Comments on: Just Pay Attention

By: Pianoforte

Pianoforte — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:27:08 +0000

[...] the car to her first grade classroom. Again, I thought how lucky we are that she’s in a class that is [...]

By: I Heart DVD’s

I Heart DVD’s — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:07:38 +0000

[...] If you liked that, you’ll probably love, “Here’s a Macbook, Go Make Your Million,” or “Just Pay Attention.“ [...]

By: Two X’s the First Grade | Writer Dad

Two X’s the First Grade | Writer Dad — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:23 +0000

[...] Deja Tuesday post on duel immersion was originally written late last summer, before Mia entered first [...]

By: Pianoforte | Writer Dad

Pianoforte | Writer Dad — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:30:40 +0000

[...] the car to her first grade classroom. Again, I thought how lucky we are that she’s in a class that is [...]

By: Writer Dad

Writer Dad — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:00:33 +0000

Dot: I used to love listening to my grandparents speak in Spanish. They made the words sound so beautiful. Now, when I hear my daughter singing, I always think of my Honey. You’re correct, something clicks inside the brain that doesn’t click back. Start early, it’s too hard when we grow up. Your elementary spanish, I’m sure, is far better than mine.

By: Writer Dad

Writer Dad — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000

By: Dot H.

Dot H. — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:45:33 +0000

I studied linguistics in grad school, and we learned that unless we learn a language before the age of 7, we can’t become a native speaker. There’s just something that changes in the brain. I don’t know whether an immersion program can create a native speaker, but it can certainly create excellence.

I had immersion-Spanish from fifth grade on, but only in Spanish class. It certainly helped me, but not to the point of losing my American accent. I was very fluent, though. It was only in grad school that I learned enough about the difference in the production of vowels and consonants to correct my pronunciation. However, that was many years ago, and now I’m back to an elementary-school level in Spanish.

If anyone is looking to learn an “exotic” language, I’d recommend Arabic (so if there are any Arab terrorists in this country, we’ll know it by understanding what they’re talking about).

By: Dot H.

Dot H. — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:45:00 +0000

If anyone is looking to learn an “exotic” language, I’d recommend Arabic (so if there are any Arab terrorists in this country, we’ll know it by understanding what they’re talking about).

By: Writer Dad

Writer Dad — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:22:11 +0000

Sal: Ah, negotiation. Don’t let her win. It’s like playing the slots. If you pay out, she’ll keep playing.

Lance: It is a shame. The program that Mia is in had three Kindergartens last year. This year it’s two. We made it in by the skin of our teeth. If it was this year, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Luis: Gibberish is bad, bad, bad. It took a couple years of her simply absorbing the lessons, but now she has a repertoire of songs that can bring tears to my eyes. Thank you.

By: Writer Dad

Writer Dad — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:22:00 +0000

Sal: Ah, negotiation. Don’t let her win. It’s like playing the slots. If you pay out, she’ll keep playing.

Luis: Gibberish is bad, bad, bad. It took a couple years of her simply absorbing the lessons, but now she has a repertoire of songs that can bring tears to my eyes. Thank you.