s/o second languages & immersion programs

[niq]

Does anyone have their kid in a language immersion program and doesn't speak the language at home?

V's daycare has an option for Spanish immersion preschool. I speak good-for-a-tourist Spanish; msniq speaks tourist Spanish. There is a Spanish immersion K-8, but we would have to either (a) apply and drive V there (vs walk seven blocks) or (b) move. We probably have to decide whether or not put him on the waitlist this August.

I think it would be nice for him to learn Spanish, but I wonder how much if any of it will stick if he's not getting much exposure outside of daycare, and if we don't followup in elementary school.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't bother if you're not going to follow up with elementary school.

We're still trying to decide if we'll do French immersion elementary. There's one 2.5 blocks from our house (but it's over crowded and I don't love that), and another semi-private further away with better ratios and reputation. But then there's the regular school half a block from our house, and I wonder if French is really worth it or not.

If we do it, it will be at least K-8, with option to finish high school officially bilingual.

[Jalapeñomel]

D is in Spanish daycare and DH speaks a lot of Spanish with him at home (I'm learning, albiet very slowly), but I certainly wouldn't say that Spanish is primary (or remotely close to it) at home.

[SJ]

DD is in immersion daycare (Montessori where we tentatively plan to keep her through K) and although I DO speak Spanish fluently, we don't tend to use it at home since my DH doesn't speak it.

We may try to continue immersion in Elementary school as I believe that is an option in our district. If not, we will probably put her in private lessons outside of school.

[momin2013]

I studied French (though not immersion) throughout elementary, high school, and into university. It never actually "stuck" because I don't use it day-to-day. That said, I don't think it ever "hurts" to study a second language, even if it doesn't end up entirely sticking.

[niq]

Jun 25, 2015 13:07:46 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

Jun 25, 2015 12:44:37 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

I wouldn't bother if you're not going to follow up with elementary school.

We're still trying to decide if we'll do French immersion elementary. There's one 2.5 blocks from our house (but it's over crowded and I don't love that), and another semi-private further away with better ratios and reputation. But then there's the regular school half a block from our house, and I wonder if French is really worth it or not.

If we do it, it will be at least K-8, with option to finish high school officially bilingual.

This is pretty much where we are. H is very interested in French immersion. I'm more meh on the idea, especially if it involves traveling a lot further to get to a FI school.

Nosy Canadian question: I thought the only people who cared about French were Quebecois (and apparently parts of New Brunswick)? I mean, outside of those two provinces, the percentage of French-at-home speakers is about what the percentage of Mandarin+Cantonese+Chinese*-at-home-speakers is in the US.

*I don't know why, but on Census forms lots of people list their language spoken at home as "Chinese" with no further details, even though that's not an official language.

[coleyv]

DD will be three next month and has been at a Spanish immersion school for a little over a year now. I don't speak Spanish and DH speaks some but definitely not fluent. We have some family members who speak it but we don't see them that often.

I am amazed at how much Spanish she speaks. At this age they pick it up so quickly! I would recommend it but only if you plan to continue in elementary. That's what we plan to do, even if it's just an after school program once she starts kindergarten.

[momin2013]

Jun 25, 2015 13:15:03 GMT -5 niq said:

Jun 25, 2015 13:07:46 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

This is pretty much where we are. H is very interested in French immersion. I'm more meh on the idea, especially if it involves traveling a lot further to get to a FI school.

Nosy Canadian question: I thought the only people who cared about French were Quebecois (and apparently parts of New Brunswick)? I mean, outside of those two provinces, the percentage of French-at-home speakers is about what the percentage of Mandarin+Cantonese+Chinese*-at-home-speakers is in the US.

*I don't know why, but on Census forms lots of people list their language spoken at home as "Chinese" with no further details, even though that's not an official language.

A lot of jobs here (especially in federal government organizations, but also in many others) give preference to people who are bilingual in English/French, so being able to put that on a resume is a pretty big plus.

[holly116]

DH didn't speak German at all till he took it at his rural Ohio high school. He stuck with it a bit in college and then lived there for a while in his 20s. That's what did it, the living there.

Now he can speak Bavarian as well and is completely fluent but he uses it almost daily at work. I think that's the key. He can feel it slip even now if he's not diligent. So that being said, our entire goal with exposing our kids is just exposure. So when they go to study, if they choose to do so, it won't be as difficult to pick up on it. I wouldn't overly rearrange our lives to make it a high priority since it seems that it doesn't seem to stick if it's not used.

[heygrey]

R will be in an "Intro to French" daycare in the fall. I would like to enroll him in immersion pre-k when he's 4 and we're planning to do immersion k-8 at least.

I live in British Columbia where knowing any number of Asian languages would serve you better in your daily life over knowing French. However, I've seen friend after friend given preference for jobs because they are bilingual French/English. When it's free I feel like it's an opportunity I should at least offer my kid.*If he struggles in school or clearly doesn't have an aptitude for multiple languages we'll move him to an English speaking classroom.

*i say this with the understanding that I have a really good public immersion program in my preferred elem. and middle schools. I realize it's not all equal across Canada.

Also, h and I speak broken French, but it wouldn't take much for our kid to surpass our skills.

[halfpint]

Yeah, I don't know if I would bother if you aren't following up with more immersion.

I went to French immersion for a while, but then went to an English middle school, and then moved to the States and took some Spanish. I lost a LOT of it. I took some French in college, and studied abroad, but there were kids who had no French background with much better language skills than me.

[halfpint]

Jun 25, 2015 13:15:03 GMT -5 niq said:

Jun 25, 2015 13:07:46 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

This is pretty much where we are. H is very interested in French immersion. I'm more meh on the idea, especially if it involves traveling a lot further to get to a FI school.

Nosy Canadian question: I thought the only people who cared about French were Quebecois (and apparently parts of New Brunswick)? I mean, outside of those two provinces, the percentage of French-at-home speakers is about what the percentage of Mandarin+Cantonese+Chinese*-at-home-speakers is in the US.

*I don't know why, but on Census forms lots of people list their language spoken at home as "Chinese" with no further details, even though that's not an official language.

I grew up in Ontario, and my (somewhat useless) 20+ year old anecdotal evidence is that lots of families speak French, and the area is heavily bilingual. Maybe it's a geographical pocket? I had some childhood friends who primarily spoke French, and English was a struggle. I remember babysitting for a little kid who ONLY spoke French. 

[badtzmaru22]

I was in a Spanish immersion preschool for a couple of years, and then had Spanish once a week in elementary school. I had no Spanish at all in 7th and 8th grade, and lost a lot, but still tested into Spanish 2 in 9th grade. It definitely made it a lot easier for me later in life. I really think it's true about just opening up your ears to the language at an early age, and how much that can help later on.

I haven't had an actual Spanish class in over ten years, and I was never fluent, but I am sure I could still get back into it, and certainly manage enough for travel if I tried. I'm all for it.

[Deleted]

No one here really uses their French, but yes, it's a great asset for Federal jobs and generally gives you an edge.

[MadamePresident]

I really really wish I could speak another language. I took spanish in high school and college, but never used it. I can read it okay, but I can't "hear" it when people are speaking.

[kershnic]

I think there's something to be said for the brain development aspect of exposure to another language, even if it doesn't result in long term knowledge of that language. But I don't think it's a huge deal, just a fun extra like yoga. Without ongoing exposure after daycare I doubt he'd remember any, although some make the claim that it does make it easier to learn that language later on.

A few of the daycares we are considering for fall are "Spanish immersion" in that they operate primarily in Spanish because I live in a heavily Hispanic area. I kind of see it as a net neutral.  

ETA: I speak pretty much zero Spanish.  DW took it in school and probably rises to your tourist level.

[mandapanda18]

Jun 25, 2015 12:39:26 GMT -5 niq said:

Does anyone have their kid in a language immersion program and doesn't speak the language at home?

V's daycare has an option for Spanish immersion preschool. I speak good-for-a-tourist Spanish; msniq speaks tourist Spanish. There is a Spanish immersion K-8, but we would have to either (a) apply and drive V there (vs walk seven blocks) or (b) move. We probably have to decide whether or not put him on the waitlist this August.

I think it would be nice for him to learn Spanish, but I wonder how much if any of it will stick if he's not getting much exposure outside of daycare, and if we don't followup in elementary school.

Yes, I am working on learning more Spanish now... great touristy spanish spoke by myself (H speaks zero though). We have a slight advantage as our neighbors have children close in age (to C) and they play almost daily and speak only in spanish to him.