No FLES...what is added instead?

[Anonymous]

My rising K kid's elementary school does not have the FLES class that other (most?) ES have. What class is substituted and do the other schools not do that class? Can they still start a language in MS or are they screwed?

[Anonymous]

They can still start a language in middle school without FLES in elementary school. Source: I work in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Is that elementary level foreign language? I didn’t know that was available in FCPS, never heard of it other than immersion schools. Yes you can take language in middle school with out elem language.

[Anonymous]

FLES is, at best, "nice to have." Your child will not learn a language twice a week. And, I don't think the language taught in my neighborhood school is taught at the middle or high school level in their assigned high school.

[Anonymous]

Some schools have a Level II special instead. Or another visual or performing arts class. Or another science (at the arts and sciences magnets).

FLES is nice and I wish it were more widely available but on balance I think kids need more exposure to the arts in elementary than they get at most FCPS schools. The arts magnets have dance and theatre.

[Anonymous]

FLES is awful. It makes kids hate that language because it’s such a useless class and a waste of time. My kids and many of their friends hate Spanish because of their awful ES FLES experience. You are lucky that your kids don’t have this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FLES is awful. It makes kids hate that language because it’s such a useless class and a waste of time. My kids and many of their friends hate Spanish because of their awful ES FLES experience. You are lucky that your kids don’t have this.

NP. My kids learned a decent amount of Spanish from FLES once a week for years. The Spanish teacher was great and everyone loved her. She retired last year and the new one is not as beloved (yet).

[Anonymous]

Spanish is a joke at our school too. The kids learn nothing and they hate it. It seems to be more about culture than language. Which is fine but it’s a stretch to call it a language class.

[Anonymous]

FLES is worthless. My kids had Spanish once a week and by the start of middle school barely knew anything. My youngest is in a different ES without FLES and just gets more specials time.

[Anonymous]

I think schools can design their own specials. My child has a once a week mindfulness class - like breathing techniques, yoga poses, visualizations, calming music. It’s actually her favorite special.

[Anonymous]

former DOD teacher here:

Teaching in two different foreign countries with "Host Nation" classes (language/culture) twice a week. The kids actually LIVED in these countries --though most lived on post/base.

The ONLY children I taught who were fluent in the language were: 1) those who had a mom who spoke the language at home; or, 2) those who lived "on the economy" (off base) and played with local children.

It made good sense for kids living in those countries to learn about the language and the culture. I'm not so sure FLES in Fairfax County is worthwhile. I live in a neighborhood with people of diverse cultures. That is probably more enlightening --playing with their neighbors--than FLES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FLES is worthless. My kids had Spanish once a week and by the start of middle school barely knew anything. My youngest is in a different ES without FLES and just gets more specials time.

Studies have shown in other school districts that students that took a language for a couple of days a week in elementary did not have an advantage in middle school when compared to students that did not take a language in elementary.

[Anonymous]

fles is useless. My kids had it k-6. Never really learned anything. Since our area is so transient, each year it was like they started over. only once a week, and it was the same stuff year in and year out. Did not help them in MS or HS spanish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:fles is useless. My kids had it k-6. Never really learned anything. Since our area is so transient, each year it was like they started over. only once a week, and it was the same stuff year in and year out. Did not help them in MS or HS spanish.

And I'll say I was so excited my kids had it. But the teacher did the same boring repetitive things year after year. They had spanish in preschool for an hour a week, and I think they never learned anything new through 6th grade.

In ps. they did numbers to 10, colors, days of the week, months. That is about where they were at the end of 6th. Don't get sad thinking your kids will miss verbs, speaking in sentences, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FLES is awful. It makes kids hate that language because it’s such a useless class and a waste of time. My kids and many of their friends hate Spanish because of their awful ES FLES experience. You are lucky that your kids don’t have this.

+1
My kid’s experience too. They never seemed to actually progress and learn new stuff each year. Watched tons of movies in it. Total waste of time.