Full language immersion programs

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm a DC mom with an eye towards moving to Baltimore (where hubby works), so this is a general question about schooling rather than a question about a particular school. My daughter is 2, so I have a few more years to figure out the school thing, but I have my eye on a charter school up there that offers full language immersion in either Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese or Russian (you get to choose one). I love the idea of learning a language early, but I wonder if a full immersion would result in some lag in her English grammar, spelling and vocab. Or am I worrying over nothing? (For what it's worth, hubby speaks French, but otherwise, we are English speakers.)

Anybody out there with experience in full language immersion programs? Did your child have any experience with the language before going in?

[Anonymous]

What school is this? I am from Baltimore and only know of one ES in the county w/ partial immersion and none w/ full immersion. If it is in Baltimore City, I would stay far far away from it.

[Anonymous]

Even if there are delays, I think it would be worth it to help instill the ability to learn several languages. I don't have experience in a full-immersion program, although I'd love to.

I've read ages 3-6 are optimal years for children to learn second and third languages. It’s much easier to develop the ear and vocal ability to speak like a native. My DC is in a bilingual household, but he’s only 3. He was within the normal range of language development, although most of his day care classmates were ahead of him. So it has possibly delayed him, but not enough to really worry about. He doesn’t speak much of his second language, but he understands my husband well when hubby is speaking his native language.

[Anonymous]

The school is Baltimore International Academy. I don't know much about it, honestly, but I'm definitely interested in language immersion.

[Anonymous]

Our child entered a full language immersion program at age 4, never lost ground in English, and is currently reading far above grade level in English and several grades ahead in the target language, as well as speaking and writing fluently in both. A third language is still to come, and by all accounts should be relatively easy.

Go for it! It's really effortless for little kids, and thus is a great gift to give them. (And one that much of the rest of the world takes for granted.)

[Anonymous]

When DC entered an immersion program, the school administrators told us that for many kids there is a lag in the native language during the first few years of immersion. But ultimately the kids catch up and on average they exceed others in various measures of fluency in the native language. This seems true for DC who is now in middle school and has an amazing vocabulary in the English language.

[Anonymous]

My DD is has been in a full immersion program for several years and she is doing excellent! She was an early talker from the begining and I saw the opportunity present it self then. She is very proficient in both English and Spanish without confusing the two. Like the pp child, my DD is very much ahead in both languages. She speaks, writes, and reads in both.

She oftentimes corrects DH and I if we mispronounce something and she is always interested in learning something new. She speaks each language when needed and will sometimes respond bilingually depending on the audience. She is expected to add a third language in the fall (madarin) so it will be interesting to watch her continue to thrive. Children with the ability to speak and attain more than one language early seem to acquire additional languages with ease. I say the earlier the better, but good luck with whatever you decide!

[Anonymous]

There can be a lag, but it is a great advantage to have a second language. They also often go through a phase where they mix or confuse the 2, which is also normal.

[Anonymous]

I don't have any experience with school-based immersion programs, but having grown up in a bilingual family with parents who are native Spanish-speakers (as well as fluent English speakers with professional degrees), I agree completely that there is a tremendous advantage in learning a second language as early as possible. Not only does this provide a child with the opportunity to attain proficiency/fluency in the second language, but it can also enhance the child's understanding of his/her native language, particularly the nuances of grammar and vocabulary, and make it easier for the child to learn additional languages.

My bilingual upbringing increased my sensitivity to and appreciation for the subtleties in language, both written and spoken. As a result, I was a very strong English student throughout school and also did well in French, Italian, German and Latin. Ultimately, my language background helped me as a law student and lawyer where careful attention to language is critical both as a reader and writer. Finally, completely aside from educational or professional activities, speaking a second language opens the world to you. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about any temporary English-language lag that your child might experience. In the long run, it will prove to have been a minor blip compared to the advantages she will gain from being in an immersion program -- especially if you and your husband study the same language and try to speak it at home at least a bit.

[Anonymous]

Don't hesitate - go with immersion. I'm an immersion educator and parent of a child who has been in full immersion since age 2 (currently age 7). DC is fully bilingual and reading in English (native language) 2 grade levels ahead.

Just take a look at the rest of the world, in most parts, people are multilingual from birth. It's the norm - we're the exception.

[Anonymous]

I am in a similar position to the OP. My 2-yr-old speaks English with her parents and Spanish with her nanny, and does very well in both languages. I'm considering sending her to a French immersion school beginning in kindergarden, so I have a few years to figure this out.

Does anyone have any experience/suggestions with this? Should I put her in French lessons or get a French tutor sooner rather than later so that she has at least some basic understanding of French prior to being sent on her first day of Kindergarden to a classroom where she doesn't know the kids or understand the language? Or do they adjust so quickly at that age that it doesn't matter? Any suggestions are much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Interesting thread. Our 20 month old is in a residential daycare (has been there for 17 mos now) where they speak almost exclusively Spanish, so she's getting a bilingual experience that I'd like to continue. One major desire in a preschool is that they have someone on staff who can/will speak in Spanish to her. I have also been wondering about the immersion programs in Mo Co. A question my mom asked, which makes sense to ask: how do parents who are not fluent in the target language help with homework assignments?!

[Anonymous]

In answer to the question about homework assignments: some immersion schools in MoCo offer the language for parents in evening sessions. Although I would guess that unless you put a ton of work into it, your kid will always be ahead of you.

The good news:
(1) MoCo doesn't put a whole lot of emphasis on grammar, so you don't have to worry about your kid getting bad grades if you don't check essays and reports for grammar. I'm fluent in DC's immersion language and can attest to the fact that DC was always bringing home "A" work that had tons of grammatical errors. Which is a little disappointing, but on the plus side DC did great just talking to people in France.
(2) Some math problems will be obvious, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. For the others, well, you might not understand them in English, either. The immersion teachers also teach math (unless your kid is advanced a grade or two, and depending on the school). The teachers are wonderful, but I don't think they were hired for their math skills and your kid will bring home graphical problems without any of the axes labeled, and other such problems (and I do know the language), so you have no idea what you're looking at or what DC is supposed to do. All the other families will be in the same boat.