Spanish School

Last week I went and looked at another charter school for Olivia.  We won't find out the results of her gifted test until May and won't know if she was accepted at that school (which is a 50/50 Spanish Immersion school- meaning they speak Spanish 50% of the time and English for 50%) until May.  Knowing that most schools have enrollment this month I decided to check out a few others.

The charter school that I looked at was not one I even wanted to consider.  The test scores are low and not located in the best area.  At the gifted test, one of the other moms told me that this charter school has changed principles and has shown improvement in the test scores.  I thought that I might as well check it out.

I felt fine driving to the school and the staff was very friendly while I filled out the application for the lottery (I've decided that I'm really not liking the idea of raffling off spots in a school).  I felt a little out of place; being very white in a school that was filled with Hispanics.  I felt less 'foreign' when Olivia started to tell the receptionist about her bisabuela in Venezuela.  This gave me a chance to ask questions about the school.

When I got home later that night  I thought more about this Spanish Immersion school.  Some things about it really attracted me like that this is a 90/10 school.  In grades K and 1 they speak Spanish 90% and English 10%.  I REALLY want Olivia to pick up more Spanish so she can speak to her Abuelos (grandparents).  Then in grade 2 it goes to a 80/20, grade 3 70/30, grade 4 60/40 and finally in grade 5 50/50.  Since total immersion is the best way to learn a foreign language this is the best route.

I also liked that Olivia would be around other Hispanics.  She is technically half Hispanic and I want her to learn about another culture besides the one that we live in.  We live in a dominate white area.

The test scores still worry me.  The scores are low because many of the children there are immigrants with Spanish being their native language.  The tests are administered in English so they don't do nearly as well.  I think that I could look pass this if I continue schooling Olivia (doing afterschool) at home.  She is already working on first grade work at home, I basically want her to learn the language.  Would you send your child to a school like this if you were in my situation?

I did ask that even though my Spanish is very small could I still come and volunteer in the classroom.  They encouraged me to come!  Is it wrong that I feel that possibly I could help these kids?

I haven't fully made up my mind yet.  There is a parent meeting at the end of the month which I will make Ed attend with me.  I have a feeling that the meeting might mostly be in Spanish and I need someone who understands the language.

Where is my magic ball that tells me which school is the absolute best option?

You want me to do what?!?!

After waiting nearly two months for a book at the library, I finally checked out the book, Bilingual Edge. Let me say that I feel that I can teach Livy Spanish but at the same time I AM SO BEYOND OVERWHELMED!!!! Whew! And I am only half way through the book.

This book has been great on my quest to have a bilingual child. There are several things that I can do with her to help her become bilingual. Naturally it would be easier if Eduardo spoke ONLY Spanish to her, but I have realized that is not going to happen. We have started to have one day a week where he is to only speak Spanish. It is not going too well. He forgets to speak in Spanish and when I remind him he completely clams up. I told him that it will do her no good if he says nothing at all. He told me that speaking Spanish to her feels unnatural and wrong. So I must take it into my own hands.

There are a few things that I plan on trying. But in order to make this happen, I need to learn Spanish myself. I know that there are community classes to take in the fall. And I plan on having Eduardo write down several phrases (and I memorize them) that I say on a regular basis to Livy. It's time to eat, nap time, let's read a story, time to go outside and play, no touch, etc. According to the book, she needs to hear the "target" language at least 2 1/2 hours each day or 1/5 of her waking hours.

I can also have Eduardo help me learn some of her books in Spanish. She has quiet the Spanish Library and she loves books. It would be helpful if she would sit still for longer then three pages, but it is something.

I wish that we lived closer for Livy's Abuela to watch her more. Then she could speak Spanish to her and would help save me a headache. One suggestion was getting a Spanish speaking sitter to come on a regular basis or hire someone (not in my budget) to come and "play" with Livy. A college student or teenager who is fluent.

Another idea that haunted my dreams last night was to start a Spanish speaking playgroup. Something for parents who want their child to speak Spanish and to play with other Spanish speakers. It is usually good for the parents to speak Spanish to each other too. This is what scares me. I studied German and French. I know very little Spanish. I can understand it but I can't speak it.

The book also talks about using the community resources. Like attend a Spanish speaking story time, child Spanish classes, etc. Does anyone in my area know if we have these kinds of things?

I did find a Spanish immersion preschool that I will have Livy attend in a few years (if we are still here). But I would like to find things in the mean time.

On a lighter note, I read on another blog that today is free Slurpee day at 7-11!

Bilingual

Some of you may not know that it took us YEARS to get our beautiful Livy. While going through all of the infertility treatments I would often think of all the things that I wanted for my children. I would check out parenting books, read reviews on baby gear and observe what other moms were doing. I was obsessed with parenting!

Of course, every month when I would discover, yet again, that I wasn't pregnant, I would be devastated. This continued on until I did find out that I was pregnant with Livy.

I can say that I have gotten nearly everything that I wanted in her. She was an extremely content baby. In fact I never really heard her cry until she was 6 months or so. If she needed something she would moan and groan. She also has a light complexion, light eyes (they're green!), dark hair even with some curl. She is a quick learner, early talker and has been about 6 months a head of game from the beginning.

The one thing that I have not gotten, was for her to be bilingual. I read several studies on how it would be easier for her to learn another language as a baby, especially during the first 12 months. I wanted for her to have a connection with her grandparents, her heritage, have advantaged over her peers and serve as a huge stepping stone in her learning other languages. (This would be very helpful if Eduardo does work for the US Embassy in the future).

I know that the best way for Livy to learn would be for Eduardo to only speak Spanish to her. He feels awkward speaking Spanish to her. He says that he has forgotten so many words, but I remind him that Livy will not mind or even know that he doesn't remember how to say hedgehog or beaver in Spanish. He does read her books in Spanish often, but that is the extent.

Over the weekend we dropped Livy off at her Abuela and Abuelo's house. It was great to get a away and spend time together but even better for Livy to get to know her grandparents. The plus to it is that they speak only Spanish to her. For this, I wish that we lived closer and we could take Livy to them more often.

I wish that could take over in the language department, but I unfortunately only speak English. I did study German for 3 years in high school and French for a year, but I have forgotten nearly everything that I learned. Although, when we were in Paris a few years ago, some of the French that I learned resurfaced.

I know that it is not too late for Livy to learn Spanish. Do you have any advice on how I can do this?