Does it look bad to change languages?

[Anonymous]

Kid is likely going to a magnet where their middle school language (Mandarin) is not offered. They are really worried about this hurting their chances for getting into college (they'd start Spanish 1 in 9th).

Is this actually going to hurt? I said no but now I am second guessing.

Are there options I don't know about to allow them to continue Mandarin (like a virtual class held during a free period or something)?

They are good at Mandarin for not being Chinese, and they would not change languages of their own volition.

And finally, how does one get a class created? There are enough kids from the current Chinese 2 class at their middle school that there might be 7-8 kids in the same boat.

[Anonymous]

No answer for your question. But can the adults of students taking Mandarin please explain the interest in Mandarin. Why go to a HS to take it if the MS can't offer the language, is it worth taking Mandarin? For what reasons other than learning another language?

[Anonymous]

Starting Spanish 1 as a ninth grader doesn’t look great but probably isn’t terrible. One option is to take Spanish 1 over the summer and start with Spanish 2. Honestly Spanish 1 has soooo little content you could probably learn it all just with duolingo and a very basic grammar workbook. My kid skipped 1A based solely on some duolingo and is pretty bored on 1B.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea but is it possible to take Chinese elsewhere and have mcps accept the language credits? Like through CTY…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starting Spanish 1 as a ninth grader doesn’t look great but probably isn’t terrible. One option is to take Spanish 1 over the summer and start with Spanish 2. Honestly Spanish 1 has soooo little content you could probably learn it all just with duolingo and a very basic grammar workbook. My kid skipped 1A based solely on some duolingo and is pretty bored on 1B.

In contrast, my 7th grader took Spanish 1AB in 6th grade and the first semester (Spanish 1A) is his only B in any class in MS so far. We got him a tutor to help him and even after stopping the tutoring early this school year, he's easily getting As. Perhaps his teacher this year is also easier or perhaps he has a better idea how to study in foreign language class now, but the 2AB teacher did also say that there's less content in 2AB compared to 1AB.

[Anonymous]

Do not allow your child to give up the study of Mandarin. Find a private tutor if necessary.

[Anonymous]

not at all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No answer for your question. But can the adults of students taking Mandarin please explain the interest in Mandarin. Why go to a HS to take it if the MS can't offer the language, is it worth taking Mandarin? For what reasons other than learning another language?

This is OP. We had lived overseas where kid had some Mandarin instruction in elementary; that's why they took it starting in 6th. It is much much harder than Spanish/French in middle school - just the sheer level of effort and practice required is so much higher because those other languages aren't tonal. Also, 2/3 of the class were Chinese-American so I think it forces a higher standard when it comes to speaking IMO. It was by far kid's hardest class. We kept hearing that Latin languages are much easier to pick up in adulthood, while other languages are easier learned in young age, so it made sense as a choice.

With that being said, my kid is interested in living/working in Asia and it wasn't a completely random selection. I wouldn't take it just because it's hard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No answer for your question. But can the adults of students taking Mandarin please explain the interest in Mandarin. Why go to a HS to take it if the MS can't offer the language, is it worth taking Mandarin? For what reasons other than learning another language?

I know a highly motivated student who started taking it in college and did better than everyone else. Everyone has their own interests and paths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No answer for your question. But can the adults of students taking Mandarin please explain the interest in Mandarin. Why go to a HS to take it if the MS can't offer the language, is it worth taking Mandarin? For what reasons other than learning another language?

I know a highly motivated student who started taking it in college and did better than everyone else. Everyone has their own interests and paths.

I met 60yr old professor who started taking Chinese 1(101) at the university he taught to get ready to work in China for a short term. He said it was hard but since he already spoke 3-4 other languages he did pick up some, obvi not as well as a MS student would. Never too late to learn. Be patient though.

[Anonymous]

Kids can start a language in 9th grade and be just fine. They should plan to continue it for 3/4yrs. And if they so desire can still take the Mandarin outside of school.

Also if the students attains enough proficiency in either language they can apply for the Seal of BiLiteracy (https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/office/seal-of-biliteracy).

[Anonymous]

I noticed on the class registration form for Blair SMCS that Chinese was listed, which is new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid is likely going to a magnet where their middle school language (Mandarin) is not offered. They are really worried about this hurting their chances for getting into college (they'd start Spanish 1 in 9th).

Is this actually going to hurt? I said no but now I am second guessing.

Are there options I don't know about to allow them to continue Mandarin (like a virtual class held during a free period or something)?

They are good at Mandarin for not being Chinese, and they would not change languages of their own volition.

And finally, how does one get a class created? There are enough kids from the current Chinese 2 class at their middle school that there might be 7-8 kids in the same boat.

Nobody cares. You are overthinking this. The only college that requires 4 years of language is Harvard. Please do not make your kid go through a year of summer school to catch up.

[Anonymous]

There'a a section on the Common App for additional information. People use it for things like this: "I took X years of Language Y, but it was not offered at my high school, so I switched to Language Z."

Admissions offices aren't supposed to penalize students for things they can't control.

[Anonymous]

Your kid's best shot at a selective college is to stay at their home school, do as many APs as possible, and continue with their first language.

In magnet schools, it's very, very challenging to differentiate oneself from peers. Since colleges only take a certain number from each high school, that creates a higher bar for the usual colleges picked by students.

On the other hand, teachers are usually pretty good in magnet classes, and the content is obviously interesting.

Commute may be a huge drain, though.