“Learning a foreign language—not just in snippets but as a sustained education—allows students to take on an alternative identity and see the world in different ways,” writes Peter Pfeiffer, a former language tutor, in a Washington Post Letter to the Editor as a rebuttal to Jay Mathews’ ‘Class Struggle’ blog. Mathews wrote last week about his view that language study is a “waste of time.”

Pfeiffer says “Mr. Mathews correctly noted that the levels of accomplishment are often wanting” but says that “it is silly to insist on immediate usefulness for foreign language study.” Pfeiffer emphasized the worldviews and opportunities teaching foreign languages in public schools can provide, especially “for less privileged students.”