I've been learning Japanese for two years and the writing system still trips me up, but I notice my kids pick up new words without any grammar drills. Schools in my area keep cutting foreign language programs, arguing that time is better spent on coding and STEM. I think mandatory language education in primary school is a waste of resources that should be redirected toward skills with clearer economic returns. We all saw how pandemic Zoom meetings exposed that most professionals barely function in a second language despite years of classes.