The International School
Avery and I took a tour of The International School this morning. The have three immersion programs: Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. If she were to go there, we'd go with Spanish. I liked the school and I love the idea of immersion, but I also think she'd do really well in a Montessori preschool, so I'm torn. The other struggle I have with immersion is wondering how much benefit it will be if she only goes there through kindergarten and then transfers to a non-immersion public (or, less likely, a non-immersion private) school in first grade.
We thought they might have programs from children younger than 3, but they don't. So the search for a daycare/pre-preschool option for Avery continues. I'm going to check out one other place before perhaps circling back around to the Bethany Montessori.
Doing the tour with Avery in tow was easy. However, we did have to stop at every single water fountain she saw because she absolutely needed the moment she spied a drinking fountain. It got to the point the tour guide was telling me, "Only two more fountains to go!" The school is well equipped from a drinking fountain perspective.
Interestingly, because the kids who are in immersion schools like this are learning so young, they don't learn a language the same way an adult would - hear the language, translate it to English, and then understand the meaning. They skip the translate to English step. Therefore, it's not unusual for the child to be able to tell time in the immersion language, but not be able to do it in English.
Dinosaur Train & Avery stuff
I'd seen several parents mention this show on their FB status updates, or on their blogs, so we TiVo'd Dinosaur Train for Avery. It has fast become her favorite. Today she started randomly talking about something related to a stegosaurus (pronouncing it properly and all). Since I don't normally watch the show with her (as my pediatrician has said is the proper way to let your toddler watch TV), I have no idea what she saw that made her think of that particular dinosaur, but I was impressed should remembered the name and said it properly.
When Avery wakes up in the morning or from her naps, I've found it's best for me to knock on her door and ask if I can come in. If I don't do this, I have a 50/50 chance of finding a crying Avery that is upset with EVERYTHING. Most of the time, I knock and ask if I can come in and she sweetly answers, "Yes!" When I open the door she says, "Avery's awake!" I don't know why that is particularly endearing to me, but it is.
Finally, in a rather surprising twist, Avery is asking for raw cauliflower and then eating it! She's actually a pretty good eater, but she's definitely not the child who immediately gobbles up vegetables over other items on her plate. The other night, she requested cauliflower from D, who was making her a cheesy tortilla. D thought she was confused about what she was asking for and told her to wait for the tortilla he was making. I had time, so I grabbed the cauliflower and chopped it up for her. Wouldn't you know, she loved it. And then I put some on her plate with other options for lunch and that is what she ate. That and turkey. If you put meat/poultry of any kind on her plate, it's rare that she doesn't eat most of it, especially if it's steak.
Totally random story, and obviously not at all representative of every kid who goes to TIS and then moves to another school in 1st grade but... Avery had a kid in her 1st grade class who had gone to TIS for preschool and K. When he came in he spoke Spanish remarkably and could read & write in Spanish quite well. But, he couldn't read a single word in English and could barely write his name in English (I can't remember his name but it was something like Joe, so it wasn't the same in English & Spanish). Luckily, it didn't take him long to catch up but it did catch the teacher a little off-guard. I'd be curious to see how much of the Spanish he remembers now.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, Amber, even if it is just a sample size of one. They do teach reading and writing in English, but maybe that is not enough in English for some kids to progress? Of course, I (arrogantly) wonder if his parents didn't work with him on the English writing?
ReplyDeleteI, too, would be very curious to see how much Spanish was retained, or more importantly, how long it would take him to get back to his former fluency level after x weeks of re-exposure.
I can tell you that I started learning French around age 5 (in private lessons, not immersion school), and only took lessons for a couple of years. Later when I took French in high school it took me no time to get back to a pretty high level.
ReplyDeleteThis is very good to know, Kristine! Maybe that is the route we should go with Avery - the private lessons. I guess I hadn't really thought about that much.
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