So Millie's elementary school has a Chinese immersion program. If you sign your student up, from grades 1-6th they will be with the same students each year in a program that is 50/50 Chinese and English. By immersion, it means the every day of school, for 3.5 hours, they hear NOTHING but Mandarin Chinese (and this starts the first day of 1st grade)- the rest of the day is in English. The goal with the program is to have the students fluent by 6th and continue the program through middle school so that in 9th grade, they can take the Chinese AP exam. I guess studies have shown that if students learn a 2nd language before puberty, they make connections in the way they think that make learning a 3rd or 4th language very easy.
The problem is that, since Millie is in year-round school (and because the program is popular and students are only admitted by lottery), the Chinese immersion program is only available C Track. C Track is the "not so popular track" or, the "crap track" because of when they take their breaks. If Millie were to do it, she would be on it the next 6 years year. Ellis would also get priority to be in the program because they want siblings to learn to communicate with each other. Millie would only get 3 weeks off in July for summer break- and I teach at Hale Center Theatre for 2 of those weeks (and the rest of times she is off-track, they don't coincide with ANY of my breaks at the high school). She would be in school the entire month of June (which I get off) and all of August (she would get off right as I start back up with high school). Then if Ellis gets in, it means that for the next 8 years, no doing anything as a family over the summer, except for 1 week in July- but maybe that's ok. Is it worth it? Thoughts?
Also, Jackie and I are became addicted to Downton Abby on Masterpiece Theatre. We can't wait for the next season.
8 comments:
Downton Abbey fabulous. We were so sad it ended. As for the conundrum - tough call! I think I'd go for family time, sorry. Andrea has had the "crap track" and I think it really is crappy. Maybe they'll go on Chinese missions? Eek. I don't know. Hard.
We have our daughter in a Spanish immersion program-granted, we have traditional school, so we don't have to worry about that crappy kind of schedule. First grade seems to be pretty slow, at least here, and I don't think there's anything wrong with taking them out here and there, even for a week's time. When I was an exchange student, I decided to take a lot of classes with the 2nd and 3rd graders at my school because it was more on my level and I learned the language SO much better than when in older classes. I can definitely see the benefits of learning the language in earlier years, but it all comes down to what opportunities you want and are willing- to sacrifice on either end. Or you could just move again and put her in a traditional school. :)
You know, I've been thinking about this all day now! My brother-in-law has said, "Never let school get in the way of education." We justify pulling our kids out of school with this advice. Especially during the younger years, it's much easier to pull them out for a week for a family vacation. Maybe that's a way around it and you can have both.
I like the moving idea.....ahhh, traditional schedule.
Amy - seriously - tell us what to do. For the Mandarin immersion, they emphasize not pulling the kids out because it is impossible to catch them up. The homework in Mandarin must be all things that the children can do without parent help. So if they miss, there is no way to the child can catch him/herself up.
Hmmmm...a couple options...Take a wham-bam one-week vacation once a year or move to our neighborhood for a traditional schedule or Clin quits teaching at the Hale. Don't envy your decision. We have another year to not worry about that choice for Isabel since it begins in first grade. I am still trying to decide if it's worth it since it's so intense.
Esme's been in the Spanish immersion program since 1st grade and is very proficient in Spanish, however her English reading, writing and spelling skills are weak. They feel that English has suffered and regret the decision, although it is amazing how well she speaks Spanish.
To keep English skills up you are supposed to read with them 20-30 minutes a day. Although I think it would be fun to read to her in another language. A made up language of my choice.
I wouldn't do it. The values, chores,love & fun they learn in family life is far more useful than
Chinese. (Plus, then you have siblings plotting against you in a language you don't understand.)
Perhaps another school will have another language program.
Just my opinion
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