Hiring a non-native speaking nanny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don't believe parents should hire someone who does not speak English, more for safety reasons than anything else, I don't think this is as big of an issue as she would like to have you believe it is.
A bad nanny is a bad nanny, no matter what language they speak. And any nanny who isn't teaching a child verbal language is a bad nanny. But this is also saying that parents aren't speaking to their children at all? That is very hard to believe that these children aren't learning appropriate English skills for their age. But just because a child has a nanny who isn't an English speaker does not mean they will end up in an ESL class. And even less likely, a speech therapy class.
But when a child starts school, you know who they will be learning most of their speech mannerisms from? Their peers. I think a lot of these issues will work themselves out without automatically throwing these kids into an ESL class.

Twenty years ago few children needed speech therapy. Now we all know children who need it. Why?

I needed speech therapy 35 years ago. I don't know any children now who need it. Well, except for the one who was born with a physical problem and needed surgery to help correct it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don't believe parents should hire someone who does not speak English, more for safety reasons than anything else, I don't think this is as big of an issue as she would like to have you believe it is.
A bad nanny is a bad nanny, no matter what language they speak. And any nanny who isn't teaching a child verbal language is a bad nanny. But this is also saying that parents aren't speaking to their children at all? That is very hard to believe that these children aren't learning appropriate English skills for their age. But just because a child has a nanny who isn't an English speaker does not mean they will end up in an ESL class. And even less likely, a speech therapy class.
But when a child starts school, you know who they will be learning most of their speech mannerisms from? Their peers. I think a lot of these issues will work themselves out without automatically throwing these kids into an ESL class.

Twenty years ago few children needed speech therapy. Now we all know children who need it. Why?

I needed speech therapy 35 years ago. I don't know any children now who need it. Well, except for the one who was born with a physical problem and needed surgery to help correct it.

Your point? You believe the need for speech therapy is the same as it was 35 years ago?
Think again.

[Anonymous]

Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bilingualism is great. Speaking a language poorly is not and it is really hard to unlearn the way you talk.

I think the point is, that these kids aren't really bilingual. Most nannies work around 10 hours per day. That leaves an hour or two with the parents in the morning and evening, mostly spent getting ready for the day or for bed. So during the majority of their waking hours they're exposed to either bad Spanish or bad English. Do you honestly believe this gives them an "advantage"? Or at the very least, does no harm? I think OP is our usual bored troll, but I honestly think hiring a nanny to speak a language you don't speak to your child (you have no idea how articulate or proper her language skills are) and whose English is basically unintelligible. Even if you speak perfect English with your kids on the weekend, they will learn bad habits, and if nothing else, you're missing out on so many hours that they could be hours that could be actually enriching to their language skills.

They aren't bilingual but not because of your theory. Children aren't kept under the care of nannies forever - most move out of it and into a different setting (preschool) at 3, at the latest. And what do you think they will speak there? English, of course! The language that will dominate their lives in this country no matter who spoke what during their wee years.

That said, caregivers who speak pigeon anything is a problem. Your nanny doesn't have to speak English, but whatever language she speaks to your child should be grammatically correct, rich and educated. If this requirement is met, no English is no problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

No one cares where you're born, silly. What is crucial, is how you communicate. A young child learns through imitation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

No one cares where you're born, silly. What is crucial, is how you communicate. A young child learns through imitation.

Have you never read this board, sweetcheeks? You have one poster in particular who likes to believe that speech impediments in children are caused by having a nanny who does not speak English. And there are others who believe that as well. If they were to take the time to read the studies and inform themselves, they would know that is not the cause for speech problems.

And you might like to think that people don't care where you are born, but again, you would be wrong, pumpkin dumpling. But when you have all these nannies and parents who don't learn about childcare and how children learn, they will blame all the problems children have on the foreign nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

No one cares where you're born, silly. What is crucial, is how you communicate. A young child learns through imitation.

Have you never read this board, sweetcheeks? You have one poster in particular who likes to believe that speech impediments in children are caused by having a nanny who does not speak English. And there are others who believe that as well. If they were to take the time to read the studies and inform themselves, they would know that is not the cause for speech problems.

And you might like to think that people don't care where you are born, but again, you would be wrong, pumpkin dumpling. But when you have all these nannies and parents who don't learn about childcare and how children learn, they will blame all the problems children have on the foreign nanny.

No one is blaming the foreign nanny, aside from the usual troll going on about speech therapy. Lets all agree to ignore her, because some other posters have made some legitimate arguments. Hiring a nanny that speaks another language is not the problem, its that the parents hire a nanny who speaks a language they themselves do not speak, and they cannot in turn asses the quality of the language she will be speaking to the child. Just as there are levels in quality of English spoken, there are levels in quality of Spanish spoken, and if you want to expose your child to a second language, you want it to be quality. I think its a problem when 1) nanny can't communicate at a certain level in the same language as the parents (a nanny should do more than follow your instructions, she should be able to help you asses any issues your child is having, monitor and assist his development, and be able to explain her strategies to you) 2) nanny gets flustered when she must speak English, for instance, in some kind of emergency 3) nanny speaks to the child in broken English, and can't/avoids reading to the child because of it. These are all huge scary issues that should be addressed when considering to hire this kind of nanny, that I can't help but observe that they clearly aren't. I'm interacting with these nannies every day, and I can tell the difference between ones that can communicate and educate, and the ones that simply nod yes to everything because they don't really understand. I also speak both languages, and I know the "spanish" your kids are learning and i promise you its not great. I have to wonder what the hell the parents were thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

No one cares where you're born, silly. What is crucial, is how you communicate. A young child learns through imitation.

Have you never read this board, sweetcheeks? You have one poster in particular who likes to believe that speech impediments in children are caused by having a nanny who does not speak English. And there are others who believe that as well. If they were to take the time to read the studies and inform themselves, they would know that is not the cause for speech problems.

And you might like to think that people don't care where you are born, but again, you would be wrong, pumpkin dumpling. But when you have all these nannies and parents who don't learn about childcare and how children learn, they will blame all the problems children have on the foreign nanny.

What's the main cause of speech impediments, Einstein?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

No one cares where you're born, silly. What is crucial, is how you communicate. A young child learns through imitation.

Have you never read this board, sweetcheeks? You have one poster in particular who likes to believe that speech impediments in children are caused by having a nanny who does not speak English. And there are others who believe that as well. If they were to take the time to read the studies and inform themselves, they would know that is not the cause for speech problems.

And you might like to think that people don't care where you are born, but again, you would be wrong, pumpkin dumpling. But when you have all these nannies and parents who don't learn about childcare and how children learn, they will blame all the problems children have on the foreign nanny.

What's the main cause of speech impediments, Einstein?

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/speech.htm
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/communication/not_talk.html#
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/recognizing-developmental-delays-birth-age-2. This one does mention exposure to more than one language can cause mild delays in toddlers, but not for school children. Sometimes parents like to jump the gun if they think their child may be having issues, but it could also be that the child just isn't at that stage yet.

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/speechsounddisorders/. This one says an accent is not a speech sound disorder.


http://www.smartspeechtherapy.com/guest-post-10-common-causes-of-pediatric-speech-and-language-problems/

Do I need to continue, Lloyd Christmas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who are getting speech therapy now at an earlier age is due to earlier intervention, not children having a nanny that was not born in the US.

No one cares where you're born, silly. What is crucial, is how you communicate. A young child learns through imitation.

Have you never read this board, sweetcheeks? You have one poster in particular who likes to believe that speech impediments in children are caused by having a nanny who does not speak English. And there are others who believe that as well. If they were to take the time to read the studies and inform themselves, they would know that is not the cause for speech problems.

And you might like to think that people don't care where you are born, but again, you would be wrong, pumpkin dumpling. But when you have all these nannies and parents who don't learn about childcare and how children learn, they will blame all the problems children have on the foreign nanny.

No one is blaming the foreign nanny, aside from the usual troll going on about speech therapy. Lets all agree to ignore her, because some other posters have made some legitimate arguments. Hiring a nanny that speaks another language is not the problem, its that the parents hire a nanny who speaks a language they themselves do not speak, and they cannot in turn asses the quality of the language she will be speaking to the child. Just as there are levels in quality of English spoken, there are levels in quality of Spanish spoken, and if you want to expose your child to a second language, you want it to be quality. I think its a problem when 1) nanny can't communicate at a certain level in the same language as the parents (a nanny should do more than follow your instructions, she should be able to help you asses any issues your child is having, monitor and assist his development, and be able to explain her strategies to you) 2) nanny gets flustered when she must speak English, for instance, in some kind of emergency 3) nanny speaks to the child in broken English, and can't/avoids reading to the child because of it. These are all huge scary issues that should be addressed when considering to hire this kind of nanny, that I can't help but observe that they clearly aren't. I'm interacting with these nannies every day, and I can tell the difference between ones that can communicate and educate, and the ones that simply nod yes to everything because they don't really understand. I also speak both languages, and I know the "spanish" your kids are learning and i promise you its not great. I have to wonder what the hell the parents were thinking.

That is part of the problem, parents don't always think about the person they are hiring. Or they are hiring the person for other reasons. I had a lawyer tell me that she doesn't care what language the nanny speaks, as long as she loves her child. And while love is great, if you have a nanny, English speaking or not, who doesn't communicate with the child, there could be consequences.
And yes, I also deal with nannies on a daily basis who cannot speak English, and I wonder about the parents who hire them. And then you also have the American nannies with very poor English skills. You have to wonder what they are thinking.
But there are several problems with employers and nannies and I don't think we can fix them with one post. You have so many professions that require licenses and being able to pass exams, but there are no exams or licenses a person needs to obtain before they start calling themselves a nanny. And when I see posts on here from girls asking what you do to entertain a one year old, you have to ask why this person is taking care of children when they don't even know basic childcare?
I know I'm getting off topic here, but I think the issue is so much deeper than we like to think.

[Anonymous]

OP is most definitely a troll, or she is the victim of a ignorant neighbor who allegedly runs an "ESL program", which is not only the incorrect term for English language learners, but not a standalone program outside of the school system, and, as such, has no single person "running it."

Additionally, neither the trolling OP or her alleged neighbor appears to know a thing about language acquisition. A nanny who speaks to a child in her native language, or a combination of her language and English, will not damage a child's ability to learn English. The child might not be fluent in the nanny's native language, but that is immaterial since the OP specifically mentioned "an ESL program". The research is clear on this.

As for the crazy person who thinks that bilingualism causes speech impediments, please, please, stay far away from the nanny profession and, frankly, anything to do with education. You are shockingly ignorant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP is most definitely a troll, or she is the victim of a ignorant neighbor who allegedly runs an "ESL program", which is not only the incorrect term for English language learners, but not a standalone program outside of the school system, and, as such, has no single person "running it."

Additionally, neither the trolling OP or her alleged neighbor appears to know a thing about language acquisition. A nanny who speaks to a child in her native language, or a combination of her language and English, will not damage a child's ability to learn English. The child might not be fluent in the nanny's native language, but that is immaterial since the OP specifically mentioned "an ESL program". The research is clear on this.

As for the crazy person who thinks that bilingualism causes speech impediments, please, please, stay far away from the nanny profession and, frankly, anything to do with education. You are shockingly ignorant.

That is correct as long as both languages are spoken well, with correct grammar and rich vocabulary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is most definitely a troll, or she is the victim of a ignorant neighbor who allegedly runs an "ESL program", which is not only the incorrect term for English language learners, but not a standalone program outside of the school system, and, as such, has no single person "running it."

Additionally, neither the trolling OP or her alleged neighbor appears to know a thing about language acquisition. A nanny who speaks to a child in her native language, or a combination of her language and English, will not damage a child's ability to learn English. The child might not be fluent in the nanny's native language, but that is immaterial since the OP specifically mentioned "an ESL program". The research is clear on this.

As for the crazy person who thinks that bilingualism causes speech impediments, please, please, stay far away from the nanny profession and, frankly, anything to do with education. You are shockingly ignorant.

That is correct as long as both languages are spoken well, with correct grammar and rich vocabulary.

Where's the post saying "bilingualism causes speech impediments"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is most definitely a troll, or she is the victim of a ignorant neighbor who allegedly runs an "ESL program", which is not only the incorrect term for English language learners, but not a standalone program outside of the school system, and, as such, has no single person "running it."

Additionally, neither the trolling OP or her alleged neighbor appears to know a thing about language acquisition. A nanny who speaks to a child in her native language, or a combination of her language and English, will not damage a child's ability to learn English. The child might not be fluent in the nanny's native language, but that is immaterial since the OP specifically mentioned "an ESL program". The research is clear on this.

As for the crazy person who thinks that bilingualism causes speech impediments, please, please, stay far away from the nanny profession and, frankly, anything to do with education. You are shockingly ignorant.

That is correct as long as both languages are spoken well, with correct grammar and rich vocabulary.

Where's the post saying "bilingualism causes speech impediments"?

No one said that. 13:36 is spewing plain nonsense and she knows it.

[Anonymous]

Talking to yourself I see? You should get that checked out.