Hi. I am enrolled in Spanish 1-2 and Spanish 3-4 for the 2021-2022 school year. I then plan on taking Spanish 5-6, Honors Spanish 7-8, and AP Spanish 1-2. I also have a deep interest in the Filipino language (Tagalog), which is another course my school offers. Upon completion of AP Spanish, would it be a good idea to began the Filipino courses? I ask this because while I do have a deep interest in language, Filipino 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 would take up quite a bit of room. These would not jeopardize core subjects, but would take room from other electives related to my interests. I realize these courses aren’t necessarily/wouldn’t give me a significant edge in my college applications, but wanted feedback from others. Thanks!
Languages can be helpful in the real world.
I see a lot of demand for English speakers with proficiency / fluency in both Spanish & Portuguese. Russian is becoming a need in the cyber security world, but this could be a short-term need unlike Spanish & Portuguese.
I have no knowledge regarding Filipino (Tagalog).
If you have a burning desire to learn, particularly for heritage reasons, and it does not impact core subjects, go for it.
@Publisher is correct in that there are many languages that are in-demand - Russian, Chinese, Arabic as examples. Tagalog ain’t one of them, except maybe in health care or social work. But not every course needs to be taken with a career in mind. My own mother tongue is as useless as it comes, even if I ever return home. but for heritage purposes, I’m glad I know it.
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How would you arrange your sequences? In parrallel? Because you can’t take that many Tagalog classes AFTER AP Spanish.
Are you in the 8th grade or a freshman?
There’s no problem in taking Tagalog, especially if it helps you get closer to relatives or grandparents. In addition to its inherent interest, it’s an elective that can actually lead to a good essay. Since it wouldn’t displace any core course, I’d say go for it, even if you don’t take it all 4 years or have some heritage knowledge that would allow you to skip a year or two.
One of my kids took two languages each through year 4 but it definitely crowded out other electives in the schedule. Took a class one summer but others were during the regular academic year.
Does your high school have some sort of block schedule that allows you to take foreign languages at an accelerated pace compared to most high schools?
Even so, it looks like you want to take nine foreign language courses; if you take Tagalog sequentially after five Spanish courses, you would only be able to get to the third course in Tagalog in eight semesters of high school.
As far whether to take Tagalog, it depends on how much you value it versus “other electives related to [your] interests” that you did not otherwise describe.