Trilingual Education Update

Well, we have been going at it for 3.5 months now, and it is time for reflection. Quite a few things will be changed come the new year; some I knew from the first few weeks we started. Balancing goals, needs (special or not), and wants can be tricky, and throw in preteen hormones... 

So, here we go...

It got extremely busy this past semester. There were activities that were planned, then all of a sudden, we had unplanned activities fill the last of the little bit of time we had left. My child decided to play trumpet in a beginning mariachi band, which was something I was planning for next year (mariachi, not trumpet, since she is a violin player in a beginning orchestra). A friend from her Lego robotics club introduced her to basketball, which she turned out to love, and then she was invited to a special dance group. It was ALL added, so some language things didn't get done.

Spanish - We mostly read. Her Spanish reading is actually pretty good for it not having been a focus for a long time. She tells me all the time that reading is easier in Spanish. So that's what we did. Read in Spanish. Next semester, we will do science in Spanish, once we are done with the science we are doing now. I will hold off on Spanish grammar until next school year, because we are focusing on English reading. 

English - Since my daughter is dyslexic (just like her older sister), I decided to focus on spelling and reading for a little longer. We use All About Spelling (which I've had since her 22 year old sister was about her age), and a recently added the reading books and activity books from All About Reading. She really likes the reading texts. I am so glad. She willingly picks up the book and reads it on her own. She has always liked books, but now always the reading...

We also do language lessons from My Father's World. It is not always consistent, but it gets done, and sometimes reinforces some rules she is learning in AAS.

Chinese - This is where most of the changes will be. I dropped the math class about a month and a half ago because she was getting frustrated trying to learn new concepts in Chinese. Once I taught her, it was fine, but in class frustration reached an all-time high. 

She did not like doing the Chinese school online AT ALL. When we did it in-person a couple of years ago, it was okay. There were people of all ages in the same room. This online class was all immersion, all small children, and all who already had Chinese in the home. Another frustrating situation. I had her stick it out for the semester, and I was there throughout the classes, but we won't be returning in the spring.

We did, however, find a tutor on Preply that helped her with her Chinese school homework, and they clicked nicely! I asked the tutor if she'd teach the curriculum and my daughter's pace, and whatever other things she liked to teach. My daughter is agreeable to that arrangement.

We still have Mandarin Morning, but it is mostly watching shows while we eat breakfast and discuss what we hear.

Frankly, she got overloaded with everything going on and got tired of Chinese. She said she didn't want to do it anymore at all! She has since said she does want to be fluent, but it got to be too much. I think hormones are starting to come into play. But, we really were doing too much of everything.

So, we will be taking a break from most of the Chinese classes. We will be keeping Lingobus, and Ms. Amy's Christian Chinese class. Those are enjoyed. 

Let's see how this next semester goes.