by Laurel Anderson (Posted on November 2, 2026 @ 12:48 p.m.)

Students in Spanish classes at Alamo Heights Junior School (AHJS) can face challenges that affect their learning and performance in school. These challenges can impact students in different ways and influence their overall school experience.

According to the University of Alabama in Huntsville, from their studies in Fear to Fluency, “Anxiety can significantly hinder performance in various settings, including language learning.” This study is about how students being stressed in their language class can affect their grades and how they do.

This school year, teachers and students have noticed that language classes are negatively affecting students’ ability to focus on other subjects.

Daniel Yancelson, a Spanish 1 and 2 teacher at AHJS, noticed this particular issue in his classes this year. Students in his classes have struggled particularly during tests.

He said students often prepare thoroughly for tests. However, their performance does not always reflect their long hours of studying and preparation. “It seems like they know this stuff really, really well. They have prepared, they have studied, and then they just happen to get really nervous and stressed during the test, and they don’t do so well,” Yancelson said. Test anxiety can make it difficult for students to show off what they have learned, even when they have spent considerable time preparing and understanding the content.

Beyond test anxiety, Yancelson also noticed that students struggle to memorize new Spanish vocabulary. “Yes, most of them actually struggle a lot, memorizing words,” Yancelson said.

The challenges Yancelson observes in his classroom reflect exactly what students are experiencing firsthand. Test anxiety and memory recall difficulties are affecting students’ daily experiences in language classes. Several students report feeling overwhelmed by the demands of learning a new language while also managing their other coursework.

Emma Thompson, a seventh-grade Spanish 2 student, has experienced these negative effects that extend beyond her language class. “Not like struggling, not bad grades, but like, I definitely fall behind in my other classes,” Thompson said. Thompson said that Spanish requires significant study time, leaving less time to spend on her other subjects. Balancing multiple classes can make organizing school assignments difficult. Students must decide how to divide their time between studying vocabulary, completing assignments, and preparing for tests and other subjects. Thompson also experiences significant stress during assessments. “Yeah. I seem to get a lot more stressed whenever I’m taking a test, rather than a daily assignment,” Thompson said.

Lisa Lucas, AHJS wellness counselor, explained that learning a new language creates significant pressure for many students. “And so you’re having to learn that and that brings on a lot of stress,” Lucas said. Lucas explained that this high stress extends beyond language class itself. “I mean it’ll affect everything, right? It’ll affect studying. It’ll affect friendship, it’ll affect memory. It’s all, it affects everything,” Lucas said.

Despite these numerous challenges, Lucas noted that language learning can provide long-term benefits. “But in the long run, a language is gonna improve people’s mental health because it’s gonna open up different opportunities for you than just having one language,” Lucas said. Lucas explained that knowing multiple languages can create academic and career opportunities that may not be available to students who speak only one language.

While language classes at AHJS are creating stress and academic challenges for some students this year, educators like Lucas believe that the long-term benefits may outweigh the current difficulties. For now, students like Thompson continue balancing the demands of language learning with their other coursework.