Language Immersion Schools

You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett. Martha, my wife and I have been visiting schools here in San Diego.

We have an opportunity to choose a school. So we’ve been visiting these schools and checking out a lot of campuses and trying to really get the spirit of a place so that we can decide which ones we want to try to get our son into. And we did a tour of a Spanish language immersion school. And I thought you might be really interested to hear a little bit about this place. I’ve never encountered this before. I mean, I know that they exist.

So for the first three years, kindergarten, first and second, 100% Spanish is spoken by the teacher. No English.

As far as the kids know, the teacher speaks no English whatsoever.

Is that right?

And it’s interesting because the kids never quite catch on that when they speak English, the teacher understands and responds in Spanish.

They never quite figure it out.

Oh, how interesting.

So when they’re in school in these three years, the only people who speak English to them are outside of the classroom.

So maybe the principal of the school, when they say good morning to her or they see her around, she might speak English, even though she’s bilingual as well.

And I just found this really amazing that these kids can do this.

And I was one of many parents who wanted to know how the kids handle them.

And it turns out they’re usually pretty fine with it.

I mean, there’s always crying kindergartners in that first year.

But that happens in any school, not just the immersion schools.

And it’s doubly interesting because the administrators there say that the parents of the kids also end up learning Spanish.

I was going to ask about that.

Even if they don’t speak it at home.

I mean, this is a school for kids who don’t speak Spanish as a first language.

So if you speak Spanish natively, you are not admitted to this school.

And so the kids bring their review homework to the parents and sit with the parents and go over what they learned.

And they explain it to the parents.

It’s not just doing exercises.

They are required to explain their work to Mama and Papa.

That’s so interesting.

It’s like first-generation immigrants coming home and teaching their parents.

And most of the parents that we talk to and that we’ve heard from are absolutely delighted because they feel like it’s enriching themselves, and it’s increasing the educational bond that they have with their children.

They described it as being something like when you have the books before bed, and this is a little mini educational opportunity that you have every day to explain, you know, zebras eat grass or orcas sometimes, well, you just seal, things like that.

So they have this opportunity to sit at the table and learn some basic Spanish for the kids.

We loved it.

We thought it was great.

We may yet consider this school or some other schools.

But I just thought it was a nice little look into this opportunity that parents and schools create for a kid to be educated in another language.

And by the time they hit just a couple years, they’re totally fine.

I mean, their Spanish is great and their English is great.

Their English does not deteriorate.

That’s fascinating.

Well, I’d love to hear other parents’ experiences with this kind of language immersion program.

I would, too.

Have you yourself been a student in a language immersion school, or have you sent your kids to a language immersion school?

Give us a call, 877-929-9673, or tell us the story in email, words@waywordradio.org.