Hello Everyone,
I agree -- many countries are ahead of the American Education Standard and Most of the folks involved in business or govt in these countries are fluent in English and definitely so by the time our kids will be interacting with them. As always, we are always trailing behind regarding "the Global Econony" approach. Most of the kids who are going to be employed by our Govt. for foreign language skills are probably not going to be coming out of our struggling schools. SOME but not the many kids who many of us are focused on. Then again -- this lottery system is questionable when they are placing Charters in our neighbors but yet our kids have to "lottery in". Tony should be able to get his child into our NEIGHBORHOOD CHARTER SCHOOL first if he so chooses before others are admitted.
Most important aspect of teaching foreign language to kids is the expanding certain areas in their brain and helps with development and processing -- similiar to what math does. It makes it easier to learn things from a brain development aspect. Futhermore, because kids are not likely to be using it daily and consistently conversationally, it makes it easier to learn the foreign language when needed during travel or just job related at a later date because the foundation would have already been created.
However, I also share Debbie's thoughts about our kids getting ENGLISH. I recently asked if English can be considered a foreign Language as well as it really is foreign to lots of kids -- especially with so much "texting". Really folks should look at how our youth are writing their essays to see their level of english language as well as the Sat Scores.
The reality is that if our Kids can't understand basic English and Math, this foreign language focus is not really helping. ENGLISH, MATH, ART, MUSIC/Dance, PE, African American History, Science should be first then LANGUAGES.
For younger children and performing kids, this is great -- their learning ability is best. For non-performing kids and older students, focusing on the base line subjects are most important.
While this "foreign language" focus is a good thing, This may be another way of eliminating (segregating) our kids who are not performing back into DCPS. So the rules of admitting and retention has to be looked at.
I agree with Mrs. KPW - DCPS should be developing a High School with ALL this at SPINGARM and let the kids from Wards 3 and all over Travel to come to it. Let them be at risk from travel and be enticed into Truancy -- heck they can get off at union station and catch the wonderful Trolley and get of their Chariot right at Langston Golf Course with their clubs for an after school game of golf.
Rob Ramson
On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 12:32 PM, Eric <ericindc@yahoo.com> wrote:
I agree with you KPW. I had to take several years of Latin and Spanish. Both actually gave me a stronger understanding of the English language. Further, learning different languages and nuances in those languages helps you to better understand different cultures. However, I must admit that I am afraid to send my kid to a Yu Ying. What happens when he is a teenager and speaks to all of his friends in Chinese? It is already going to be hard enough to keep up with the social networking and then I can't even understand what he will be saying.....
--- In ward5@yahoogroups.com, KPW <WKPW3@...> wrote:
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> The parents of kids that go to these schools apparently are already involved and have done their research.
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> Also, we cannot always rely on parents and have to make schools positive no matter what. Besides, many parents may not be able to help with other languages if they don't know them.
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> I understand that knowing another language helps improve one's English. I remember conjugating verbs in French class before doing it in English. I'm not sure I did all these tenses in English class. I think that languages should be taught in at least the third grade in all schools. While I can't speak conversational French, I'm glad that I was able to take it in the third grade all the way through my first two years of college. Those DCPS French classes helped me get good grades in French in college. If I ever go to a French speaking country, I might be able to understand a couple of words and figure out how to survive.
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> English will one day become the chosen language of the world, but until then, Americans need to be ready for a globally competitive world. And we need more than Spanish when going abroad. I understand that Brazil is on the rise so maybe Portugese is good to know. Some of the Middle East languages might be good to know, too.
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> KPW
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> -----Original Message-----> From: Aaron McCormick <aaron.mccormick01@...>
> To: ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thu, Dec 20, 2012 10:39 am
> Subject: Re: [ward5] D.C. charter schools band together to form new high school with focus on foreign language (Wash. Post)
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> I fully agree with ANC Ransom that our children need to have multiple language and if parents are not involved then for sure with a multiple language school the child will fail.
> This is were parents are to really evolved to help their children learn.
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> Aaron> On Dec 20, 2012 8:09 AM, "Gigi Ransom" <gigifor5c12@...> wrote:> From: Debbie Smith-Steiner <DLSmith112@...>
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> The Yu Ying School is in my SMD. The language used for teaching weekly lesson plans for classes is alternated during the school week. For ex, on Monday, half the grade levels are taught in English, the other half of the grade level learns in Chinese. The next day it is reversed, and so on.
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> You may not be aware of the need in the ever evolving global economy, there will be the need to be bi-lingual in many languages, particularly Chinese. This is a well documented fact.
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> Effective and efficient planning for these students to continue in this learning structure through to HS is essential. Depending on DCPS to provide further, quality training in the foreign languages is a fantasy.
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> Albrette "Gigi" Ransom
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>> On Dec 19, 2012, at 9:27 PM, KPW <WKPW3@...> wrote:
> To: "ward5@yahoogroups.com" <ward5@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 1:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [ward5] D.C. charter schools band together to form new high school with focus on foreign language (Wash. Post)
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> Can we first focus on mastering EnglishSuccess is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed.
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> Booker T. Washington
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> http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-schools-insider/post/dc-charter-schools-band-together-to-form-new-high-school-with-focus-on-foreign-language/2012/12/19/08a9521e-4a14-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_blog.html?hpid=z9> Leaders and parents at those schools decided to band together to give their students a way to continue the immersive foreign-language instruction that they’ve been receiving in elementary school.
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> Posted at 04:54 PM ET, 12/19/2012
> Dec 19, 2012 09:54 PM EST
> TheWashingtonPost
> D.C. charter schools band together to form new high school with focus on foreign language
> By Emma Brown
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> The D.C. Public Charter School Board offered support this week for a plan to open a new middle/high school that would offer International Baccalaureate programs and intensive foreign-language instruction.
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> The District of Columbia International School, or DCI, will open in a temporary location in 2014-15 before moving to a permanent location the following year at the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center site in Ward 4, according to a proposal submitted to the charter school board this fall.
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> DCI is a collaborative effort by four charter schools that currently offer foreign-language immersion programs for younger students: Washington Yu Ying (Mandarin Chinese), Elsie Whitlow Stokes (French and Spanish), Mundo Verde (Spanish) and Latin American Bilingual Montessori (Spanish).
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> “There was no other way for them to do that in the whole city, essentially,†said Mary Shaffler, who served as executive director of Washington Yu Ying until leaving to head up the effort to establish DCI.
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> The news comes as the city’s traditional public school system plans to close 20 schools, stoking concern among some activists and parents that the city needs a comprehensive plan for the future of both school sectors.> “For the city to proceed to build three high schools within one mile of one another does not make sense to me,†she said in comments prepared for a Dec. 10 public hearing on the DCI proposal.
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> Cathy Reilly, executive director of the Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators, pointed out that DCI will be in close proximity to two other high schools: Paul Public Charter School and Coolidge Senior High School.
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> Shaffler said she understands the concern and agrees that there is a need for more coordinated planning. But students at Yu Ying and the other four schools can’t wait for a citywide discussion and planning process to play out, she said â€" they need a way to continue their language education now.> Students will have the option of working toward the college-prep International Baccalaureate Diploma or the IB “career-related certificate,†which combines liberal arts courses with technical and vocational classes.
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> Students will experience DCI as if it is one school, but will technically stay enrolled in one of the four member charters.
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> At full capacity, the school is expected to enroll 1,000 to 1,400 students in grades 6 through 12. Students enrolled in member elementary charters will be entitled to continue on into DCI, but there will also be room for the school to accept about 20 new students a year through grade 9.
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> The city’s charter school board approved Washington Yu Ying’s request to amend its charter Monday, expanding its enrollment and the grade levels it is allowed to serve.
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> The charter board will have to approve similar amendments to the other schools’ charters before the project is finalized. That's unlikely to be a hindrance, given board members’ enthusiasm for the school.
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> “At least for me, this is a terribly exciting development,†said board member Darren Woodruff.
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> By Emma Brown | 04:54 PM ET, 12/19/2012
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R. Ramson
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