Language Immersion
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Anonymous
What do you call the most powerful country in the world? |
Anonymous
Full of itself and fading fast if it doesn't adapt. |
Anonymous
Wrong. Its the rest of the world that ends up learning english. |
Anonymous
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True, everyone else learns English. It kills me whenever there is a disaster or some event in another part of the world, China, Nepal, Germany, etc. that CNN can get a sound bite from a native "man on the street" who speaks better English than a lot of Americans. Doubtful foreign news outlets have the same luck here.
Mark Zuckerberg speaks bad Mandarin and it makes the national news and the Chinese are amazed. Shows what they normally expect from Americans even internet moguls, not much. |
Anonymous
I'm not the PP to whom you posed the question, but to me, being at or above grade level in the target language means that I can go to the library/bookstore and get my 8-year-old a book in Spanish, written & published in Spain, and marked for ages 8-10, say, and he can read it easily and discuss it with me. Signifies to me that he is reading at approximately the level he would expected to as a native speaker attending school in Spain. Our school has more technical ways of assessing language acquisition, but this method works for me. As for the OP's question, we send our kids to immersion school because 1) we are more-or-less monolingual Americans and regret it; 2) our kids like/benefit from the challenge; and 3) it enlarges their world, enhances their life/career opportunities in the long run, and, to us, seems as important and valuable a life skill as being able to swim, play an instrument, etc. |
Anonymous
The fact that kids in other countries learn English has nothing to do with whether America is., or will remain, the strongest country militarily or economically. |
Anonymous
Something other than America in the next 15 years |
Anonymous
Ding ding ding! We have a WINNER! |
Anonymous
Wow, you are really out of touch... not that the rest of the world isn't learning English, but apparently you have no clue how many people from Asia and India do jobs IN America or FOR American companies that Americans wish they were doing. Because we are not keeping up with the educational or global pace that other countries are excelling at. Hope for you that you're not competing in the job market any time soon PP. You'd be in for a rather rude awakening most likely. |
Anonymous
Instead of Spanish immersion, I should have sent my kids to Yu Ying. At least they could work for the Chinese when they take over the world. |