Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

The french immersion system in Canada:

http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=144196bf-8a12-47e8-8109-b7be65a7bb9b

I have a child in an immersion school, and think it's stretching his mind in wonderful ways. However, I think that studies of French immersion or bilingual schools in Canada really don't apply here. French has official status as a second language, and an entire province where it's the official language. The US certainly has large areas where Spanish is the most commonly spoken language, but it lacks official status even at the local level, let alone protections for Spanish speakers at the national level. This gives Canadians incentives to be bilingual that the US simply lacks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

WIS, successful bilingual graduates.

There are also well established private immersion schools in Massachusetts, New York, Chicago . . .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

The french immersion system in Canada:

http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=144196bf-8a12-47e8-8109-b7be65a7bb9b

I hope that immersion programs are not just a fad, but my gut tells me it is. I'd love to see a study that tracks YY students to see if they are truly bilingual five years after graduation. I know that China is super important because they are such a financial and military power and they are heavily invested in the USA (buying our debt, etc.) but I honestly can't imagine it being all that useful to be bilingual in Chinese. More power to those families who commit to learning Chinese...I just have the suspicion that when all is said and done learning Chinese in 2012 will be looked back on they way that Japanese became a fad in the 1980s. Spanish immersion, I understand more...more useful on a day to day basis in the States.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

WIS, successful bilingual graduates.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

Anonymous wrote:Quick question: is there anyone out there who got into an immersion program but then turned the spot down? If so...please share your reasoning. Frankly i am on the fence and could use some guidance.

We turned down Tyler SI for another immersion school because we didn't see enough Latino families involved - we're former Peace Corps volunteers who are fluent. There aren't a lot of native Spanish speakers in SE compared to some other neighborhoods and a different school worked better with our commutes and transition from daycare (some pals of our little one going). A pp using similar reasoning with Yu Ying is vilified. Need guidance? Don't take the huffy, thin-skinned Chinese immersion parents on dcum seriously.

what's wrong with these YY parents? we're trying to choose between another immersion charter and our IB school, and I've read strong criticism of both on multiple threads lately. pps involved at these schools respond to criticism, and sometimes agree that it's valid, they don't treat it like wildfires fires that need to be stamped out. i have no clue what YY us up to, but your paranoia makes others wonder what is in fact wrong! we're talking about schools in one of the nation's most troubled districts. jeez, let it roll off ya already.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op is talking about pk3 so obviously not YY. Just the same? Chinese poster who has an axe to grind about YY complaining about the same 'ol thing here and on the MoCo forum.

Yes, just the same. She wanted to know why people choose to go with options other than immersion when they could choose immersion, and pp answered that question exactly. Do you know how bad you make the school look when you act like this? Stop.

Ummmm.....PP here again. this is what sounded nasty to me:
"The rabid YY supporters brand people like us as "haters,""

I don't think this was responding to the question. or even true. maybe some of the YY parents (I know many very nice YY parents) are just sick of the nastiness. Now that I made my point I'll stop

It was responsive, you just didn't like the tone. In the process of objecting to the tone, you have proven your point and created quite a lot of unnecessary additional publicity to YY's public relations problem, thus continuing the circle.

You just don't stop. Ever. Even when no one was talking to you. You clearly did not choose against an immersion program, so why do you keep using this thread to make YY look so terrible.

Not a bad thing that YY's various problems w/native speakers are belatedly getting airtime on DCUM, but they sound unique. The other immersion programs are mainly for Spanish. Was the OP interested in Spanish immersion? Different kettle of fish than French, Chinese, Hebrew. Don't see how you can lump the schools together and have a meaningful discussion about what immersion language is in DCPS and DC Charter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op is talking about pk3 so obviously not YY. Just the same? Chinese poster who has an axe to grind about YY complaining about the same 'ol thing here and on the MoCo forum.

Yes, just the same. She wanted to know why people choose to go with options other than immersion when they could choose immersion, and pp answered that question exactly. Do you know how bad you make the school look when you act like this? Stop.

Ummmm.....PP here again. this is what sounded nasty to me:
"The rabid YY supporters brand people like us as "haters,""

I don't think this was responding to the question. or even true. maybe some of the YY parents (I know many very nice YY parents) are just sick of the nastiness. Now that I made my point I'll stop

Anonymous wrote:Op is talking about pk3 so obviously not YY. Just the same? Chinese poster who has an axe to grind about YY complaining about the same 'ol thing here and on the MoCo forum.

Yes, just the same. She wanted to know why people choose to go with options other than immersion when they could choose immersion, and pp answered that question exactly. Do you know how bad you make the school look when you act like this? Stop.

Op is talking about pk3 so obviously not YY. Just the same? Chinese poster who has an axe to grind about YY complaining about the same 'ol thing here and on the MoCo forum.