Latin, Russian and Japanese.  This summer, the academies? twentieth anniversary year, I had the honor to direct the Immersion Program in German (45 students, 4 teachers, 6 Resident Assistants) held on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond.

Many educators consider the academies one of the most notable developments in foreign language study to have occurred in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  In 1987, a CBS Sunday Morning report on the German academy by Charles Kuralt occasioned numerous inquiries from around the country from citizens and educators, and these inquiries continue today.  The academies have come to signify, even for teachers who have not had students participate, what language instruction is all about -- communication.

This focus on communication is especially true of the Immersion programs in French, Spanish and German.  Whereas the Latin, Russian and Japanese programs are open to all interested students who excel in the study of a foreign language, and therefore allow English to be spoken, the Immersion programs are conducted entirely in the foreign language; every facet of our students? three-week residency, from early morning to lights-out, was in German.

When I first started, I was a bit skeptical about the rigors of this total immersion experience.  A three-work residential program where students could only communicate with family and friends via letter, and where no outside visitors would be allowed?  Where there would be absolutely no access to phones (cell phone or otherwise), email, AIM, radio, computer or television -- all the daily necessities of today?s high schools?  Where the use of English in any form would send a student back home? 

I grew surprisingly fond of this self-imposed exile from the hectic pace of twenty-first century life and this return to a quainter, saner form of existence.  But I was even more amazed at how quickly the students themselves adjusted, willingly giving up the everyday accessories of their social world to return to good old-fashioned, unencumbered conversation with peers -- in German!  And while they appeared skeptical and forlorn upon their arrival, looking to their parents to rescue them as the staff barraged them with questions, they quickly grew to the challenge as if it were the most natural thing in the world for them to speak German 24/7.    

A typical day at the academy had morning classes based on the German-style Gymnasium concept, with students divided into three classes and teachers coming into the classrooms to teach their four subjects.  Then lunch in the Mensa (cafeteria) with further activities in the afternoon, such as theater, art, video, and yearbook.  In the late afternoon, students would either have gym (soccer, volleyball, dodgeball) or would engage in other recreational activities (e.g., lawn games, dance or yoga), followed by dinner.  The evening programs were diverse and entertaining ? e.g., karaoke, carnival, ?German Idol,? films, or simply sitting around playing board games and cards.  After this, the students willingly dropped into bed and had lights out by 10:30.

This year's program also incorporated a field trip to Williamsburg (with a tour conducted in German by a specialist in early American history) and Richmond's Holocaust museum, several lectures (on Turkish immigration, German cathedrals, Austria and cultural literacy), swim dates, and the annual Olympics (involving all six academies).  Of course, this being the year of the World Cup, soccer took on a particular prominence, and our team's victories against the Spanish and French academies were considered one of the highlights of the three weeks.  Needless to say, when Germany played in the World Cup, everything else needed to be rescheduled!

At the end, I was impressed with the overall improvements.  Repeating the standardized tests taken at the beginning, students scored uniformly better, with some scores increasing by more than twenty points.  But even more significant was to see the impact the intense experience had had on the students -- their almost humorous difficulties after the closing ceremonies to return to English, their hesitancy to reconnect with their trusted worlds, their bittersweet goodbyes to friends and staff.  One student came to me and said that these three weeks had changed his life, and he knew now that he wanted to pursue German in his future. 

I can only speak of the merits of this program, and I would encourage all talented and motivated Hampden-Sydney students of German, French, Spanish or Latin to consider working as Resident Assistants.  Not only do these staff members have an excellent opportunity to improve their language skills, but they embark on a highly rewarding experience.  In fact, many of the Resident Assistants return the following years, some even as teachers. 

In the case of the Foreign Language Academies, the Commonwealth of Virginia has truly proven itself to be a pioneer and should be commended for recognizing early on the importance and value of foreign languages in the lives and futures of its young citizens. 

August 2006