Teaching Foreign Languages you don't know

[Paige]

If you are teaching your children a foreign language that you aren't at least moderately proficient with, do you learn along with your kids? My son asked to learn Greek. We did the Code Cracker (easy book) together and I was hanging just fine. I was a little quicker with it than him. We've moved on to Greek for Children and I haven't really been doing the lessons myself and just read along with him. Now, it is kicking my butt. I can't really help him except to look in the answer key because I am not doing enough of the assignments for things to solidify. I don't really want to put the work into it to learn it myself (I know, so, so, bad), but I'm starting to think I'm going to have to catch up with him. Has anyone successfully taught a foreign language to a younger student (9yrs) without learning it themselves or is that totally unrealistic?

[Rosie_0801]

I don't know it if is realistic, by experience yet, but the ladies on the Bilingual board told me I'm not completely out of my mind. I took this as confirmation that it is worth a try :) :D

 

The kids will be able to progress further with a knowledgeable teacher, than without, so dh and I are learning Latin ahead of them. (Well, dh is learning Latin because he wants to, but I'm sure it will come in handy down the track ;) ) And I shall be sending the kidlets off to Saturday School for a modern language, and using support materials at home. I don't think I have the brain space or time to dedicate to Arabic, but I'm sure I can learn to drill them on vocab, help them make flashcards, make them practice their handwriting, source audiobooks and movies and mess around with cultural information like food and reading books on those topics that are written in English. We can't do as well as a native speaker would, but we can surely do enough to make it worthwhile having tried.

 

 

Rosie

Edited October 21, 2010 by Rosie_0801

[ColoradoMom]

My son has been taking Japanese for 3 years and I have NO idea what he's saying! But I do try and do some lessons when I have time - I just don't have much time.

 

Next year he wants to begin German, which I took in college, so I will force myself to learn along with him.

[mommaduck]

We did a year of Latin we were learning from a DVD program. We all were learning and my oldest test up a level in Latin when he entered highschool. That year gave him a boost. The kids have had some sign language and some Cherokee. I'm hoping to continue Cherokee again soon. They are currently in Greek School once a week and we attend a Greek Church, with many who speak it as their first language. Yes, *I* am the one clueless on the Greek and am only able to pick up a word here and there, but my children are picking it up at an amazing rate.