Bilingual program as a way of providing a child with a challenge/preventing boredom?

[Anonymous]

My pre-k child already knows how to read and write and does some basic math. She can get bored easily in Pre-K especially when teachers are reading from a poster/something visible and she can read it herself. What do you think about bilingual school as a way of making sure that she has a new academic challenge in kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

It's a good concept in theory. However, we were concerned that some bilingual programs move more slowly in other areas--e.g., if they introduce a math concept in English one day, they'll introduce it in the other language another day. That could be really mindnumbing for a child who is advanced in math. I had heard this about one particular program, so I don't mean to generalize about all bilingual programs. Nevertheless, I'd look closely at the program you are considering to make sure this is not the case.

Also, what is your alternate, default school? This could make a big difference. Bilingual or not, I'd be inclined to go with the stronger school overall.

[Anonymous]

We chose a language immersion program for our child for exactly the reasons you describe, although I agree that you should check into the program very carefully to make sure that it will meet your child's needs as she grows.

[Anonymous]

In the MoCo immersion programs they start moving your kid ahead in math as soon as 2nd grade. By 5th grade some of them are taking Algebra.

We also found, however, that the immersion program slowed down our kid, who was already reading chapter books in English before entering the program, but stopped for a while after starting immersion, I guess to take on board the new language. This was OK with us as we're not particularly worried about his English-specific progress, but it might worry others.

[Anonymous]

It makes sense that a clever and curious child would enjoy learning a new language in K. The younger we are when we learn new skills, the more flexible and primed our brains are to receive the knowledge. It's a fact that the younger one is when one learns a language, the easier the language is to learn (especially mastery of complicated sounds that aren't used in one's "native" language) and the language acquisition can literally change the tones and sounds a person has the ability to differentiate as well as the neural pathways in their brain.

The big payoff would be after 3-5 years or so when the child has real fluency. This benefit is supposed to increase with each successive year of language mastery. Again, one of the key variables is supposed to be the child's age at the time he (or she) learns and attains fluency in another language: younger is better, and best is in early childhood.

There are documented studies about the greater flexibility in the brains of true bilinguals (from early childhood). The process of "code-switching" (what their brain does when they see an object - say, an apple - and instinctively have two different hard-wired paths which allow them to talk about the apple in different words and different ways) is supposed to confer superior analytical abilities in several other aspects of critical thinking. Presumably this is because of a larger number of neural pathways, and/or more highly developed neural pathways but the studies are ongoing. It's a fascinating subject, and the more you read the more you'll want to raise your child with multi-lingual capabilities.

I can foresee this offering your child an interesting academic challenge in K (to the extent that you care about academics in K), but more importantly further down the road. By the time she's learning algebra and physics she may have a real bio-physical advantage to her peers - built into her brain.

[Anonymous]

OP, I would go for it.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP 22:40. Here's a thought experiment: if it didn't prevent boredom, would you be interested in pursuing the language anyway? i.e., for family reasons? or because you're interested in the culture? or because of some other intangibles to which you can't ascribe quantitative value but you find important anyway?

If you're not planning to stick with it for several years, then it's probably of marginal benefit at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP 22:40. Here's a thought experiment: if it didn't prevent boredom, would you be interested in pursuing the language anyway? i.e., for family reasons? or because you're interested in the culture? or because of some other intangibles to which you can't ascribe quantitative value but you find important anyway?

If you're not planning to stick with it for several years, then it's probably of marginal benefit at best.

OP here. Those are really good questions. Yes, I would be interested in it. I believe that a second language is and that being able to communicate with more people in our City-- so many speak Spanish-- is something that will give my child a better perspective on the world. I also like the idea of a diverse class. If I were shopping for a school for myself, I would want to go to a bilingual immersion. She's 4.5 and I think that this would be great for her, but I want to make sure that it suits her needs. Our in-boundaries school is K-8 bilingual; I think that it would be great for her.