Need help evaluating our situation
Nov 5, 2016 6:57:55 GMT 9
Post by Tona R on Nov 5, 2016 6:57:55 GMT 9
OK, here goes. First real post. I'd like to describe my situation and get some feedback on what are the best changes I can make to improve ml performance. I know I can't change everything, so I'd like to focus on the biggest payoff for the easiest changes. At least at first.
(We have two kids (3 and newborn), ML = English (US), ml = Spanish)
Positives:
Challenges:
I'm open to ideas.
(Adam, I have your book and am slowly working through it. Newborns are not good for free time!)
(We have two kids (3 and newborn), ML = English (US), ml = Spanish)
Positives:
- I'm pretty religious about speaking to the kid only in ml and patiently rephrase when he speaks in ML.
- Kid understands ml well, produces it decently when alone with me, and has a fun time with it much of the time.
- Our region has ml immersion schools. I hope to send the kids there, but it's a lottery, so one never knows.
- I have ml speaking colleagues and some of them may have ml speaking kids to play with (though the kids may be bilingual and end up speaking in ML).
- I can travel to the ml country at least once a year and my dad is retired and may be able to come spend longer periods of time with the kids.
- I have family in the ml country that I could Skype with more often than I do.
- We plan on doing a sabbatical year in the ml country in a couple years when kids are 2-3 and 5-6. This should should help my wife learn ml and perhaps we can make it an ml-only home.
- I've started doing more ml activities than I used to. I spend most of the day in ML, so it's been good for me too.
Challenges:
- ML is better developed. Nice comfortable sentences vs. effortful 2-3 word combinations.
- I sometimes respond to a request when the kid makes it in ML. It's unconscious and I only notice I've done it after the fact. Not quite sure how to break myself of this habit!
- When his mom is around, he seldom speaks in ml. If I talk to him in ml, he'll answer her in ML. Lately she's been asking him to respond to me in ml, and that is helping.
- We can't banish ML from the home. My wife speaks only broken ml.
- Not sure if I should have my wife speak ml on occasion for her to practice too.
- With my wife on maternity leave, I've had less time alone with the kid. This will change soon enough.
- All of our friends are ML.
- Most of our family is ML, except for my father (and mother as a second language) and geographically distant relatives in ml country.
- I am the only one speaking in ml, which makes it hard for him to pick up conjugations etc.
- My wife is better with kids - I would prefer to encourage him to play on his own away from adults, which is counter-productive (conflicting goals, argh!).
- We have lots of ML stuff in the house. We've gotten lots of books and music as gifts. When we watch online videos, they default to ML. There just seems to be a rush of ML stuff that tends to overwhelm the ml stuff.
I'm open to ideas.
(Adam, I have your book and am slowly working through it. Newborns are not good for free time!)