Immersion programs

So I have the opportunity to put both Alice and Royce in the Spanish immersion program next year. I asked them separately if they wanted to do it, and they both said no with quite a bit of emphasis.

Pros: learn Spanish, be challenged mentally since they are both ahead academically, it would make me and my husband relearn Spanish so I could communicate with them.

Cons: they don't want to do it, they would be in the same class all day together which would mean a ton of bickering when they got home.

So what would you do?

 

Do they know any Spanish at all now? Would there be an opportunity for them to go spend part of the day there and see what it is like?

 

My husband would love to do this with our kids BUT the only immersion program is 45 minutes away. I'd try to get them to warm on the idea. I think it is a great step... but if they are going to fight you tooth & nail.. maybe not. Sorry, no help here.

 

How long would they be in it? Does it go only through younger grades or through high school or what? That would influence my decision.

My girls are doing french immersion. But they went to that school for pre-K so I think they don't realize that there is another option. I think that my girls think all kids who go to school learn either french or spanish.

 

That's a tough one. Do you think that the extra mental energy expended would allow them to focus on their own stuff more and reduce the bickering? Maybe if they're more engaged at school they'll be better?

If not, I'd be inclined to go for family harmony.

 

They don't know much Spanish. We speak a very bad Spanglish in our house. Mike and I both grew up in Florida and we both used to speak Spanish much better than we do now that we've moved to Virginia.

And another reason I'm hesitant is that there is a gifted school locally that they might get into which eventually feeds into the number one high school in the nation. And I'd much rather them get into that program because it focuses more on math and sciences.

 

Is Spanish part of the curriculum in their other potential school? I know immersion is better for learning, but maybe between speaking at home and school everyone could work on it.

The math/sciences school would be the one I'd hold out for. I hope the smarty pantses get in!

 

Do it.
5 year olds do not get to make educational decisions for themselves.

Being bilingual will increase the chances that they are good at math and sciences and a whole load of other things.

I expect you recognize by bias on this issue. ardon:

 

Do it. I agree wholeheartedly with Melissa. There are all kinds of research that being bilingual makes new connections in the brain and raises IQ. There really isn't any negative to being bilingual.

The best immersion programs are two types:
1. Immerse everyone in nearly 100% Spanish. These program generally work towards more English by the end of elementary. The majority of children are not native speakers.
2. Dual immersion where they try to have an even balance between native speakers of both languages (our kids are in this program). It works best if two teachers work as a team, one teaching only in English and the other in Spanish. Kids switch daily or weekly between classrooms. With this set-up, the kids can be in different classrooms, but have the same teachers and homework. If a teacher is equally fluent in both languages (very rare), s/he can teach a contained classroom, covering both languages. This is harder to maintain strict divisions between the languages.

Our kids went to K at Claremont Immersion Elementary in Arlington. The school was *amazing.* I highly, highly recommend the dual immersion programs in Arlington. (I thought you had moved closer in some time ago, but I can't remember if you did or to which part of NoVA).

 

Fairfax county. It's a dual immersion program, part of the day (English and Math) are taught in English, and Spanish, Social Studies, and Sciences are taught in Spanish. It's a several year commitment, it goes through middle school I believe.

 

I would do it personally. Donevan goes to a core French School and a French daycare, the twins are in a French daycare and will be starting school where Donevan is in September. Donevan also has the opportunity to take Spanish next yr and I will be putting him into it. I think the benefit of having more then one language is huge and it is so easy to learn languages when they are young.

 

If I were making this decision it would be more about keeping my girls together and less about their preference for school. My girls are really competitive and one has a much stronger personality than the other (interestingly they are on the same academic level). So if they had to be together, I don't think I would enroll them. But maybe your kids are not as beasty as mine... Plus the challenge for them might be really good since they are gifted. My school district used to start French in first grade, but they eliminated it a couple years ago because of budget cuts. I don't know why French and not Spanish...

 

I would do this in a heartbeat. Learning a second language is so so so beneficial for so many parts of the brain. They're already advanced, so this will challenge them way more than a regular school will. Keeping them together would be my only concern... but unless they're super competitive, I think I'd still do it.

 

i think i would do it if i thought there was even a chance it might work with them together. the only way to know is to try.

You only get to learn a second language with a young brain once! I wish i had learned a second language as a child.

 

I'd be more inclined to hold out for the math/sciences...and I disagree that 5 year olds get "no say" in their education...they said they don't want to, you put them in anyway and you wind up with kids that HATE school, piss and moan about homework etc and the whole intent backfires....

if they want to learn a second language, there is plenty of time for that...I don't agree with teaching a second language when they've barely mastered the first...

 

I agree that 5 yrs old should not have a final say in their education, but if they are REALLY really against it-- you are likely to end up with resentful, angry kiddos. But, I would talk to them and see what they dont like about the idea. The fear of unknown, dislike of change, not having friends they know, etc can all play into any changes. These can be easily remedied with some social coaching, play dates, and tours of new school. But if they just dont WANT to participate in a program like that you may have a tougher time.

Add-- I love the idea of STEM school (math/science) but I would check and see if both your kiddos would be interested.

At 5 (and still at 7) one of my kiddos is really really really into math/science and the other is drawn to the arts. So one would thrive in a STEM school since she loves facts, information, and puzzles, but the other would likely be unhappy in such a format. She needs drama, writing, and lots of language!

Also- how fluid is the application if you chose one option and then want to switch?

Does your school offer differentiated programming for K? Do the other schools offer it? I ask because my kiddos went into 1st grade reading well above grade level and so far the school has had a handful of other kids in the same spot-- they formed a little reading group and it has worked well. They have done enrichment for other subjects as well- but it is more a loose program (there is no formal outline of things for kiddos above grade level) and we have had stellar teachers.

Our school does not offer Elementary languages-- which I dislike a lot. Does your science/math school offer languages? Local school? I think exposure is wonderful and that is one of the things that bothers me the most at our school. It is strange since our district is so very very diverse, a lot of kiddos already speak a second language at home.


Maybe weigh the pro/con of them being in one room. It can be done well and it can be a mess. Some depends on how the teacher handles small groups and some on pure personality. My girls are in the same room and have done just fine. Most kids dont figure out they are twins until later in the year! Haha- they have different interests, friends, and enjoy different activities. They ARE in the same groups for academics in Math, Spelling, and Reading. They are in different groups for writing and science. Their school does a mix of whole group and differentiated (Spelling, Math, Reading, Writing).