Is Bi-Lingual Education Important to You?...

[Mindy]

My mom and dad sent my brother and I to French school from age 4, and they don't speak French AT ALL. Most people thought they were crazy. Told my mom we would never learn cuz we have never heard it. I don't even remember learning, but I am totally bilingual.

I would agree it's very very much harder to learn when you are older. It's harder to get the accent down. Then again, some people just never get the hang of the accents.

Good luck in whatever you do Xero. I just can't get over the cuteness of your little man. He looks so much like you too

 

[Dadu2004]

French School? Ooohhh La La!

 

[Mindy]

Yup, and you should have seen my parents struggle with my homework!

Anyway, so I speak English and French fluently, and I can carry a conversation in Spanish as well. We learn Spanish at work during my lunch hour. It's free training so why not! And this is in Canada it's offered!

I think if you can speak French English and Spanish, man, you are pretty well set. You can go almost anywhere in the world and be understood by someone... Cept maybe China

 

[Mindy]

DH is teaching Rebekah Italian, as its what he speaks with his parents. The primary school near us teaches Chinese, and she's most likely to go to that school. I think its brilliant, I see no disadvantage to opening her mind to other cultures and giving her to oppotunity to go to abroad confidently.

Cantonese or Mandarin?

 

[Xero]

My mom and dad sent my brother and I to French school from age 4, and they don't speak French AT ALL. Most people thought they were crazy. Told my mom we would never learn cuz we have never heard it. I don't even remember learning, but I am totally bilingual.

I would agree it's very very much harder to learn when you are older. It's harder to get the accent down. Then again, some people just never get the hang of the accents.

Good luck in whatever you do Xero. I just can't get over the cuteness of your little man. He looks so much like you too

Well don't worry, cause they make Spanish mandatory now in elementary school so he's gonna learn whether I like it or not. I'm sure he'll pick up quick and probably enjoy it.

Haha and thank you so much for saying he's cute. A lot of people have been saying that he looks like me. When he was littler, he looked more like his dad. It's funny how that can change. I've got to find my USB cord for my camera and show some more cute pictures of him. He's so feminine looking... even in boy clothes, people are not sure if he's a girl sometimes. I absolutely cannot get away with wearing neutral colors on him without him looking completely like a girl. It makes me laugh. At least I know he's pretty. <333

 

[budnkota]

Lol you are seriously taking this overboard. In a country just because they speak English? Move to England? Calm down. I'm not teaching my son Spanish just because a lot of other people speak it, sorry. It's not a big deal..

that was a response to a comment you made - that if you wanted him to speak another language, you'd have him live in another country. My point was simply that English became the language because of the influx of people, not because of some divine intervention or something...

 

[Xero]

Ah, well I guess I meant there that if I wanted it to be <I>necessary</I> for him to have to speak one. Sorry.

 

[chic]

Hi I copy that. Bi-lingual education is important for the child not the adult. Take it in perspective. It is for the child.
- Opportunities
- His sense of dignity as a member of the human society
- His freedom of movement (language can bring him to places)
- His unbiased treatment and outlook towards the world and other races

To support the child in a bilingual programme, you must have the resource and capability to provide the child with the proper environment, guide and continued support.

The benefits outweigh the negatives; yet once decided, we should help the child through his entire process.

Cheers
<U>Tips To Choose A Non-Native Language For Your Child</U>

 

[Trina]

Well don't worry, cause they make Spanish mandatory now in elementary school so he's gonna learn whether I like it or not. I'm sure he'll pick up quick and probably enjoy it.

Spanish, or any other language for that matter, is not mandatory in the schools in my area. High school kids preparing for college must take a language, but other than that, it's completely voluntary.

I agree learning another language is beneficial, but I don't think it's a requirement.

 

[Ben Smalley]

Learning is so much easier at a young age, but you should stay with it. I started in school and I stopped when I went to college. I have to work even harder now to learn what I have lost.

 

[chic]

That's why I start writing again. It keeps my languages alive.

 

[Anne Rittenhous]

Yes, I believe multiple langauges are very important. We moved to Europe for our son to truly experience a multiple language environment. Our native language is English. We live in a Flemish speaking town. My son and husband work and go to school in Francophone areas. No local is consider educated unless he has four or more languages.

 

[evilbrent]

My daughter has been speaking/learning Spanish since the age of two- I started learning Spanish at age 10 and always wished I'd learned it earlier. I think it's very important for kids to be bi-lingual.

What do you all think? I know being bilingual or tri-lingual is common practice in Europe but it seems in the US like we don't care as much because English is "all we need." I think that's kind of shortsighted and putting kids at a disadvantage. I wish I had grown up speaking five languages!

meh. I only speak English and don't have any trouble communicating. It depends if you need it or not.

 

[Mindy]

I think it's important no matter where you come from. Because you never know where you're going to end up...

 

[1dayatatime]

No its not important to me. I dont purposely avoid my kids being exposed to other languages but I dont encourage it either. Being from AZ this is a sore subject to me. There are so many imagrants here legal and illegal that spanish is everywhere. I worked for Cigna healthcare and I got probably 5 calls a day asking me if I spoke spanish. I feel like if your gonna live in this country you <U>must </U>speak the language. Do you think if I went to france or mexico they would cater to me and get a translator? I think not. Not only that but the additional funding that schools require for spanish tranistion classes.