What’s the Big Deal About Foreign Language: Should Every Child Learn One?
September 19, 2018
|
|
Hey Mama,
Time IS on your side (it may be gone in a flash, but it is
on your side). As your littles grow, and even when they're still small, you think about teaching them a foreign language. But you wonder if it's really worth it. You question if you can actually do it.
Good news, Mama, foreign language is just talking. You like talking, right? Especially with your kids. Well, teaching a foreign language is just another chat-up session with the family.
But is it worth it? Well, the experienced think so. Here's what they have to say in
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine:
And remember, Mama. . .
Five years from now you will long for the days you had your child’s heart to the level you have it today. Or, maybe you will be blessed and have an even stronger influence in your children’s lives than you do now. Either way, these kids are in HIS hands. He has a plan. You are just planting seeds, watering, remaining faithful. They will not depart from it . . . you are making a difference.
Who is the most Faithful of them all? The Lord your God. So be patient . . . and wait on Him. You are not in control; give that over to Him where it belongs. Instead, cherish these moments right now because in five years, believe me, you will long for opportunities that may no longer exist; those doors may close.
Look at her face. Look at his eyes. Pause and picture them five years from now. And then hug . . . then kiss . . . then love on them like never before. And talk. And listen. And talk some more.
Talk much. Live now.
- gena
|
The subject of foreign language stirs up strong emotions among parents, teachers, and students alike. Unfortunately, the traditional foreign-language teaching method overemphasizes grammar drills, translation, and rote memorization. Students often find themselves intimidated, overwhelmed, and bored. These students don’t learn much, and the little that they do learn is not internalized and is highly susceptible to fading from memory over the long term. Parents are left feeling that they have wasted their time and money and give up on teaching their children foreign language.
The benefits to learning foreign language are unparalleled:
- Improves cognitive functioning. Learning a foreign language improves cognitive functioning in multiple ways (see my article “The Benefits to the Brain” in TOS Magazine).
- Maximizes your child’s natural abilities. A child’s brain is uniquely structured to learn new sounds and understand multiple languages. Once a child is thirteen years old, that window cannot be opened again.
- Creates more competitive college and job applicants. Americans compete with people around the world for admission to US colleges and for desirable jobs. Most international students speak at least two languages. Students who know only English are at a disadvantage.
- Increases pay. Employees who know more than one language often receive higher pay.
- Builds confidence and pride. Children who speak more than one language have a strong sense of confidence and pride.
- Raises empathy and awareness of other perspectives. Children who learn foreign languages develop an awareness of different perspectives. They tend to be more open-minded and empathetic than peers.
Your child can learn multiple languages. The hardest language to learn is your second. It’s your second language that rewires the brain and develops the neurological pathways that enable students to learn additional languages more easily.
Once children succeed with foreign language and start to observe the benefits accompanying that success, their enthusiasm and commitment are impressive. Even more exciting is the passion and pride they emanate. I have seen firsthand the unique opportunities my children earn due to their multilingualism. Teaching your children foreign language will be time and effort well spent and returned many times over.
|
Background story: Just about every person I know who is my age took a foreign language in high school. My options: Spanish and French. Let me also say that just about every person I know took a foreign language in high school . . . and can’t speak it at all today.
They may know a few trick words that might help in a Mexican restaurant (Sesame Street does a better job) . . . but the thing is, very few can communicate with a non-English speaking person after having completed it.
One of the few people I know who can speak a little is my wife. She loved Spanish and took a class or two in college as well.
But she wanted to go further . . . she loved the language. Everyone I know who is fluent in a foreign language grew up where that language was spoken. They didn’t just take two years of it in high school. In fact, we’re kidding ourselves if we think a couple years of a foreign language is going to stick.
So my takeaway is, if you want your kids to speak fluent anything . . . move to where they speak it or send them there for at least a year. If you want to expose your kids to a foreign language, and it doesn’t make your children cry, go for it! Who knows; it could be their gift.
BUT if you don’t see how you can fit it in . . . the thought of doing so overwhelms you, and you don’t have any children who show a bent towards foreign language, don’t do it . . . and don’t feel guilty.
Adios muchacha,
Todd
|
|
Online violin education. Live classes with personal assessment and instruction. Try a week of classes FREE and check out our Back-to-School VIOLIN GIVEAWAY!
|
|
Have you prepared your child for a shrinking world? Every hundred years the world shrinks a little more with the dawn of another piece of technology. From morse code to the telephone, from television to FaceTime, it’s becoming a small world after all! The ministry opportunities alone are enough to motivate any home educator to explore and sign on the dotted line to begin foreign language study ASAP. Today’s “to do” list? Prepare your student for living in an age where it’s possible to have friends and do business around the world.
If ministry, business, and friendship opportunities aren’t enough, learning a foreign language has quite a few perks. Learning a language grows our kiddos' brains, it boosts test scores, it helps with a child’s ability to write and speak properly, it helps kids to think beyond their neighborhood, it boosts career opportunities, and even deepens children’s connections to their own heritage. The benefits to learning how to speak a foreign language can’t be argued.
But how? How do you provide foreign language instruction as a home educator?
- Start early. Language acquisition happens with little effort in our tots and tiny humans.
- Choose language immersion as a delivery method of instruction. Children learn languages best by hearing and speaking the language often. Immersion learning is considered more effective than only learning with more traditional classroom methods. Did you know that via the internet, you can get a lot of children’s programs in just about any foreign language? Why not spend some of that screen time on something valuable. There are also many apps to help your child learn any language.
- Hire an instructor who values conversational language rather than rote memorization. (This was my mistake with my kiddos.) Acquiring the language is the first priority. The grammar and syntax details can be sorted out later. Consider an online instructor as well as those who live in your neighborhood.
- Engage in the culture. Once you have chosen a language, eat the foods, wear the garments, sing the songs, celebrate their holidays, and locate on a map where people speak the language. Learning about the culture motivates students to learn more.
- Expose your child to the ministry opportunities in foreign lands. Find an organization that is serving the people who speak the language your children are learning and partner with them.
An ancient Chinese proverb says, “To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.” The benefits of learning a foreign language plus the resources that we have available to us enable us to confidently give our children the gift of communicating in another language. There’s no better time to open a window to the world for your child.
You can find
Beth Mora
jogging while
singing off-key
near her home in Washington. She is the creator and teacher-on-camera for
Here to Help Learning
’s homeschool writing program for grades 1-6. She is a welcomed
speaker
at homeschool conferences and women’s events. She loves blogging at
Home to Home
, and
Peak Performance
, HTHL’s blogs for moms and homeschool businesses. Every week, she serves up HTHL's
Writing Tip of the Week
for those who are serious about teaching their kiddos how to write. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart gripping, is done to honor One, without apology. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life, and God’s grace is what she offers liberally to others.
|
|
As a public high school Spanish teacher turned homeschool mom, I am often asked when students should begin studying a second language. My answer is always, “Start early and don’t limit.” I respond this way because unfortunately, students in the United States typically pursue only one foreign language (if they pursue one at all), even though it is entirely possible and extremely
advantageous to acquire two or more.
Take my daughter for example: first, she learned Latin and Spanish in our homeschool. After that, she went on to study French, studied abroad in France, and majored in French and International Studies in college. Later this week, she will fly back to France to teach there for a year. This is an important step towards her future education and career goals, but more than that, she
loves French and all things French. Her foreign language studies have conferred what I expect to be a lifelong passion and a way to connect to more people, access more opportunities, and travel more confidently.
Regardless of where you are in your homeschool journey, please be reassured that you don’t need to speak a second language in order to equip your student with one. I don’t speak French myself; so while it definitely would have been helpful, it wasn’t necessary. You can be your child’s cheerleader, facilitator, and resource-gatherer—or even better, you can demonstrate your commitment to lifelong learning by taking a language course along with your student!
Need more motivation? Here are just a few of the many amazing benefits of foreign language study:
- It enhances the brain’s executive function, improving your memory and enabling you to tackle complex tasks more easily.
- It encourages greater attention, perception, and critical thinking.
- It actually increases your brain mass . . . yes, really!
- It helps you to perform better on standardized tests, other areas of academics, etc.
- It gives you access to another whole world of books, movies, music, news, and more.
Concerned about your student with special needs? Daunted by previous failures at learning a second language?
Please be assured that there are programs and resources that can and do work extremely well for the majority of people, including those with special needs. Seek out non-traditional resources that offer tons of Comprehensible Input (CI) rather than a focus on grammar or memorization. Courses or classes that use Total Physical Response (TPR) are especially effective, because almost every one of the five senses is deployed . . . sometimes all five, if food is brought in!
It may take a little research to discover the right approach for your student(s), but the payoff is incredible because
knowing another language is truly a lifelong gift. What a wonderful way to equip our students for their future employment, ministry, and relationships. My prayer for you is that you will start today!
Caryn Hommel, homeschool mom and author, earned a degree in Spanish Language and Literature from
NCSU
and taught Spanish in public schools for ten years. Her successful experience with
Total Physical Response (TPR)
and
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS)
motivated her to develop
Excelerate SPANISH
, a unique DVD-based curriculum to help other homeschoolers to benefit from wonderful, brain-friendly approaches to foreign language instruction. The Hommels have homeschooled since 2003 and have graduated two students. She continues to teach her younger two children, and thinks that celebrating life and learning as a family is the most fulfilling way to spend your days!
|
|
How many dollars does it take to homeschool? No matter how big your family is, homeschooling is only $1 this month with the Dollar Days event at
SchoolhouseTeachers.com with coupon code ONEDOLLAR! No contracts and complete access to over 400 self-paced classes covering everything from core classes to electives. $1 for everyone in your family, preschool through high school. There are even classes for mom and dad, transcript and organization tools, and fantastic educational videos for the whole family. All this plus you get a 1-year subscription to THE Trade Magazine for Homeschooling families:
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, delivered to your door every quarter.
Now, that is a lot of support for only $1!
|
|
Are you trying to figure out how to assign separate classes to each of your students within
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
? Watch this
tutorial
to learn how to use the great Bookmark feature to organize course assignments!
|
|
FREE
Share this newsletter with a friend, and be sure to let those
|
|
Did you know?
Every class is INCLUDED for ultimate members!
No limits.
|
|
It’s no secret that foreign language learning can be expensive, so it might surprise you to discover that your family can explore 5 foreign languages from home as part of your
SchoolhouseTeachers.com membership. Choose from Spanish, French, Latvian, Latin, and ASL. Some courses, such as ASL, provide a simple introduction. Several include one-year programs, such as Latin and Latvian. Others provide multiple years of learning, such as Spanish and French. Plus, there are tons of extra resources to help students sharpen their foreign language skills and practice ESL.
If you haven’t yet joined
SchoolhouseTeachers.com, come give us a try! Join during Dollar Days and try us out for only $1. If you or someone you know would be interested in teaching or writing for us or helping us adapt existing courses for children with special needs, let us know. You can email me at
[email protected]. Discover all the courses your family can enjoy from the safety and comfort of your own home.
Join today!
|
|
in the latest issue of
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.
|
|
Contest Corner
For the month of September
|
|
from
I have a tremendous love for old books. There is something about old fabric-covered hardback books that simply draws me. It is as if I can hear them whispering my name, calling me to discover the wisdom of the ages locked within their yellowed pages. When I first received
The Hedge of Thorns, my heart leapt. I ran my hands over the cloth covered hardback book and traced the embossed lettering of the title. It just felt important and seemed to scream wisdom.
This book is part of the Lamplighter Rare Collector Series and retails for $15. It is only about a 5x7 and maybe a half inch thick; almost small enough to be easily tucked away into a small purse, but not quite small enough to be considered pocket-sized. Its mere 86 pages makes it an easy afternoon read.
I had to withhold my desire to curl up and read this book in its entirety as we had planned to include it as our next family time read aloud. It only took us five nights, reading two chapters at a time, to work our way through the story. Every night, the kids begged for me to read more. It was difficult for me to say no and stick to it. It was even more difficult for me to avoid reading ahead (which I did do one night).
The Hedge of Thorns was originally written in 1611 by John Carroll. He recounted memories from his own life about the development and growth of his faith and how God places about us all a hedge of thorns not to keep all that is good away from us but to keep us away from the things that are not good for us. It was rewritten by Mark Hamby and published by Lamplighter. It is easy to assume that a story originally written in 1611 may seem historical or fanciful but not necessarily relevant to today, however the timelessness of the story did not disappoint. The story is identified as appropriate for ages 9-14 and although there were parts that seemed to be just a tiny bit beyond our children's understanding (they are six, eight and eleven years old), we found ourselves pausing and sharing about the parallels of the story to our current day and age.
We love books in our house. Finding good books that have an interesting story, yet help build character, are hard to find. That is why we fell in love with the Lamplighter Collection from Lamplighter Publishing.
Jessica’s First Prayer, written by Hesba Stretton, is a lovely story of faith. We follow the small girl Jessica in this story. We are there when she first meets Daniel at his coffee stand, we are there when there are problems at home, and we are there as she learns about God, church, and prayer. We are there when her first prayer is answered.
This book is a great book to have in any Christian home! The writing may be of an older style, but the lesson and the story are so easy to understand that even my Little Miss (five-year-old) was crying at one point in this story. After using this as a read aloud for the kids, I have found it missing off the shelf many times as the kids sneak off with it to read over and over again.
Jessica’s First Prayer is not what one would think it would be, considering her past and present situation, but that prayer made her future the brightest that it could ever be!
As with the other Lamplighter Collection books, this book was a hardcover book that was designed to represent the era in which the story took place. Not only did the children love this story, they fell in love with the simplicity of the book itself.
YOU can WIN these two books for your homeschool!
|
|
is now available for FREE online!
Click the graphic to read it cover to cover!
|
|
Read the FALL 2018 issue free
or download the free mobile apps
VIEW BACK ISSUES:
Current subscribers go
here
to access all back issues.
Read the free 2018 Homeschool Supplement at
CharlotteMasonClassical.com
to learn about Charlotte Mason, Classical Education, nature studies, and literature-based homeschooling from industry experts and parents like you.
|
|
"I just wanted to thank you for the encouraging message of your email I received this morning. It is so nice to be reminded that God has called me to homeschool and I should stay the course."
--Tammy Mowell
|
"So love reading TOS on my iPad from cover to cover every month!!!"
--Leigh Anne McGrady
Dunwoody, GA
|
|
The Old Schoolhouse®
has MORE for you!
Check out these resources:
Who We Are:
|
|
If you liked today's
Homeschool Minute
, please
email the editors
and tell us what part you liked most. It's a huge blessing to receive feedback!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
