Why wouldn't you pick immersion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the person, asking literally "how could you?", there are other ways than immersion to become fluent in multiple languages. I'm not convinced that immersion is necessarily the best way, surely not for everyone. Immersion isn't a magic wand that you can wave over your child's head to give her/him "the gift". Language development is more complex than that. For example, I speak and write four languages pretty fluently and wrote my Ph.D. in a foreign language. But was never in an immersion school. I learned them as second languages in school, starting in middle school. I traveled with my parents for vacation and did an exchange year in high school as well as in college.

yeah...your exchange year...that was immersion in case you missed it. I learned as an adult as well and was so happy to be able to think and joke in the foreign language after years of "studying" it one class at a time. It really sank in in a way that it had not after being able to be immersed in daily culture and language in country. My kiddies are at an immersion school and they are delighted by their new tongue. they do math in it and science and they think in it. It's a joy to give them that base. I want them to have that other personality that you get to acquire in a foreign language. It is, in fact, a gift. We are lucky to have the choice and good fortune to do it here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people pick immersion because they like the idea of being able to say, "My kid speaks two languages!" It makes their kids sound smarter than your kid .

Do people think that? My maid speaks 2 languages and didn't graduate high school my FIL has 2 PHDs and is monolingual.

I always think this in my head when I see the "monolingual is the new stupid" mantra reposted on DCUM by the kook-aid drinkers.

The guy who cuts my grass in 96 degree weather is also bilingual.

The guy who cuts your grass is also likely a survivor of multiple hardships/atrocities in his home country. He is here taking advantage of your expendable cash ( an laziness) to better himself and or a whole family in the US and likely back home. He will take your money and bring his family here or support them at home. I think that makes him less of the loser than you think he is.

[Anonymous]

I would love immersion for my child--but even more than that, I love the opportunity to walk my child two blocks away to our neighborhood school. Which is why I ranked our Deal/Wilson feeder #1 in the PK3 lottery.

Although, TBH, it would be a tough decision if we lived in-boundary or near any of the highly rated immersion schools, such as Oyster or LAMB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at an immersion charter but supplement with a math tutor and private instrument instruction each week. I feel like I can supplement where the school could be stronger, but I can't creat immersion at home.

If you couldn't afford the tutor, what type of program would you choose?

If I couldn't afford those things I would probably have a job that allowed me to spend more time preparing and doing those things myself for my kids, so I would probably still choose immersion. If I had to work two jobs and was just scraping by, I would probably choose a school with really good test scores for kids in similar circumstances, so probably Ludlow Taylor.

[Anonymous]

If my kids are destined to speak only one language, I am sure grateful it happens to be English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my kids are destined to speak only one language, I am sure grateful it happens to be English.

Agreed!

Having said that, unless your kids are donkeys, you surely don't believe they are destined to speak only one language, correct?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my kids are destined to speak only one language, I am sure grateful it happens to be English.

Agreed!

Having said that, unless your kids are donkeys, you surely don't believe they are destined to speak only one language, correct?

Wow! Good to know my kid, with SN, that only speaks 1 language is a donkey. Seriously folks- do you live in bubbles? As for why I wouldn't go with immersion, other than the fact that I have a SN 'donkey' is that DCPS simply cannot do it right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to meet an immersion kid (from monolingual family) that actually speaks another language.

When I look at the scores (specifically advanced and at LAMB and YY) I don't see kids excelling in the basics.

Stop by Oyster when you have a chance, you'll disabuse yourself from both of those notions.

Oyster is impossible to get into if you are monolingual and OOB.

And somehow that fact negates the fact that they do both immersion and the basics well? Riiiiiiight...

Not sure. Is it that the rich kids are doing well already and would do well no matter where they went?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry there's such an "us vs. them" attitude about immersion. Totally unnecessary. I'm bullish on it, but that's just me. No judgment to others who chose something else for their kids. I think the kids without the immersion will be just fine. Let's pick something else to fight about. The energy here put towards better school options would do so much good.

Best post in this thread. The way OP asked the original question did have a judgemental flavor to it, but in the end it's great that parents on both sides of the "prioritize immersion / do not prioritize immersion" feel good about their choices. It's not a competition, but so many are making it sound like one. In the end this energy really would be better spent on improving schools instead of a passing contest about types of schools.

I also really like this post. There are many families who are somewhere in the middle and opt to go to the best school for
them based on the fit for their child, location, etc. We do the second language at home and also supplement with an afterschool program. If we had a quality immersion program with a workable commute for our family we would easily consider that for our child.

Let's all roll up our sleeves and work hard to advocate for all children in the city, instead of getting bogged down in an unecessary debate.

[Anonymous]

We do a better job than YY with Chinese at home as native speakers (our children speak, read and write Chinese a good deal better than the Yy kids we rub shoulders with). And we send our children to a Jklm school that is strongwe than Yy in English. Much stronger.

[Anonymous]

PP, do you use the Hope school or some other outside source to assist you in Chinese language instruction, or do you do it all yourself? We are interested in YY and don't live near a JKLM or comparable school, but if we don't get a slot, we'd like to know what others like you are doing to teach Mandarin anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people pick immersion because they like the idea of being able to say, "My kid speaks two languages!" It makes their kids sound smarter than your kid .

I have yet to meet an immersion kid (from monolingual family) that actually speaks another language. Sure they can say many words and a few sentences but they aren't really fluent. When I look at the scores (specifically advanced and at LAMB and YY) I don't see kids excelling in the basics. My fear is that the language exposure is actually limiting them. I'm even looking at white only (aka non FARM) and not impressed. So I don't think you can get STEM at immersion (at least not in DC). And yes I have seen the studies (no need for links).

You realize you are talking about STEM for elementary school. My DC who is really good at math is happy at Yu Ying and we don't feel the need to push or accelerate math in 2nd grade. My brother was a math prodigy who skipped high school to attend Johns Hopkins. We are also happy with his progress in English and Mandarin both of which he tests above grade level although he has a tutor for Mandarin. It's elementary school, they learn to read and write.

Good your boy is above level. He's the exception not the norm. Only 8% of YY testers are testing advanced in reading. [/quote

Shrug. DS would be testing above grade level in English no matter which school, immersion or not, we sent him. At least at Yu Ying, he's learning Mandarin and the curriculum challenges him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the neighborhood school folks are sipping on the Kool-aid too. Trendy folks love to call other people trendy.

As one of the neighborhood school folks, I am confused about this. I was very upfront that my choice was driven by convenience. If my neighborhood school was immersion, I would have embraced immersion. Choosing convenience may be trendy, but I suspect it is an enduring trend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the neighborhood school folks are sipping on the Kool-aid too. Trendy folks love to call other people trendy.

As one of the neighborhood school folks, I am confused about this. I was very upfront that my choice was driven by convenience. If my neighborhood school was immersion, I would have embraced immersion. Choosing convenience may be trendy, but I suspect it is an enduring trend.

There's no need to be confused. Just the realization that people are latching on to the neighborhood school trend now that more neighborhood schools are an option. Ten years ago, this would not have been a option for those that are in bounds for transitional or recently transitioned schools. Walking convenience was not the calling card just 5 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the neighborhood school folks are sipping on the Kool-aid too. Trendy folks love to call other people trendy.

As one of the neighborhood school folks, I am confused about this. I was very upfront that my choice was driven by convenience. If my neighborhood school was immersion, I would have embraced immersion. Choosing convenience may be trendy, but I suspect it is an enduring trend.

Our choice of neighborhood school was also a convenient choice but also strongly driven by DH's preferences -- he grew up going to a private school out of his neighborhood and hated that he felt like an outsider with the neighborhood kids so it was really important that our kids go to the local (excellent) school. If the neighborhood school was immersion then that would have been fine, but it isn't.