I plan on teaching again and here's why
As an adult, I learned Russian well enough to eventually be recruited as an instructor for American military linguists.
This job was a big deal for me, but it wasn't the original reason I started learning the language. While the possibility of such a career initially caught my radar in college, I was already deep into my language-learning journey. Above any career, skill set, or travel opportunity, there was ONE driving force behind everything I was doing to achieve a professional level of proficiency: I wanted a new identity. (No, we're not talking about something like what's in the Bourne identity here...even though the first one of the trilogy was a good movie).
I wanted to experience other cultures and open my mind up to different parts of the world (not just geographically) while proving to myself that I could develop a new ability. The specific choice of Russian was less relevant—if Russian didn't exist or wasn't an option, I would have been just as focused on a different language (even though Russian is a beautiful language). The language and level of proficiency one pursues are relevant to the individual, but, when done intentionally, these choices have less impact on the benefits of foreign language acquisition overall.
Despite never fully articulating my vision of this "new identity" out loud, everything I focused my energy toward was about achieving a high level of language proficiency that would enable new experiences. In this pursuit, I encountered many challenges both intellectually and in the real world while using the language. A small percentage of the military students I taught had a choice in what language they were to study (their high scores on the DLAB exam were often enough for DOD to tell them what they'd be studying), but I also want to help individuals who are passionately looking to achieve fluency in any language of their choosing. If I can help others navigate the various obstacles and distractions that I faced, more people will be at least bilingual, and the world will hopefully be a better place if I do my job well (more on this at the end).
Last week, I sent out a brief life update, but one major development I forgot to mention is that I miss teaching and that I intend to start teaching again. Barring some unforeseen opportunity or circumstance, I will likely be teaching primarily online. Occasional group meetups in-person would ideally be integral to any course I'd like to offer and help organize, but the supporting frameworks and core communication would all be done through the internet due to the current nature of technology and society. I want to provide the guidance for all foreign language students that I wish I had.
The other side to this is that I want to share with more people what language learning did for me as a person. While in pursuit of my "new identity," I grew in unexpected ways, and while many of my friends and family members might not notice, the person I was before going on this journey is vastly different than who I am today. I'm sure I'll say the same thing 15-20 years from now, but I happen to know that foreign language acquisition specifically played an irreplaceable role in shaping who I am today—how I talk to people, how I relate to others, how I approach goals, and how I view the world in general. In sharing this, one of my goals is to get more people to commit to learning a foreign language as adults, regardless of age. A big motivation for this mission is the rapid advancement of technology in this new and unpredictable world we're living in.
With AI and the impending emergence of AGI (Sam Altman says they haven't built an AGI yet, but, if that's true, I doubt it's far away), it's crucial that more people learn languages and better understand various cultures. You might be thinking: "but Spotify is already using AI to broadcast podcasts in multiple languages with the same voice and mannerisms of the podcasters, and translation software in all domains is only getting better." Yes, this is why it's more important than ever for people's language muscles (and all other muscles that are developed in the process of foreign language acquisition) to not atrophy. Again, the language(s) you decide to learn and the proficiency you attain will depend on your interests, responsibilities, and current life situation, but the invaluable benefits of an intentional approach to language learning should never be overlooked...especially today.
There is a great divide, that, with the rapid acceleration of technological advancements, is expanding between two different types of humans; those who use the tools available to them to learn and produce at higher levels, and those whose minds are shrinking because almost everything can be done for us now.
Think about it: on the physical side of things, there is no need to run in the modern world we've created. Seriously, if you have internet access and are reading this right now, I can't think of any necessity for you to ever run, unless it is self-imposed. Because of this, some humans get winded walking across the parking lot from their air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned grocery store. Simultaneously, there are professional athletes who can now run faster than any other time in recorded history. While modern-day conveniences and processed foods have lead to the degradation of the average person's physical health and capabilities, the insidiously terrifying thing about AI and AGI is that OUR MINDS are now at stake.
Within our minds, LANGUAGE is one of the foundational elements we depend on, not just for internal clarity of thought, but also for how we interact with each other, especially at times when technology may not be readily accessible or sufficiently accurate everyone.
I drive a car, but I also run recreationally because it's good for me. I use AI tools, but I still read, write, and study language on my own for the respective irreplaceable benefits. My car will never replace my legs, just like the AI software I use will never replace my mind. To keep making progress, it's imperative that we use technological advancements as tools to go farther and not as replacements for thinking, learning, or communicating.
After reflecting on how beneficial learning Russian was for me, I want to help others learn languages—now is more important than ever.
I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you for reading.
Until next week!
—Thomas