Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 16:57     Subject: Immersion Results
My kids are in Spanish immersion and do speak to each other frequently. When they have friends over from school, they will speak to each other in Spanish too. I don't think you can say that it's the "norm" one way or the other. Also, I agree with the PP that most of the parents that are in the immersion program applied in the first place because they strongly value immersion. I don't know anyone who was simply escaping the home school. It's a big commitment to go to a school in a total different neighborhood, and actually, all of the immersion programs are in statistically low SES schools anyway, so they typically aren't better schools in totality. Our immersion school is lower rated on greatschools than our home school, but immersion was important enough to us, so we're making the extra effort.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 16:37     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:#8 for which grade?
Kindergarten. Thanks for all of your responses.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 15:42     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.


Isn't it unfair that they have a home school that needs to be avoided?


I think that is in the eye of the beholder. All MCPS schools teach the same curriculum. In my experience, people want to avoid the home school because of the students, not the school itself.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 15:08     Subject: Immersion Results
I went to a Kindergarten b-day party for a French Immersion child. I was amazed and impressed to hear all the French after not that many months. My non-immersion kids actually felt excluded.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 15:05     Subject: Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I could belive that having siblings in the program makes the children more successful because they have a peer at home?


Uh no.... Immersion kids rarely speak target language outside of the classroom.


Really? My non-immersion French learning daughter and I speak it (however poorly) all the time! I feel bad my Spanish learning son does not get the same practice. I hope your experience is not the norm.


No it's the norm... It's been mentioned by the kids themselves at several open houses. It's actually interesting to me that immersion kids don't speak Spanish to the ELL kids who are Spanish speaking.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 15:01     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.

People are underestimating the level of commitment that is required to be successful in these programs. The children and parents who are motivated about learning a new language fair much better in these programs for the long haul. The drop-out rate increase significantly as they kids get older, especially third grade and beyond. In some program third, fourth, and fifth grades are tiny! Unfortunately at that point new comers have to test in. It stinks.


I always thought this was a function of kids getting into the HGC. Why would kids drop out of immersion otherwise? And re: the home school issue - I used to think that too - that immersion was just a way for kids to get out of a poor home school. We are in an immersion program, and really the demographics of our home school and the immersion school are about the same - if anything, the home school has better test scores, etc. We gave it a shot because I think that language learning is benficial at an early age. But once we were in the program, I came to know that many of the kids there actually had stronger, or at least equal, home school options. Their families just wanted the immersion experience. I guess my point is, I don't think the often cited reason of poor home school options is prevalent for a majority of the families that enter the immersion programs.


It's all big misunderstanding really... The VOCAL BCC and CHURCHILL communities believe this which may or not be true. They drown out the fact that many kids in immersion are at burnt mills, Sligo, maryvale, rolling terrace etc which are high FARMS schools.

The reality is that on average most who attend immersion fall into higher income brackets regardless of the homeschool.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 14:48     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
That's actually great to hear.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 14:41     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.

People are underestimating the level of commitment that is required to be successful in these programs. The children and parents who are motivated about learning a new language fair much better in these programs for the long haul. The drop-out rate increase significantly as they kids get older, especially third grade and beyond. In some program third, fourth, and fifth grades are tiny! Unfortunately at that point new comers have to test in. It stinks.


I always thought this was a function of kids getting into the HGC. Why would kids drop out of immersion otherwise? And re: the home school issue - I used to think that too - that immersion was just a way for kids to get out of a poor home school. We are in an immersion program, and really the demographics of our home school and the immersion school are about the same - if anything, the home school has better test scores, etc. We gave it a shot because I think that language learning is benficial at an early age. But once we were in the program, I came to know that many of the kids there actually had stronger, or at least equal, home school options. Their families just wanted the immersion experience. I guess my point is, I don't think the often cited reason of poor home school options is prevalent for a majority of the families that enter the immersion programs.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 14:34     Subject: Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I could belive that having siblings in the program makes the children more successful because they have a peer at home?


Uh no.... Immersion kids rarely speak target language outside of the classroom.


Really? My non-immersion French learning daughter and I speak it (however poorly) all the time! I feel bad my Spanish learning son does not get the same practice. I hope your experience is not the norm.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 14:03     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.

People are underestimating the level of commitment that is required to be successful in these programs. The children and parents who are motivated about learning a new language fair much better in these programs for the long haul. The drop-out rate increase significantly as they kids get older, especially third grade and beyond. In some program third, fourth, and fifth grades are tiny! Unfortunately at that point new comers have to test in. It stinks.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 13:56     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.


Isn't it unfair that they have a home school that needs to be avoided?
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 13:49     Subject: Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:I could belive that having siblings in the program makes the children more successful because they have a peer at home?


Uh no.... Immersion kids rarely speak target language outside of the classroom.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 13:34     Subject: Immersion Results
I could belive that having siblings in the program makes the children more successful because they have a peer at home?
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 13:08     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
Anonymous wrote:As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.


Someones intention when joining the immersion program cannot be readily known so it makes no sense to worry about it. The impact of sibling preference is measurable and can be acted on one way or the other. I think if the policy is reversed those who have multiple kids will have to evaluate whether its worth it to them or not but each and every kid will get a fair shot including siblings.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2015 13:02     Subject: Re:Immersion Results
As someone who is committed to having my child learn a second language I think it is unfair that some kids get a space just to avoid their home school. But that is my opinion. There are always going to be ways where things seem unfair depending who is looking at it and how. When my kid didn't get a preschool space at a school I liked bc the class was filled with siblings it felt unfair but it was the policy and I accepted it. I'm sure if it was the other way around it would feel unfair bc it would negatively affect my family! I kept trying and we found something that worked for us. I think if there is a fight worth fighting it is that demand exceeds supply.