FishJr school issue resolved

[Bluetree]

Nice to hear that the fingerling found a good school!

[Kitsune06]

This is probably a cultural thing, so pardon my ignorance...
I see French being taught a lot, but in a growing number of places now, one is required (or practically required) to know Spanish relatively well.
I assume as both being Romance (is that right?) languages, they shouldn't be too far apart, but where is the practical value of French except in Quebec and parts of Louisiana?

[Veronica]

Yep, they are both romance languages. Since fish is in LA, I expect that's why it's French being taught. I hope you'll be able to stay there long enough that she can become quite fluent. I so wish I could speak two languages.

I actually encourage all my students who are bilingual to learn to read and write in their native language. One of my students this year speaks Polish and goes to Polish school on Saturdays. I told him I was envious.

I'm glad you found such a great solution.

V.

[kelownagirl]

Glad it all worked out Fish - the Learning Center sounds wonderful!

Both of my girls went through school in French Immersion. They were english speaking only at home but started K in 100% French. Didn't start learning to read and write in English until Grade 3. They both LOVED it and were really mad that I didn't put my son in FI as well. Of course, up here it's one of the official languages so it can be useful....

[eclectic]

Hooray! Life is so much easier when you find a good educational fit!

I see French being taught a lot, but in a growing number of places now, one is required (or practically required) to know Spanish relatively well.
I assume as both being Romance (is that right?) languages, they shouldn't be too far apart, but where is the practical value of French except in Quebec and parts of Louisiana?

Our school teaches French, Spanish, German and Latin

Learning any language no matter what it is helps brain development and appreciation and acceptance of cultures different from our own.
A vast majority of our English words are based on French due to early English nobility only speaking French when in court.

We often get students whose parents have been stationed in Okinawa, Japan and it is really cool to see how the kids pick up the language and culture

If I had another chance to guide my child into a language class I would encourage Arabic, Japanese, or Chinese!

[margo49]

DS#1 (now 19) speaks, reads and writes Hebrew, English and Arabic. DS#2 looks like he is going the same way. DD is only fluent in the first two but at first-language level.
It is intellectual developement certainly, but it is also a social thing in that you have different ways of interpreting The World.
Makes for a wonderful sense of humour too!

[roguedog]

This is probably a cultural thing, so pardon my ignorance...
I see French being taught a lot, but in a growing number of places now, one is required (or practically required) to know Spanish relatively well.
I assume as both being Romance (is that right?) languages, they shouldn't be too far apart, but where is the practical value of French except in Quebec and parts of Louisiana?

Hey Kitsune,

Valid question. I think some of it is a hold over of when French was a dominent international language. It was one of THE languages to know if one wanted to communicate in the international arena (see Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) It also had much to do with how many people in the world spoke it due to colonization.

Though Spanish is dominent here in California, not sure how dominent it is elsewhere in the country. So yes, it's practical for domestic communication.

However, I think as the EU grows French may become an international language again since the EU Parliment meets in Belgium. I think French is still spoken in many parts of world due to the left overs of colonization.

Chinese and Japanese are also becoming popular here in NOrthern California due to our proximity to the Pacific Rim, the # of people from these cultures who have immigrated here from those countries and also due to how much business we conduct with Pacific Rim countries.

People more versed in international relations can speak to this better as opposed to a hack like me.

[Bicyclette]

French and English are actually the two official languages of NATO also.

I think it's great to teach really young children a second language - it's so much easier for them to learn - I have known quite a few Americans who send their children to local schools both here and in Germany and their children become fluent quite quickly. I wish it were that easy for me!!

[Kitsune06]

I'm just saying that in regions like Cali, Oregon, the entire SW, Florida and big chunks of the midwest, I've always seen good reason to teach Spanish as a 2nd language, with others optional, just because *so* many people speak it, and there are definite cultural and communication barriers. Where I work, not one of our officers (our Supervisor, yes, but he's rarely about) speaks Spanish, some barely know enough to relate basic needs/locations with our all-hispanic, barely-english-speaking janitorial staff/many of our employees. That leads to some pretty scary communication breakdowns. I can pick out words here and there, and have expanded my vocabulary a good bit from the time I was hired, but even then...

[DrBee]

V was right - they are teaching French because it is south Louisiana. The french language is very prevalent in the Cajun culture and hence life in south Louisiana. I did my grad work in Lafayette - a town in which all of the streets downtown are in French. Just an example.

I think that learning a second language early is beneficial for many reasons - most of which have been eloquently stated in this thread. Once a child picks up a second language, it is that much easier to pick up a third or 4th.

As they get older, more languages are introduced in school (as is true for everwhere in the US).