Rock Creek Forest immersion - recent experiences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 3rd grader at RCF and like the school. But the first 6-8 weeks of K were very rough as my son got used to immersion Spanish....the teacher never spoke in English so there were lots of frustrations. It is possible to parent without knowing the language. But I’ve found it absolutely helps to know the language

I can corroborate this as my 2nd grader was there for K and 1st. First grade Teacher never spoke English and because there were a lot of native speakers in my child’s classroom, the teacher spoke to their level. My child worked really hard but could not keep up. The principal strikes me as fantastic. I don’t think immersion is the be-all for everyone, though it works for some. My child is now a star student in our (highly regarded) home school.

My advice- try it for kindergarten, but if it’s not working by fall of first grade, take your child out.

DP Interesting that there are a lot of native speakers. Is that due to demand by Spanish-speaking families or preference given by MCPS to families where Spanish is spoken at home?

No preference for speaking Spanish at home. From my Spanish speaking friends who chose to send their kids to immersion, they wanted the formal grammar instruction that comes with going to school in Spanish. IMO, though, that formal grammar stuff doesn't start til middle school... so I actually don't see a benefit to it. There are enough families like this, however, that there must be some - I just don't know it. To me, if you speak Spanish at home, then your kid will already be bilingual. Unless you are choosing it for the school itself, or for some other reason. Maybe one of those families can chime in here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 3rd grader at RCF and like the school. But the first 6-8 weeks of K were very rough as my son got used to immersion Spanish....the teacher never spoke in English so there were lots of frustrations. It is possible to parent without knowing the language. But I’ve found it absolutely helps to know the language

I can corroborate this as my 2nd grader was there for K and 1st. First grade Teacher never spoke English and because there were a lot of native speakers in my child’s classroom, the teacher spoke to their level. My child worked really hard but could not keep up. The principal strikes me as fantastic. I don’t think immersion is the be-all for everyone, though it works for some. My child is now a star student in our (highly regarded) home school.

My advice- try it for kindergarten, but if it’s not working by fall of first grade, take your child out.

DP Interesting that there are a lot of native speakers. Is that due to demand by Spanish-speaking families or preference given by MCPS to families where Spanish is spoken at home?

No preference for speaking Spanish at home. From my Spanish speaking friends who chose to send their kids to immersion, they wanted the formal grammar instruction that comes with going to school in Spanish. IMO, though, that formal grammar stuff doesn't start til middle school... so I actually don't see a benefit to it. There are enough families like this, however, that there must be some - I just don't know it. To me, if you speak Spanish at home, then your kid will already be bilingual. Unless you are choosing it for the school itself, or for some other reason. Maybe one of those families can chime in here!

PP here who asked the question. I actually grew up in a Spanish speaking home and I can tell you that speaking Spanish at home does not make you bilingual in terms of the technical definition of speaking both languages equally. English quickly becomes your dominant language when that is the language you read, write and socialize in. Those families are doing exactly what I want to do for my child because I know for a fact it will be extremely difficult for her to learn Spanish just from me alone, and learning Spanish at school will help her stay connected with her grandparents and her culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 3rd grader at RCF and like the school. But the first 6-8 weeks of K were very rough as my son got used to immersion Spanish....the teacher never spoke in English so there were lots of frustrations. It is possible to parent without knowing the language. But I’ve found it absolutely helps to know the language

I can corroborate this as my 2nd grader was there for K and 1st. First grade Teacher never spoke English and because there were a lot of native speakers in my child’s classroom, the teacher spoke to their level. My child worked really hard but could not keep up. The principal strikes me as fantastic. I don’t think immersion is the be-all for everyone, though it works for some. My child is now a star student in our (highly regarded) home school.

My advice- try it for kindergarten, but if it’s not working by fall of first grade, take your child out.

The first grade teachers definitely spoke some English this year....I can hear them on Zoom! In terms of native speakers, I’d say with my two kids, it’s been about 5 or so kids a class. Great, caring teachers and administrators.