Update on PDG in 1st grade Spanish Immersion in PS

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Some of you may remember my thread this summer regarding the pros and cons of placing PDG into Spanish immersion at our local PS for first grade. 75% of the children in her elementary school learn math and science in Spanish. Each child has two teachers: their "homeroom" teacher for English, social studies and history. These lessons are taught in English. They then switch to their Math and Science instructor, and this can be taught in either English or Spanish.

 

Well, PDG finished her first term, and it was very clear that Spanish immersion was not working out at all. It wasn't a matter of simply being challenging, she was actually FAILING math. (How can a first grader actually fail?) So we have pulled her from the Spanish immersion program. It was just too much information for her to process. She wasn't just struggling to grasp the math and science taught in Spanish, she had lost all confidence in herself when it came to math and science. DH and I felt strongly that we didn't want her fragile self-confidence to be broken by something of such long-term unimportance as learning math and science in a foreign language. She'll have plenty of time for language studies. In fact, she is really interested in still learning Spanish, but as a language study, not as a mode of learning math and science. Funny thing is she actually was "getting" the language as a language in and of itself.

 

Conversely, she is in the highest reading group in her English and social studies program, so it is not a learning disability issue.

 

I guess my original fears weren't so unfounded after all. :( But we are completely at peace with our decision. The great news is that her new math class only has 13 students, and PDG has already clicked with her new teacher -- she is very organized (her other teacher was NOT) and seems to teach more towards Ingrid's style of learning.

 

So in my mind, we are one step closer to bringing her back to homeschool next year.... if the pull of this school was the Spanish immersion program, and that "positive" is no longer at issue, I can't see much reason to keep her there next year unless she just completely blossoms without the weight of frustration on her shoulders...