Tutoring vs foreign language

[Anonymous]

My daughter may need tutoring service in the fall because she performs below average on reading/writing and math. She is at K, but I suspect that she has learning issues since she was little. She wants to learn a foreign language with her friends together in the fall, and I think it will be too much for her to do tutoring on math/reading in the morning and attending a foreign language school in the afternoon for a few hours. Both happen to be on Saturdays for the next school year If I have to pick one, I and DH want her not to consider learning a foreign language. Her friends can speak and write, but she knows nothing about that foreign language. Any thoughts? I feel like academic is more important than learning a new language.

[Anonymous]

What's the foreign language? Some 'learning issues' make foreign language very hard. She needs to start now as they even make her take it in college.
I didn't know how to read and write in K. I still don't know, but I took 7 languages total and I was good at math.

[Anonymous]

Op here. She has developmental delays in speech since little. She still can't speak well, but she seems to have no problem in learning and understanding in the classroom. She seems to be not good at memorizing or remembering what she has learned, and she is still struggling to use phonics to read. She has IEP, and teachers has suspected that she may have learning disabilities. She wants to learn Chinese but she does not even like to eat Chinese food. Her few best friends all go to Chinese language school, and she wants to learn with them together. They all attend different elementary schools, and she wants to see them regularly. I am more worried about her catching up on academic than learning a new foreign language. I think it is too much to do both at her age, and it is too much commitment. She also does dance and swimming.

[Anonymous]

Chinese language school may not allow her to enroll anyway. I know at least in my kid's saturday language school, that school is not for learning the language, it's for kids who already are fluent/almost fluent to study in that language. And for anyone below fluent they have a separate class.

[Anonymous]

We chose tutoring for my kid with LDs (including a FL waiver in HS), but that was an easy choice because DD didn't want to take a FL. In general, we try hard to keep LD supports (including tutoring) from keeping her from doing preferred activities because we don't want her to resent her disability any more than necessary.

[Anonymous]

I would not do this. The Chinese language school is probably immersion based, right? If she's not getting support for the language at home with you, she's going to learn very little.

Some kids can do both, and even with a learning disability, she may still be able to. The question is whether you will be able to support her doing both. If you think it's too much, that's a good reason not to do it.

Maybe her friends would be interested in playground time or another fun activity after language school, and your child could meet with them then.

[Anonymous]

Speech and occupational therapy might be better

[Anonymous]

You really have to stop equating LDs with low IQ or low functionality.

I have a kid who was born with delays, needed speech therapy, had an IEP in school for years, severe ADHD, mild autism, dysgraphia (learning disability in writing), dyscalculia (learning disability in math)...

... but he's bilingual in our native language, took Latin to the AP level, graduated with a nearly perfect ACT score and took a dozen AP courses. Oh, and pushed himself to take AP Calculus BC in 12th grade despite his math disability.

It's tricky to raise a child with any sort of divergent brain or special needs. But don't you dare close doors for her! Life will do that anyway. Your job is to get her the diagnoses and the support she needs (a process that takes several years), and push her to achieve as much as her potential allows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You really have to stop equating LDs with low IQ or low functionality.

I have a kid who was born with delays, needed speech therapy, had an IEP in school for years, severe ADHD, mild autism, dysgraphia (learning disability in writing), dyscalculia (learning disability in math)...

... but he's bilingual in our native language, took Latin to the AP level, graduated with a nearly perfect ACT score and took a dozen AP courses. Oh, and pushed himself to take AP Calculus BC in 12th grade despite his math disability.

It's tricky to raise a child with any sort of divergent brain or special needs. But don't you dare close doors for her! Life will do that anyway. Your job is to get her the diagnoses and the support she needs (a process that takes several years), and push her to achieve as much as her potential allows.

I'm not seeing where the OP did that. She didn't mention IQ at all.

[Anonymous]

Speech therapy and tutoring. Many language schools require you to speak it at home. She can take in when she’s older. The younger you do speech therapy the better.

[Anonymous]

Speech therapy. Get her on track in the native language first. Could she join a sports team or a dance class or a piano lesson with these friends instead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the foreign language? Some 'learning issues' make foreign language very hard. She needs to start now as they even make her take it in college.
I didn't know how to read and write in K. I still don't know, but I took 7 languages total and I was good at math.

You have a gift with foreign languages. Like the Pope!

To OP , I would ask for an evaluation in 1st grade. But she doesn’t need a tutor, she needs you. At this age they usually love reading with their parent and doing those workbooks. It’s not advanced calculus. A tutor won’t be doing anything magical, just exactly what you can do.

[Anonymous]

My sister put her kids in Saturday heritage language school for a while but eventually she realized it was just causing more stress than it was instilling appreciation for the culture. If anything, it made my nieces feel like the culture was all about judging people and being snooty. Some of the parents and teachers you encounter there can be very intense and unpleasant. Does your sweet little girl need that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter may need tutoring service in the fall because she performs below average on reading/writing and math. She is at K, but I suspect that she has learning issues since she was little. She wants to learn a foreign language with her friends together in the fall, and I think it will be too much for her to do tutoring on math/reading in the morning and attending a foreign language school in the afternoon for a few hours. Both happen to be on Saturdays for the next school year If I have to pick one, I and DH want her not to consider learning a foreign language. Her friends can speak and write, but she knows nothing about that foreign language. Any thoughts? I feel like academic is more important than learning a new language.

Tutoring/speech therapy. Of course she wants to hang out with her friends but she is six! Too young to make this decision.

Give her out of school time with her friends another way.