Why would I choose to teach them Arabic?

Arabic is the fourth most spoken language in the world. It is the official language of 27 countries and there are over 465 million native speakers of the language. Furthermore, the Arabic language is spoken in 60 different countries worldwide (The Washington Post, April, 2015). The U.S. Department of State identified Arabic as a language of strategic importance. With the growing importance of the Middle East in international affairs, those who study Arabic can find careers in journalism, in translation and interpretation as well as in diplomacy and foreign service. The Arab region with its rapidly growing populations and rich resources is also a growing market for trade and business opportunities. Arabic students have a competitive advantage pursuing careers in business and oil industry, in consultancy and development as well as in finance and banking.

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In the US, Arabic comes second (after Spanish) in the list of home languages spoken by English learners in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics 2013-14).

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If you are a Sacramento resident, chances are you may have already noticed that Sacramento is becoming home to a rapidly growing population of Arabic speaking immigrants and refugees. In the last five years (2010-2015), the percentage of Arabic speaking students among English Learners in San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD) has grown by 160%, making Arabic the third most spoken language by San Juan EL’s (after Spanish and Russian).  Not only has the percentage of Arabic speaking EL’s grown by %160 in SJUSD in the last five years, but in the last school year (2015-2016) only, this percentage has grown by over %72 in another closeby school district (Twin Rivers School District).