Maintaining Spanish skills - do I give credit for this?

[Kassia]

Dd learned a lot of Spanish independently in 8th grade and then went on to take four semesters of DE Spanish in 9th grade.  She is in 10th grade now and spends a lot of time reading and listening to Spanish to both maintain her skills and also increase vocabulary.  She also does some writing in Spanish, but no speaking.  She does it because it's important to her, but she invests so much time in it I was wondering if I could assign any high school credit and, if so, what would the *course* and description be?  

 

 

[EKS]

How about "Advanced Spanish: Reading, Writing, and Listening"?  In the description I'd put that the course was designed for a student who had completed Spanish IV.

[RootAnn]

:iagree:Have her keep a list of what she's reading and a sampling of the type of things she listens to (news in Spanish, Spanish radio, certain Spanish podcasts, etc.). The course description might just list a small sample of them, but she should keep a list.

[Kassia]

How about "Advanced Spanish: Reading, Writing, and Listening"?  In the description I'd put that the course was designed for a student who had completed Spanish IV.

 

 

:iagree:Have her keep a list of what she's reading and a sampling of the type of things she listens to (news in Spanish, Spanish radio, certain Spanish podcasts, etc.). The course description might just list a small sample of them, but she should keep a list.

 

 

Thank you!  I am trying to have her record what she uses, but she sometimes gets cranky about it since she's doing it for enjoyment and not a credit.  I want her to get credit for it if it's possible since she invests so much time into it.  She taught herself Portuguese after learning Spanish and I have an even bigger issue with that since there is no outside validation for what she's learned (with Spanish she took the SAT II and had the four semesters of DE - we don't have anything available for Portuguese) and the time she's spent on it.

[freesia]

You don't need outside validation for everything. Give her credit for the Portuguese.

[Kassia]

You don't need outside validation for everything. Give her credit for the Portuguese.

 

I will, I just have no idea how many credits and what class level to record.  I guess it really doesn't matter, but I want to give her correct credit for what she has accomplished.  I had her take a few online placement tests for Portuguese and she scored very high, but she only reads, writes, and listens - no speaking.  

[freesia]

I would guess at how many hours she's put in. If she reads, writes and listens and had been at it for three years (or about 450 hours). You could give her three years credit. She sounds like she has real talent with languages.

[Kassia]

 She sounds like she has real talent with languages.

 

She really does.  Her DE professor was so impressed with her.  It's a passion for her, but she doesn't know what to do with it since she doesn't want to teach and she's very introverted so she doesn't want a career where she would be speaking to others a lot.  

[Renai]

Thank you!  I am trying to have her record what she uses, but she sometimes gets cranky about it since she's doing it for enjoyment and not a credit.  I want her to get credit for it if it's possible since she invests so much time into it.  

 

You: (noticing her reading something in Spanish) Hey, honey, what are you reading? or "Read anything interesting in one of your million languages today?" lol

 

Her: Yeah, I'm reading/read/listened to....

 

You: Oh, sounds great! (walks over to google docs to record)

[freesia]

She really does.  Her DE professor was so impressed with her.  It's a passion for her, but she doesn't know what to do with it since she doesn't want to teach and she's very introverted so she doesn't want a career where she would be speaking to others a lot.  

 

She could do something where she is a translator of documents or a translator for conferences or the UN--where she'd sit in a booth and translate.

[Renai]

She could do something where she is a translator of documents or a translator for conferences or the UN--where she'd sit in a booth and translate.

 

I used to translate documents from home. Along those lines, transcription in other languages is available.

[Kassia]

You: (noticing her reading something in Spanish) Hey, honey, what are you reading? or "Read anything interesting in one of your million languages today?" lol

 

Her: Yeah, I'm reading/read/listened to....

 

You: Oh, sounds great! (walks over to google docs to record)

 

 

Genius!  I know yesterday she was watching Shark Tank Mexico, but I wouldn't use that since she reads and listens to a lot of news, podcasts, and literature.  :)

 

 

 

 

She could do something where she is a translator of documents or a translator for conferences or the UN--where she'd sit in a booth and translate.

 

 

I used to translate documents from home. Along those lines, transcription in other languages is available.

 

 

Would a translator have a degree in Spanish or something else?  Do you know what kind of demand there is?  She is thinking of doing some kind of data analysis for a career (I think it's a great choice for her since she is very strong in math and writing) and I've often wondered if she could use her language skills to do the data analysis while translating the information from one language to another.  

[kiana]

One of my friends is a native speaker of Japanese and fluent in English. She does do a lot of translation in-person but she also does a lot online. 

 

Data analysis is huge right now and if she's strong there, it's a great choice; the languages can only help, as it will open a lot of possibilities for her involving collaboration with people in other countries. She'd also be an amazing research collaborator for someone involved in globalization as data sets are often international. 

 

Another place that might really appreciate her talents would be the department of defense -- someone who's strong in math, writing, and languages would definitely be a big hit. 

 

But honestly, at her age I'd just keep studying the languages since she finds so much pleasure in it, and keep doing a broad academic background -- don't neglect the social sciences, I really think that someplace like economics/geography would love her as well, and it might appeal to her -- there's a lot of mathematics/networks in the research of globalization. MIT's OCW has some really interesting courses in that area, though she probably hasn't satisfied the mathematics prerequisites there. 

[Kassia]

 

 

Data analysis is huge right now and if she's strong there, it's a great choice; the languages can only help, as it will open a lot of possibilities for her involving collaboration with people in other countries. She'd also be an amazing research collaborator for someone involved in globalization as data sets are often international. 

 

Another place that might really appreciate her talents would be the department of defense -- someone who's strong in math, writing, and languages would definitely be a big hit. 

 

But honestly, at her age I'd just keep studying the languages since she finds so much pleasure in it, and keep doing a broad academic background -- don't neglect the social sciences, I really think that someplace like economics/geography would love her as well, and it might appeal to her -- there's a lot of mathematics/networks in the research of globalization. MIT's OCW has some really interesting courses in that area, though she probably hasn't satisfied the mathematics prerequisites there. 

 

This is great information and very helpful!  Thanks so much - I really appreciate it.

[catz]

As an aside, I worked with a software company that contracted out to another company (Berlitz?) to do language translation for software.   I visited their office once and it was full of bi and tri lingual techies.  :)  I'm sure there are opportunities like this that don't necessarily require speaking. 

[Kassia]

As an aside, I worked with a software company that contracted out to another company (Berlitz?) to do language translation for software.   I visited their office once and it was full of bi and tri lingual techies.  :)  I'm sure there are opportunities like this that don't necessarily require speaking. 

 

I was wondering if she'd like to have a career in computational linguistics.  It seems like a good match for her, but she has very little programming experience right now.

[luuknam]

I don't have a high schooler, but I don't know that I'd give high school credit for using learned Spanish for enjoyment (yes, obviously skills will gradually improve by doing more reading/listening etc, but, that's not the same as studying). Seems more like something to mention under hobbies, or in an application essay. Personally, it'd probably drive me nuts if my mom (or whomever) tried to keep track of it for credit (whether by asking me to keep track or Renai's method), and would make me either sneakier about it or make me drop it (and then probably pick up on another language, because I'm an addict). 

 

Of course, YMMV.

[TCB]

I think it is fantastic that she has been able to learn so much and I would definitely give her credit for it and for the Portuguese! So many kids in school go through 4 or so years of a language and still end up not really knowing the language at all so she definitely deserves recognition of what she's been able to achieve. As others have said, it should definitely help her in a number of different careers!

[katilac]

I am giving dd a half-credit for maintaining and practicing her French this semester, and titling the course "French in Action," but we do plan to have some improvements as well. "Applied French" might also work. 

 

We are aiming to improve her conversational skills and vocabulary through French meet ups (just local people gathering who want to use and practice French). You might check meetup.com and see if anything is available in your area. 

 

I think you could easily give a half credit or possibly a full credit by just letting her have at it, but it's going to be tough to give three full credits (throughout high school) without documentation. She also may not be able to test out of the lower levels for college if she doesn't keep up her conversational skills. 

 

I would be fairly open with it this year, but then next year tell her she has to decide if it's worth it to her to document in some way. I mean, there are a million things she could do, but credit in junior year for sure should be documented. I know that 8filltheheart has a dd who did crazy advanced language studies on her own in high school, she'll probably notice this thread soon. 

[luuknam]

Btw, I agree you don't need outside validation for Portuguese. 

 

Could she take an upper division Spanish class as DE at some point? If she's interested, of course. 

[Kassia]

I don't have a high schooler, but I don't know that I'd give high school credit for using learned Spanish for enjoyment (yes, obviously skills will gradually improve by doing more reading/listening etc, but, that's not the same as studying). Seems more like something to mention under hobbies, or in an application essay. Personally, it'd probably drive me nuts if my mom (or whomever) tried to keep track of it for credit (whether by asking me to keep track or Renai's method), and would make me either sneakier about it or make me drop it (and then probably pick up on another language, because I'm an addict). 

 

Of course, YMMV.

 

This is definitely how she feels about learning languages and I don't want to do anything to spoil her enjoyment.  I'm okay with not giving her any more credit for Spanish since she has so much, but Portuguese is new and she has invested a lot of time into it and I think she deserves credit for what she's accomplished.  I just need to do it carefully so it doesn't irritate her.  

 

 

I think it is fantastic that she has been able to learn so much and I would definitely give her credit for it and for the Portuguese! So many kids in school go through 4 or so years of a language and still end up not really knowing the language at all so she definitely deserves recognition of what she's been able to achieve. As others have said, it should definitely help her in a number of different careers!

 

It really is amazing how much she learned on her own.  My sons did three years of Spanish in ps high school and learned nothing.  She was able to learn enough Spanish to score an 800  on the SAT Subject test and converse with native speakers after only one year of studying independently because of her interest in learning the language.  

 

I am giving dd a half-credit for maintaining and practicing her French this semester, and titling the course "French in Action," but we do plan to have some improvements as well. "Applied French" might also work. 

 

We are aiming to improve her conversational skills and vocabulary through French meet ups (just local people gathering who want to use and practice French). You might check meetup.com and see if anything is available in your area. 

 

I think you could easily give a half credit or possibly a full credit by just letting her have at it, but it's going to be tough to give three full credits (throughout high school) without documentation. She also may not be able to test out of the lower levels for college if she doesn't keep up her conversational skills. 

 

I would be fairly open with it this year, but then next year tell her she has to decide if it's worth it to her to document in some way. I mean, there are a million things she could do, but credit in junior year for sure should be documented. I know that 8filltheheart has a dd who did crazy advanced language studies on her own in high school, she'll probably notice this thread soon. 

 

We live in a semi-rural area and dd doesn't want to speak to strangers.  She does email correspondence with a Spanish teacher - they teach Spanish 1 and Intro to Spanish together online.  Dd designed the curriculum and provided all the content while the Spanish teacher does the weekly conversation portion (since dd doesn't want to speak).  I'd be very interested in how 8filltheheart handled her dd's language studies.  

 

 

 

Btw, I agree you don't need outside validation for Portuguese. 

 

Could she take an upper division Spanish class as DE at some point? If she's interested, of course. 

 

We only have a community college nearby and she's taken all of the Spanish courses available there.  I wish there were more courses for her to take.  I know her Spanish professor would be happy to continue her Spanish education on his own time, but she doesn't feel comfortable asking.  She has gone to him during his office hours with questions that have come up since she finished her classes, though.  

[kiana]

We only have a community college nearby and she's taken all of the Spanish courses available there.  I wish there were more courses for her to take.  I know her Spanish professor would be happy to continue her Spanish education on his own time, but she doesn't feel comfortable asking.  She has gone to him during his office hours with questions that have come up since she finished her classes, though.  

 

Golly, I would be so thrilled if a high school student wanted to go beyond what I was able to teach at the college and I was actually able to do a class in something advanced. :/ 

[luuknam]

Hm, you'd probably need to hurry up with looking into this if you wanted to do this (at least, if you wanted to do it this summer or for 11th grade), but what about doing a semester or summer or a year abroad with some program like AFS or w/e? I know there are quite a number of programs out there. 

[Kassia]

Golly, I would be so thrilled if a high school student wanted to go beyond what I was able to teach at the college and I was actually able to do a class in something advanced. :/ 

 

It's such a wonderful opportunity for her and I wish she would take advantage of his generosity, but I can't push her if she's uncomfortable.  He teaches an intro to humanities class that she wants to eventually take because she loves him as a professor so I'm glad she will stay in contact with him in some way.  Spring semester starts tomorrow and she already mentioned going to see him during office hours and I hope she does it.  I think he would love to be a mentor to her.  

[freesia]

Also make sure you keep doing things to get her more comfortable talking to people. In some ways learning to do it in an area of strength is a good match.  You wouldn't want the social anxiety to get in the way of her using her talents and the more she avoids the harder it gets (you probably know this--but it's something that I think needs mentioning bc it's easy for homeschoolers to accomodate this area to a degree that is unhealthy--and I say this as a mom of shy kids).  Introverts get drained by people--they aren't uncomfortable around them.

 

Your daughter sounds amazing and you some awesome at giving her what she needs to fly in her giftedness.

[Kassia]

Also make sure you keep doing things to get her more comfortable talking to people. In some ways learning to do it in an area of strength is a good match.  You wouldn't want the social anxiety to get in the way of her using her talents and the more she avoids the harder it gets (you probably know this--but it's something that I think needs mentioning bc it's easy for homeschoolers to accomodate this area to a degree that is unhealthy--and I say this as a mom of shy kids).  Introverts get drained by people--they aren't uncomfortable around them.

 

Your daughter sounds amazing and you some awesome at giving her what she needs to fly in her giftedness.

 

Thank you so much!  

 

We do try to get her out and engaged as much as possible:  DE classes, gymnastics lessons, volunteer work, etc.  We've been vacationing in Spanish-speaking areas and she loves translating for us (and has been extremely helpful in some situations since we don't speak Spanish!) and talking to the people there.  

[katilac]

 She does email correspondence with a Spanish teacher - they teach Spanish 1 and Intro to Spanish together online.  Dd designed the curriculum and provided all the content while the Spanish teacher does the weekly conversation portion (since dd doesn't want to speak).  

 

 

 

Well, that's quite amazing! And much more interesting than any credits she may get. 

[Kassia]

Well, that's quite amazing! And much more interesting than any credits she may get. 

 

Thank you!  I agree and am happy for her that she has this opportunity.  This is her second year teaching.  She would love to teach Spanish 2 next, but doesn't have the time to design the curriculum and take on more students.