Bilingual Kids in Language Immersion ES Programs, Which Programs Have Many & Strive to Attract Them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have commented that the question was on this year's application. So, it is obviously back. As a YY parent, I think YY should follow Lamb, and flaunt the law. Apparently the DCPC board does not care. And, it would be in YY's best interest. If Lamb can do it and get away with it, YY, Stokes, MV, Sela, and DC Bilingual should also flaunt the law. Two-way immersion would be great for YY, and the charter board cannot penalize YY without also penalizing LAMB, right.

Go, PP! Moxie is your middle name.

[Anonymous]

It isn't possible. They are already in. The only people who care are the ones who desperately want a spot and are looking for any angle that'll get them an advantage and preference in the lottery.

All the smoke and mirrors about how much it will be better for the school and all is secondary to getting them oneupmanship in the lottery.

Everyone wants more bilingual kids in the program, of course, but not enough to give them preference or to run a dual lottery.

Agreed so, please, stop pretending otherwise folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course this YY parent would like more two-way immersion...don't know of any YY parent who would be against this.

This YY parent knows boatloads of others who would be against two-way if it hurt their chances of being admitted, which of course it would unless the school and DCPC were doing something radically different. They might not say so, but they wouldn't support dual immersion. They just want a decent school (better than most IB on Capitol Hill, in Petworth, or wherever) where their kid learns more than a little of a foreign language. They get that and they're satisfied. You are an unusually sophisticated and Chinese-minded YY parent to want more!

You're saying that parents whose children have already been admitted are afraid that they'll be shut out? How is that possible?

It isn't possible. They are already in. The only people who care are the ones who desperately want a spot and are looking for any angle that'll get them an advantage and preference in the lottery.

All the smoke and mirrors about how much it will be better for the school and all is secondary to getting them oneupmanship in the lottery.

Everyone wants more bilingual kids in the program, of course, but not enough to give them preference or to run a dual lottery.

But the accusation was that CURRENT YY parents oppose the addition of more speakers.of Chinese dialects. Why would they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course this YY parent would like more two-way immersion...don't know of any YY parent who would be against this.

This YY parent knows boatloads of others who would be against two-way if it hurt their chances of being admitted, which of course it would unless the school and DCPC were doing something radically different. They might not say so, but they wouldn't support dual immersion. They just want a decent school (better than most IB on Capitol Hill, in Petworth, or wherever) where their kid learns more than a little of a foreign language. They get that and they're satisfied. You are an unusually sophisticated and Chinese-minded YY parent to want more!

I don't think you are a YY parent. If you are you do not attend the PA meetings or participate in the school very much. My child has been at the school for four years. DC was not in the founding class. For the first three years, two-way immersion came up ad nauseum in almost every PA meeting. The issue was raised with the principal and the director, and we were told that "we cannot comment on what they are doing at LAMB, but we are prohibited from making admissions based on language skills".

I can honestly say that I have only attended one meeting this year and the main topic was the China trip and elections. Therefore, I do not know if it is still an issue that is consistently raised by the parents. However, for the families that have been around the longest, the desire remains for a two-way immersion and empty seats replaced by children who already speak the language. I have no idea what the parents of that big Pre-K class thinks or desire, for they never really connected with the older parents. So maybe they are the ones for which you speak. They would be in the minority if they did not want the two-way immersion.

YY also has a committee that does outreach to the DC Chinese community. The committee is primarily Chinese-Americans, who I am sure speak more than one dialect among them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You're mistaking accusations against YY parents with the opinions of YY parents.

OK, maybe I am. Doesn't change the fact that your school community doesn't appear to roll out the welcome mat to an immigrant group that struggles to fit in and understand race and class politics in America. My immigrant in-laws have no clear conception of why most poor AA families can't send their kids to top colleges, as they did, although they would have been a FARMs family in the 70s and 80s if they hadn't been too proud to accept the help. YY would surely have more Chinese-speaking students and parents, whatever the law says, if the school made a point of giving prospective bilingual parents the impression that you wanted them. When we attended an info night (purposely timed a US visit to coincide so we could attend) my wife wanted to leave halfway through. She said I'm the only Chinese here, and probably the only Chinese speaker, and I'm hearing too much that rubs me the wrong way. Let's go.





Regarding what your IL think and feel about AA, how is that relevant to YY?

[Anonymous]

Every single YY parent who has ever posted on this stupid forum has said they would prefer dual immersion. PERIOD. WTF is wrong with you people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People have commented that the question was on this year's application. So, it is obviously back. As a YY parent, I think YY should follow Lamb, and flaunt the law. Apparently the DCPC board does not care. And, it would be in YY's best interest. If Lamb can do it and get away with it, YY, Stokes, MV, Sela, and DC Bilingual should also flaunt the law. Two-way immersion would be great for YY, and the charter board cannot penalize YY without also penalizing LAMB, right.

Go, PP! Moxie is your middle name.

Although I think she means "flout," not "flaunt."

[Anonymous]

Regarding what your IL think and feel about AA, how is that relevant to YY?

What kind of question is that? YY's student body is nearly half AA, and a tiny minority bilingual Chinese. At the open house, my wife asked a question in Mandarin (she was thinking in Chinese and it came out that way), an exercise that didn't cheer her up. Nobody else in the room where the slideshow was viewed seemed able to speak any dialect. Not the parent volunteers, or the other prospective parents, or any administrator. There weren't any Chinese teachers present. When we got back to my IL's house, in MD, they refused to believe that we'd been at a Chinese school. They were convinced that we'd got the wrong building or something. Somebody's surely about to accuse us of wanting preferential treatment for having had a bad reaction.

Has anybody at YY considered an open house/parents information house in Mandarin and Cantonese? I would have had a chance with the family at such an event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every single YY parent who has ever posted on this stupid forum has said they would prefer dual immersion. PERIOD. WTF is wrong with you people?

You mean on this particular thread? True. But there were a couple tense boards last year, and more in 2011, where one PP after another wrote of being glad that there weren't more bilingual Chinese at YY, arguing against two lotteries (how else would you get a dual immersion program in this particular city? If somebody knows, tell us). Who could forget those threads. I didn't post, and did't draw my wife's attention to those conversations, in the hopes that she'd visit the school with an open mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Regarding what your IL think and feel about AA, how is that relevant to YY?

What kind of question is that? YY's student body is nearly half AA, and a tiny minority bilingual Chinese. At the open house, my wife asked a question in Mandarin (she was thinking in Chinese and it came out that way), an exercise that didn't cheer her up. Nobody else in the room where the slideshow was viewed seemed able to speak any dialect.

Your comment about a lack of Chinese speakers is a good one. But I need more help figuring out what the school's AA population, or your IL's thoughts regarding AA college completion rates, has to do with your or their impression of the school.


(And what do your ILs think of white people? I know lots of white people at YY.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every single YY parent who has ever posted on this stupid forum has said they would prefer dual immersion. PERIOD. WTF is wrong with you people?

You mean on this particular thread? True. But there were a couple tense boards last year, and more in 2011, where one PP after another wrote of being glad that there weren't more bilingual Chinese at YY, arguing against two lotteries (how else would you get a dual immersion program in this particular city? If somebody knows, tell us). Who could forget those threads. I didn't post, and did't draw my wife's attention to those conversations, in the hopes that she'd visit the school with an open mind.

What I remember from previous YY threads are people explaining that dual lotteries are currently illegal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every single YY parent who has ever posted on this stupid forum has said they would prefer dual immersion. PERIOD. WTF is wrong with you people?

You mean on this particular thread? True. But there were a couple tense boards last year, and more in 2011, where one PP after another wrote of being glad that there weren't more bilingual Chinese at YY, arguing against two lotteries (how else would you get a dual immersion program in this particular city? If somebody knows, tell us). Who could forget those threads. I didn't post, and did't draw my wife's attention to those conversations, in the hopes that she'd visit the school with an open mind.

I know those threads and as I recall if anyone argued against more bilingual families they did so in response to the rising hostilities. Likewise with the lottery--it was along the lines of "if you guys are what we'd get with more bilingual families and two lotteries then no thank you." It was never about dual immersion. If I'm wrong I'm happy to admit it--just share the links.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

(And what do your ILs think of white people? I know lots of white people at YY.)

My ILs are Old Country. They think a Chinese school has many Chinese-speaking kids and an ethnic administror or two, with the rest at least speaking Chinese. Othewise, it's not a Chinese school. We just walked in off the street, we don't know all that much, but it wasn't a welcoming experience. Our friends who left tell us that, without an ethnic administrator, bilingual families aren't always sure who to turn to in a jam. A sea of white and black parents is going to be a hard sell to my wife. We can't be alone among DC Chinese in this regard (or future DC Chinese anyway). If that's helpful info for you guys, great, if not, no worries. We're looking at the other language immersion schools, and moving IB for Oyster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every single YY parent who has ever posted on this stupid forum has said they would prefer dual immersion. PERIOD. WTF is wrong with you people?

You mean on this particular thread? True. But there were a couple tense boards last year, and more in 2011, where one PP after another wrote of being glad that there weren't more bilingual Chinese at YY, arguing against two lotteries (how else would you get a dual immersion program in this particular city? If somebody knows, tell us). Who could forget those threads. I didn't post, and did't draw my wife's attention to those conversations, in the hopes that she'd visit the school with an open mind.

You could have simply told your wife that the charter board does not allow dual lotteries so it's irrelevant what anyone thinks, pro or con.

You sound like you have issue with 1/2 the kids being AA at YY. DC is 1/2 AA with a ~1% Chinese population. I think it makes more sense to cater the open houses to the majority of kids and parents who live here rather than put resources into a very small population with little chance of getting in (like everyone else).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I know those threads and as I recall if anyone argued against more bilingual families they did so in response to the rising hostilities. Likewise with the lottery--it was along the lines of "if you guys are what we'd get with more bilingual families and two lotteries then no thank you." It was never about dual immersion. If I'm wrong I'm happy to admit it--just share the links.

It sounded like it was all about dual immersion, with no way to build it other than two lotteries. Hopeless cause in this lifetime, from the sounds of it. Traditional Chinese aren't always a lot of fun to be around, but dual immersion isn't an option without them. When my IL's heard that the principal was black and doesn't speak Chinese, they said, no wonder there aren't "real" Chinese families (who speak Chinese) at that school. Ugly yes, but a standard reaction for Chinese immigrants. My educated guess is that most of those who attend a YY parents night privately have this reaction. So YY parents don't want the racist bastards around, yet talk about how they'd love dual immersion...