Foreign language teachers, did you find yourself being asked by parents or students when they would ever use this “in real life?”

I had 6 out of 30 parents ask me how their kid would ever use Spanish in real life, if they ever planned on going to a Spanish speaking country or living in a Spanish speaking country. I tried to explain career opportunities, being able to communicate with people in the medical or law enforcement fields, traveling, etc. but they just weren’t having it.<br><br>I had a student ask, “Yo, Miss, are you from Mexico or something and you can’t speak any English?” Many parents have also told me that their kids don’t think I can speak English. I speak four languages fluently and have a bachelor’s in Spanish. But I guess that doesn’t matter. I wonder, do math teachers get asked when they will use math in real life? I doubt it.