Attempting too much and burning out: Help me pick ONE language

[JadeOrchidSong]

After drooling over all the Latin and French programs, I have to be realistic about my long-term goal.

I DO want my kids (myself, too) to learn Latin.

I DO want my kids to learn French.

However, since I am teaching Chinese Mandarin, my native language to them now, which takes more efforts than French or Latin because of the reading/ writing part, I will most likely not be left with enough energy or time to teach both Latin and French down the road.

So I decide that I have to choose Latin or French to teach well rather than attempting both and quickly get burned out and give up both. KWIM?

I do have experience of burning out with two maths. I tried to ask my ds to do both Singapore and MEP daily and I felt that I was always rushing him to finish one in order to get to the next; now we are ONLY doing Singapore.

Which do you think I should pick, Latin or French? I want us to do one of the two very well and very committed and if we somehow find the time, interest (my ds wants to learn Greek; we are studying Ancient Greece), energy, then we will make a decision accordingly. But for now, Latin or French?

I love this board for all the wonderful ideas. Thank you so very much for having helped my so much!:grouphug:

Jade from China

ETA: I tried to change the title of this post, but it didn't work, so I posted this again with the title that I really wanted. So please bear with me if this is the same content you read under another title.

[tweedybird]

I've gone solely with Latin during the elementary years for my kids. I'm hoping if they can successfully learn the vocabulary and grammar of Latin, they will be able to do any other language they choose in later years. My 6th grade son has been doing Latin since 1st grade...I'm hoping he will continue long enough to get some high school language credit from his Latin studies. My second son (4th grade) is tolerating Latin - (he would actually rather learn Chinese than Latin!) but I want him to do Latin first.

 

I'm biased toward Latin because I can teach a "dead" language - we're not focusing on speaking it. (I don't have the ear for teaching a spoken language.) Since you have the stated goal of learning both languages, pick the one that seems to be the most useful one for your children to be learning first. I'm expecting that by the time my children are ready for a spoken language, we'll be learning it from someone else.

 

Good Luck in your decision!

[Matryoshka]

This may not be all that popular an answer on a Classical education board ;), but I strongly recommend the French. To me, it always makes more sense to start a living language young. If you decide you have time for Latin later on, French will help with Latin just as much as Latin would've helped with French. French also contains Latin roots. Do you speak any French? If you do, that would make the recommendation even stronger.

 

My dds have been learning German and Spanish from a young age. Now one of my 12yo dds has decided to teach herself Latin. I just bought her a book, and she's very excitedly doing it herself - which is easier to do than if she were studying a living language, because I don't have to worry if she's pronouncing it exactly correctly or can understand a conversation. I think it's much easier to add Latin later.

[JadeOrchidSong]

Thank you and I think it a good point you made. I studied French in college as a second foreign language while English was my major.

J

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I agree with French before Latin. It makes much more sense to do a living language where pronounciation and accent matters. It is easier to pick up the written mechanics of a language when you are a bit older.

 

My daughter is 4. Our first language is English and we are both currently studying French. I'm starting German next month and she'll start German next year. Then once we have a solid foundation in both of these languages we'll add on Latin, hopefully around late elementary/middle school.

[Harriet Vane]

French, because you know it and can teach it with less effort than you would learning Latin along with them. The older they get, the more you value those things you can teach well with less effort.

 

Also French because it is more immediately useful in today's world.

[Corraleno]

This may not be all that popular an answer on a Classical education board ;), but I strongly recommend the French. To me, it always makes more sense to start a living language young. If you decide you have time for Latin later on, French will help with Latin just as much as Latin would've helped with French. French also contains Latin roots. Do you speak any French? If you do, that would make the recommendation even stronger.

:iagree: especially since you already know French.

 

Jackie

[Rosie_0801]

French. With three official UN languages under their belts, they will have a lot of opportunities.

 

I'm not clear on whether you speak French yourself. If you don't, you could consider doing Latin first, then when they've finished studying that, move onto French. That's what I hope we'll be doing here. Latin I can take care of, and it will provide a good foundation to jump off into French.

 

Rosie

[JadeOrchidSong]

I studied French for two years in college and one year in graduate school. I used to be able to speak French quite a bit 10 yrs ago in China before I immigrated to USA. I had a lot of foreign friends who spoke French, English, and Chinese Mandarin equally well. They actually were foreign students in China who studied one year Chinese in Beijing before attending colleges all over China and they had to study their majors in colleges in CHINESE. We sang in Chinese, French, English, and Swahili and they preached in Chinese and knew and quoted their Bible in Chinese from cover to cover. They have contributed so much to my spiritual growth that I feel much indebted to them. They would be proud to know that I will teach my kids French.

So which French is gentle and focus more on speaking in the first year or two? I know about L'Art de Dire, L'Art de Lire (which sounds more like learning read French). What is your experience if you have used this? Any other programs?

I have decided not to start French (or Latin) until next year because I want my kids to go to Saturday Chinese school at least one year (for the younger one), or one more year (for the older one). So I will spend a lot of time and energy on Chinese this coming school year.

Thanks for your encouragement.

J

Edited July 14, 2010 by aomom