Disadvantages of a bilingual school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Chinese instruction is largely curriculum-free and is taught by inexperienced young native speakers. It's not exactly the ideal situation for language instruction. Of course the English curriculum is equally weak and is also taught by inexperienced teachers.

This is entirely untrue. The curriculum in both languages is absolutely solid, well-coordinated, and the instruction we've had is top-notch. You don't appear to know what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. We plan on leaving after 2/3rd. Simply don't know how the education will be in the later grades and not willing to risk it.

That's funny, we've heard very flattering things about the 1st grade English teachers! I have time to wait and watch this unroll. I think it's very encouraging that all of the teachers and even some former teachers decided to come back for this year. That means that not only does the school have confidence in them, but they have confidence in the school.

We'll supplement with study abroad or trips abroad or a Chinese exchange student or something. I'm not worried. There are bilingual schools all over the world that do an excellent job with math and science instruction. That's why there are so many foreign students in the engineering and science programs of our best universities. Non-native students appear to better at the hard sciences than Americans. Maybe it's the second language.

Not the second language. I have nieces and nephews who attend school in an Asian country and their math curriculum is MUCH more rigorous and more is expected of them in subjects like math and science at all grade levels. Sorry to say other than magnet schools like TJ, Stuy, Bronx Sci, etc. public school math and science education generally is terrible in the U.S.. Also, note that at the schools I mentioned, the majority of students are Asian. Generally, Asian parents also expect more/better in math and science.

I hope that by H.S. Yu Ying has that kind of math and science instruction. It's definitely the Asian connection that interested us in the school.

[Anonymous]

Most of those kids at the elite math & science schools have had algebra and geometry in 7th and 8th grades prior to high school. Have to have the foundation to build on. So lets hope YY offers them in middle school.

[Anonymous]

1316 had the baby yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1316 had the baby yet?

Is this some type of code? If not, then yes the baby was born. Well, actually both of my children were born long enough ago to have been in school for 2 or more years.

[Anonymous]

Why? Cause she said,"we've"

[Anonymous]

Isn't IB a philosophy rather than a curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't IB a philosophy rather than a curriculum?

Yup, and not much of anything other than dual language until high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why? Cause she said,"we've"

"Cause" she said, "we've"? We, meaning my children and by extension my family, have experienced the aforementioned. And to clarify, the IB is not just a philosophy. It is a curriculum framework with units, outcomes, formative and summative assessments.

[Anonymous]

and on the PYP level, all that stuff is created by (you guessed it!) a staff with virtually zero experience in both IB AND elementary ed.

Yu Ying has potential but if school leaders and certain boosters can't accept the fact that things are very shaky in terms of curriculum and instructional quality, this school is in big trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why? Cause she said,"we've"

"Cause" she said, "we've"? We, meaning my children and by extension my family, have experienced the aforementioned. And to clarify, the IB is not just a philosophy. It is a curriculum framework with units, outcomes, formative and summative assessments.

Whatever... no one really cares about IB unless you graduate from high school with an IB designation which makes you eligible to apply to universities outside the U.S. IB in the lower grades is not that different from other curriculums except for the language component.

[Anonymous]

Another discussion focusing generally on all schools pulled off track by the YY haters and lovers. Jeff, can you create an entire forum called "Yu Ying" so the rest of us can live in peace?

[Anonymous]

A few posters here mentioned that a disadvantage of bilingual schools is having to prepare flyers, etc. in more than one language. Just so you all know, all school communications (permission slips, flyers, letters to parents, etc.) for schools that have non-native speakers of English should be sent home in the languages spoken at the school. This is true for bilingual and non-bilingual schools. It's the law!

[Anonymous]

I had an Argentine dad and an Alsatian mom. We spoke Spanish and English at home and I got alot of exposure to German and French, as well. Being Bi-Lingual (sorta tri/quad, but not really good in German or French), has helped my career enormously. It has been a deciding factor in my ability to obtain employment on several occassions, admissions to universities and in terms of social understanding, I have grown up in essentially 3 communities (a US hispanic one, a US anglo community, and two spanish speaking foreign communities). This has given me a great ability to relate to a whole host of different people and understand different perspectives - because to know a language is to know a different way of thinking in some respects. This helps with logical reasoning, critical thinking and I think is a huge benefit. My son will go to LAMB next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no disadvantage in bilingualism per se. But there is also no one, definitive way to become both bilingual and biliterate.

Not quite true. Canadian studies have shown that bilingual immersion education done poorly in an-English speaking country can lead to worse outcomes in middle school and high school than mono-lingual education done well. Kids in weak bilingual programs can end up so far behind peers in English that they never catch up. It's the adolescent brain that cements acquired language. Stopping the immersion at 5th grade in DC, with only "advanced" language classes at DCI is a mistake. The Canadian programs almost always continue through middle school for a reason - the research supports this approach.