Reply to Has anyone's child become fluent in a language not spoken at home exclusively by learning in middle or high school?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't know anyone who became fluent just by taking classes in MS and HS, but I know a bunch of people who became near fluent with that PLUS living in a country where the language was spoken for a year or more as a working adult. Study abroad doesn't work as well because you often spend too much time with other students. It can work okay if you live with a family, but work is the best way.

I have several friends who worked as au pairs in Europe after college for a few years and it cemented language skills they laid the groundwork for in school. Even living in a city where many people speak English. But you have to continue to put effort in.[/quote]

I did a one month program in Spain in the 80s after taking 5 years in school, and it was great. I lived with a family and had 3 hours of language, history and culture instruction in Spanish every morning.  I looked for something like that for my daughter and it doesn’t seem to exist any more.  [/quote]

It definitely still exists. Mundolengua is one that I know will match high school students with families for summer immersion programs, but there are others. I know of schools that also host exchanges with other countries that will enable this -- my niece's high school has a very strong German program and they have an exchange with a German high school that allow families to not only send kids to live with German families for several weeks, but to then host a high school student from the same family in their home. So the kids develop friendship with these German kids and it can lead to additional opportunities down the road (much more likely to go live abroad during college or post-college if you already have friends and know a family there).

Anyway, yes, these opportunities exist and are a great way for kids who are interested in fluency to build off language skills they learned in MS and HS. Often they aren't even that expensive compared to many other enrichment programs for HS and college students.[/quote]

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