Hola. Bonjour. Konichiwa. If you’re like many of us at The Daily, you probably had your first taste of a formally taught foreign language as a middle or high school student.

The remnants of those first two or three years were probably reawakened again in your first two years at college when you took the few quarters of foreign language required for most four-year degrees.

But how much of that language learning has stuck with you since? Moreover, how much of it were you ever able to use functionally?

Once again, if you’re like many of us at The Daily, probably not much at all. And if you’re still taking a foreign language, you can probably relate.

A recent article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that Seattle Public Schools is planning to expand its language-immersion program at the John Stanford International School for elementary students to other schools in the area.

Numerous studies have indicated that language learning becomes more difficult as children get older. By the time children reach adolescence— the time most foreign language programs start in the United States –— language learning has become a daunting task.

The current program at John Stanford teaches subjects such as math, language arts, science and social studies in English and Spanish or Japanese. The program has brought the school numerous awards and made it one of the most popular in the district.

Besides being provided with exposure to aspects of different cultures through the process of language learning, there is evidence that people who speak more than one language face less age-related mental degeneration, perform better in tasks while distracted and perform better on verbal and nonverbal tests of intelligence than monolingual speakers. Beyond these cognitive benefits, fluency in a second language consistently offers an edge in academia and the job market — especially the international job market.

Even though Seattle’s public schools are facing more pressing issues with its schools right now, the eventual expansion of this program should be made a priority. Doing so will strengthen students and the school district.