SENATE MEMORIAL 72

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Jane M. Garcia

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH "FOREIGN LANGUAGE WEEK" IN THE SENATE.

     WHEREAS, many New Mexicans speak more than one language; and

     WHEREAS, acquiring more than one language confers concrete cognitive benefits and improves creative thinking and logic by increasing neural connections in the brain; and

     WHEREAS, learning a foreign language also provides an opportunity to learn about another culture, which tends to increase empathy and social skills; and

     WHEREAS, the increasingly interconnected global and technology-dependent economy requires expanded creative thinking and logic and knowledge of more than one language; and

     WHEREAS, support for foreign language instruction is provided by the New Mexico organization of language educators; and

     WHEREAS, support for foreign language learners and teachers is vital for the promotion and continuation of multilingualism in the state; and

     WHEREAS, recognizing the importance of and supporting multilingualism in every school, from the primary grades through higher education, is necessary for the state's educational and economic initiatives;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the first week of March be declared "Foreign Language Week" in the senate; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico organization of language educators, the secretary of public education and the secretary of higher education.

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