"mandatory" subjects - foreign language
he11sbe11s70
Hi
I am new to the group - but I am preparing to homeschool my 4 year old and 1 year
old and need all the help I can get!
I really like the unschooling and child-led learning idea. I have one question though.
My husband may have the opportunity in a few years to transfer to China for a year or
two with his work. I am very excited about the opportunity for the kids to learn a new
language and culture. The best way for them to learn the language probably will be
to put them in a chinese school while we are there. If they just stay home with me . .
.. they won't learn as much. I feel that homeschooling will give me the flexibility to
not worry about "falling behind" in school while we are theere.
My question is - I really would like to study Chinese with the kids now to help prepare
them for this. Especially with regard to schooling - If we put my oldest right into
Chinese 2nd or 3rd grade without preparation, he will be in for a very difficult time.
How can I incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject while still maintaining the
child-lead learning approach?
I am new to the group - but I am preparing to homeschool my 4 year old and 1 year
old and need all the help I can get!
I really like the unschooling and child-led learning idea. I have one question though.
My husband may have the opportunity in a few years to transfer to China for a year or
two with his work. I am very excited about the opportunity for the kids to learn a new
language and culture. The best way for them to learn the language probably will be
to put them in a chinese school while we are there. If they just stay home with me . .
.. they won't learn as much. I feel that homeschooling will give me the flexibility to
not worry about "falling behind" in school while we are theere.
My question is - I really would like to study Chinese with the kids now to help prepare
them for this. Especially with regard to schooling - If we put my oldest right into
Chinese 2nd or 3rd grade without preparation, he will be in for a very difficult time.
How can I incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject while still maintaining the
child-lead learning approach?
soggyboysmom
--- In [email protected], "he11sbe11s70"
<eleanorlin@c...> wrote:
You can't. And, unless you stay in the house and keep them in the
house all day and never go to the market, the clothing store, the
park, etc, I'd pretty much guarantee those kids will be speaking
better than you are within 6 months, even if they are NOT in Chinese
schools.
<eleanorlin@c...> wrote:
You can't. And, unless you stay in the house and keep them in the
house all day and never go to the market, the clothing store, the
park, etc, I'd pretty much guarantee those kids will be speaking
better than you are within 6 months, even if they are NOT in Chinese
schools.
Dawn Adams
>. I am very excited about the opportunity for the kids to learn a newWhy in the heck would you just stay home? And why confine them to a school when you could be taking them around, getting involved in the community, experiencing the culture?
>language and culture. The best way for them to learn the language probably will be
>to put them in a chinese school while we are there. If they just stay home with me . .
>.. they won't learn as much.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>My question is - I really would like to study Chinese with the kids now to help prepareMy suggestion would be to forget about classes and school. Check out any chinese cultural centers in the community so you can start to feel familiar with it. Starting reading books, watching movies, talking to people of chinese descent you may know, watching related news. It's not the language that's important, it's the culture that the language reflects.
>them for this. Especially with regard to schooling - If we put my oldest right into
>Chinese 2nd or 3rd grade without preparation, he will be in for a very difficult time.
>How can I incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject while still maintaining the
>child-lead learning approach?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I was listening to an interview with Addriene Clarkson (of Chinese descent coincidentally), our (Canada's) Governor-General. It's technically the hishest post in our gov't and the Queen's representative in Canada. It's really a figurehead position. Anyway, she was talking about how she learned french. How she thought she'd learn it was take classes. Didn't work really. So she went to France. There she had to learn it. She mentioned that she always had trouble with pronouncing the "r's" (french r's are weird) until one day driving by the Louvre, she said Louvre - and it clicked. Her idea was that it wasn't until she was there long enough for the culture to settle in her bones that she was able to finally 'get' the language. That you can't truly learn a language until you have some feeling for the culture supporting it.
My parents lived in Thailand for a couple of years. They never learned Thai (you think Chinese is tough? You don't know Thai) but they did get involved in the Thai community, attened cultural events, got a true sense of the people and made lifelong Thai friends.
Frankly, learning to speak Chinese at the expense of diving into the culture would be like learning to read without loving books.
It's not the language that important, it's the people and the culture. They may or may not end up speaking fluent chinese but please don't lock them up in school (or yourself up in the house!!!) for what may be an experience of a lifetime.
Dawn (DON"T SEND THEM TO SCHOOL THERE!!!)
P.S. DON'T !!!
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Jordan
I live in Japan, and my kids were 3 and 1 when we got here. Weve learned
lots by living, but please keep in mind that learning a language with a
totally different alphabet is a whole different animal than learning say,
German, French or Spanish. I have friends who send their kids to Japanese
preschooltheir kids have not learned anymore language than mine have by
watching Japanese TV, shopping for everyday stuff, having a Japanese
housecleaner who speaks no English, and playing with the kids in the
neighborhood.
flexibility to
not worry about "falling behind" in school while we are theere.<<<<
I dont get this do you want to homeshcool, or are you looking for
permission to put them in a chinese school? Think for a minute how you
are going to feel when you get there youll be overwhelmed by all the
differences in daily lifedo you really want to add to that by suddenly
immersing them into school, too?
In my book, you simply cant incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject
while still maintaining the
child-lead learning approach. We got Usbornes The First 1000 Words in
Japanese before we got here so wed know the words for some basics, but
Japanese grammar still escapes us. We manage fine though, people are happy
to help. Where in China are you going? In most cities, almost everyone
speaks English anyway. Another thought: a year or two really isnt enough
time for much, if you spend it obsessing over Chinese School and language,
you might miss out on lots of cool stuff.
Tami, who thinks the most valuable phrases to know in Japanese are Im
sorry and I dont understand. Because I often am, and dont.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of he11sbe11s70
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:01 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] "mandatory" subjects - foreign language
Hi
I am new to the group - but I am preparing to homeschool my 4 year old and 1
year
old and need all the help I can get!
I really like the unschooling and child-led learning idea. I have one
question though.
My husband may have the opportunity in a few years to transfer to China for
a year or
two with his work. I am very excited about the opportunity for the kids to
learn a new
language and culture. The best way for them to learn the language probably
will be
to put them in a chinese school while we are there. If they just stay home
with me . .
.. they won't learn as much. I feel that homeschooling will give me the
flexibility to
not worry about "falling behind" in school while we are theere.
My question is - I really would like to study Chinese with the kids now to
help prepare
them for this. Especially with regard to schooling - If we put my oldest
right into
Chinese 2nd or 3rd grade without preparation, he will be in for a very
difficult time.
How can I incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject while still maintaining
the
child-lead learning approach?
"List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.
Visit the Unschooling website and message boards: http://www.unschooling.com
_____
Yahoo! Groups Links
* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnschoolingDiscussion/
* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]?subject=Unsubscrib
e>
* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
lots by living, but please keep in mind that learning a language with a
totally different alphabet is a whole different animal than learning say,
German, French or Spanish. I have friends who send their kids to Japanese
preschooltheir kids have not learned anymore language than mine have by
watching Japanese TV, shopping for everyday stuff, having a Japanese
housecleaner who speaks no English, and playing with the kids in the
neighborhood.
>>>>If they just stay home with me . ... they won't learn as much. I feel that homeschooling will give me the
flexibility to
not worry about "falling behind" in school while we are theere.<<<<
I dont get this do you want to homeshcool, or are you looking for
permission to put them in a chinese school? Think for a minute how you
are going to feel when you get there youll be overwhelmed by all the
differences in daily lifedo you really want to add to that by suddenly
immersing them into school, too?
In my book, you simply cant incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject
while still maintaining the
child-lead learning approach. We got Usbornes The First 1000 Words in
Japanese before we got here so wed know the words for some basics, but
Japanese grammar still escapes us. We manage fine though, people are happy
to help. Where in China are you going? In most cities, almost everyone
speaks English anyway. Another thought: a year or two really isnt enough
time for much, if you spend it obsessing over Chinese School and language,
you might miss out on lots of cool stuff.
Tami, who thinks the most valuable phrases to know in Japanese are Im
sorry and I dont understand. Because I often am, and dont.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of he11sbe11s70
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:01 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] "mandatory" subjects - foreign language
Hi
I am new to the group - but I am preparing to homeschool my 4 year old and 1
year
old and need all the help I can get!
I really like the unschooling and child-led learning idea. I have one
question though.
My husband may have the opportunity in a few years to transfer to China for
a year or
two with his work. I am very excited about the opportunity for the kids to
learn a new
language and culture. The best way for them to learn the language probably
will be
to put them in a chinese school while we are there. If they just stay home
with me . .
.. they won't learn as much. I feel that homeschooling will give me the
flexibility to
not worry about "falling behind" in school while we are theere.
My question is - I really would like to study Chinese with the kids now to
help prepare
them for this. Especially with regard to schooling - If we put my oldest
right into
Chinese 2nd or 3rd grade without preparation, he will be in for a very
difficult time.
How can I incorporate Chinese as a mandatory subject while still maintaining
the
child-lead learning approach?
"List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.
Visit the Unschooling website and message boards: http://www.unschooling.com
_____
Yahoo! Groups Links
* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnschoolingDiscussion/
* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]?subject=Unsubscrib
e>
* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
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No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.7.5/18 - Release Date: 6/15/2005
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