Very cool program in Glendale CA elementary school. My 5 yr. old grandson class entirely in Italian.

[CTyankee]

Here is the description of the school http://www.spanglishbaby.com/2009/03/foreign-language-academies-of-glendale-a-dual-immersion-case-study/

We are very excited. He will enter this dual immersion language school for kindergarten next fall. He does not speak Italian and neither do his parents but he has some Italian heritage (and a distinctly Italian name, first and last).

Not everybody in the family loves this idea. They are certain that a kid who is in this kind of class is doomed to struggle.

I don't think so. The school has a wonderful learning environment and my daughter and son in law visited it and were highly impressed. My grandson is gifted linguistically and I think this is perfect for him.

I love the idea that he will be able to learn another language at such a young age. I'm amazed at resistence to this idea -- after all, we expect children of non-English speaking parents to learn in an "immersion" program of English! And, of course, most Europeans speak more than just their own language.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Bilingual children tend to excel in all the Language Arts area.

I'm an educator.

[Sequoia]

2. I think it's a great idea to learn early

instead of waiting until high school.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. It seems like

every other country in the world turns out bilingual students - starting with them beginning school.

I think it's GREAT, and I bet your grandson is gonna have a wonderful time. Kids pick up everything so easily at that age - congratulations!

[CTyankee]

5. You wouldn't believe how some people have reacted, tho.

It's funny. My other daughter thinks her sister is out of her mind for placing the boy there...:shrug:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. Why?

Who on earth could conceivably object to a child learning something? Anything?

That's what kids do - they learn. So why not give them as much as possible?

Sounds like there's maybe something else going on. But what?

[MountainLaurel]

13. A lot of people

A grad school classmate lived in a community in TN that protested and then voted down an elementary immersion program because "English was good enough for me . . ." and "This is America."

[Tangerine LaBamba]

18. Right..........

What was I thinking?

I forgot about THEM.................

[CTyankee]

16. They seem to object on the grounds that it is so heavily immersion.

I guess the view is that it's unfair to the child to plunge them into a situation where they can't understand what is being said.

Some people may also be jealous.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

19. Underestimating kids

is always a big mistake.

Haven't we all had our heads explode on a daily basis by things our kids observe or figure out?

Jealous, or a bit racist?

[CTyankee]

24. Depends on their orientation. Some may be racist but others may

be jealous because the program isn't being offered in their "precious" suburb. It is happening in a greater L.A. area public school system. It takes the air out of the suburbanite conceit that their schools are always "superior."

Ha , ha.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

15. My parents, who grew up in India in the 1950s, were taught three languages.

That was 50 years ago, and in this country, we can't catch up for some reason.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

21. The first time I went abroard,

in my teens, I couldn't believe that everyone my age spoke perfect English.

Embarrassing............................

[Oregone]

4. Is this a public school?

The public schools here offer French Immersion through high school (we might do it for a bit). Ive never heard of anything like that in the states.

[CTyankee]

7. Yes! The link tells all about it and is fun to read.

They based it on an elementary school German immersion program in Milwaukee where there is a large German-American population.

This school is near Burbank where lots of the big studios are. My guess is that an international company such as Disney would have people from all over the world working there.

The program was instigated at the behest of parents who were German speaking and they have now gotten the interest of those who want Spanish and Italian.

I just love it...

[Oregone]

10. Great change from when I was a kid!

All we did was spent a few weeks learning to count to 10 in Spanish. Then we get hammered in high school and beyond.

[imdjh]

6. Great idea, though I'd probably choose Spanish or Chinese

I just went through this battle and lost. So the kid is studying French (which has no practical use in our world) instead of Spanish (which does have practical use). Her mother's excuse was that she wasn't training her to work in a call center, she wants her to be able to read French literature in the original. To which I held my tongue because I couldn't give a full on damn about French literature or Spanish literature. I care about marketable skills.

[CTyankee]

9. I don't know why Chinese isn't offered in one of these schools.

They do have one doing Armenian classes as there is a large Armenian population in L.A.

I think it is a kind of heritage thing with some of the parents. I like it because I am struggling as an adult to learn Italian and I know how hard it is to learn language later in life...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. You're not limited to learning just one foreign language in your life

I started with German (in a family setting, then in school) and Spanish in high school. Now I'm a Japanese-English translator.

If the OP's son learns Italian at an early age, Spanish will be a walk in the park, because the two languages are very close. Same with French and Spanish.

Actually, successful progress in any foreign language teaches your mind HOW to learn a language, and each subsequent one is that much easier. In most European countries, university-bound students learn anywhere from two to four foreign languages, sometimes all at once. When I taught Japanese, I enjoyed my Malaysian students, because most of them already spoke Malay, English, and either Chinese or Tamil, so what was another language? They had a wonderful, almost joyous attitude toward learning Japanese.

It's only in America that we think such a thing is impossible.

One day most Americans may need to learn Spanish. However, those who have studied French or Italian will learn it much more easily than those who have never studied any foreign language.

[imdjh]

14. I agree. But prioritize because you might only learn one other

You learn English first because it's the most important. Then you learn the most useful one after that. Then you can learn one for fun.

Of course, the first two can be switched if the parents know the second language. It would have to be easier to learn English as a second language as an American because of real emersion.

[CTyankee]

17. I think my grandson will more easily learn other languages as a result.

The brain gets rewired at an early age with this kind of program. The brainisn't fossilized in one language. I think this is a good thing.

Also, with Italian he can travel to Italy and have many career opportunities abroad that he wouldn't have otherwise had. To me, cultural advantages are so important. We need to get away from our American idea that everything has to be useful in terms of what it does for your eventual job resume. It is a quality of life issue with me.

[JuniperLea]

11. My daughter was in a Spanish immersion school...

The Jackie Robinson Academy in Long Beach, CA. She speaks like a native after 8 years learning her class work in Spanish. In fact, when she took her AP exams for college, the instructor thought she was going for easy marks, and questioned her native language.

The program works. The detractors are lazy! I wish we all spoke four or five languages!

[ThomWV]

20. Well, as long as they make dam sure he learns no math, history, or science I guess its OK.

[CTyankee]

22. Not to worry. Those subjects will be taught IN Italian!

Yup, you read that right...IN Italian...

It was a bit of a shock to me to and then I thought, well, why not?

See the link to learn about how the program is designed to increase the English language courses as the grade levels go up.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

23. It is great!

I learned German when I was 8 in an after school program. Even today, native Germans say I speak without an American accent--I talk like I've lived in Hamburg a number of years! My teacher was -- you guessed it-- from Hamburg.

[DesertRat]

25. Absolutely wonderful!!

I'm so happy that your grandson and other children will have such a wonderful opportunity. How fortunate that he lives in such a progressive community!

AZ did away with all bilingual ed. a few years ago, supporting only English immersion programs. :(

[CTyankee]

27. Sad, isn't it?

I think Glendale is on the cutting edge of a very good idea and one that will become more and more popular. Already, this program is getting to be popular with the "yuppies" as well as those with ethnic ties to the target languages. And the fact that it is a public school in a not too fancy neighborhood is great.

Here in CT I don't know of any public school that offers such a program. Our magnet schools do offer such programs as Arts, Environment, and one on the L.I. Sound (maritime). But no foreign language immersion. If we could offer that in New Haven, we'd have kids from all over coming into our schools for it and paying the taxes to support it...

[sweettater]

26. My 6 year old grandson

is Korean American. He is fluent in Korean, English and is learning Chinese. He is very bright. His parents have exposed him to many new and different things. He is a joy! He attends a private school which teaches Spanish. So I guess you'd say he has 4 languages under his belt.

[CTyankee]

31. Of course! I have heard nothing but success stories on this. It is great.

What is most wonderful is that this is a PUBLIC school offering dual immersion language. That is great. We are just overjoyed...

[dana_b]

28. I have a friend who adopted two children from China

and has her grade school age child in a Spanish immersion program. They love it and it's incredible how well she's doing with Spanish AND English as well as reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. Good for your daughter!

[TahitiNut]

29. I went to elementary school in Glendale 55 years ago ... 4th and 5th grades.

Sad to see that my school, R.D. White Elementary, isn't one of the three cited. It was an excellent school. (Annette Funicello was there, too ... she was my "playground girlfriend.")

[CTyankee]

30. I think this program might be something of the future. I don't really know but it just

seems to be that it would.

From what my dtr has told me it is a really progressive school that is using the language program as a "lure" for more money to be poured into their school and they are doing this in SUCH the right way, IMO!

I think this is very visionary and I love it..