Week Three Highlights

This week, I kept reiterating the same mantra….”Keep your hands to yourself.”

“Ignore the kids who are unkind.” 

I guess part of kindergarten is socialization, which includes taking turns; standing in line, keeping your hand to yourself, going potty alone and learning other important life lessons.  That’s what Jedadiah is focusing on this week. 

In addition, I have heard him sing the numbers song from 1-10, say his sight words as he holds the flash cards in his hands, teach his dad how to say compudador (computer)  and marcador (pen).  In addition, I hear him sing his own made-up songs in Spanish.  As a teacher of language learning theory, I recognize these “song” as The Din.

This next will be a repeat of the same mantra.  Last Friday, his teacher said it was a rough day.  We have removed almost all of his privileges and made him do many chores around this house this weekend.  I pray that week four will be better.  Hopefully I can start volunteering this next week and will be in the classroom on Friday.

School Dedication

Thursday, August 25, 2011, is the official grand opening of the school.  There were many dignitaries, school board officials and other important people at the event this evening.  I was so excited to be one of the many parents who attended tonight because already I am proud of our school and our principal, Mrs. Willis.  In her 4 years at Home Gardens, the school has gone from a 3 in API ranking to a 7 in ranking.  Khin was the “sound manager” and helped with the sound.  I am happy that he has such a willing attitude to serve at his son’s school.

Wrong Name

This is the third week of classes, and I finally realized that I had been calling his teacher by the wrong name.  I thought her name was Sra. Olvera, but her name is Sra. Oliver.  Even this made me realize how challenging this dual immersion program will be for parents who do not speak the language.  I have taught the kids how important it is for them to know their teachers, coaches or masters names, but I didn’t even know his kindergarten teacher’s name. 

Super Hard

In the past two and a half week, my son has said that certain elements of school are “super hard”.  This comment surprises me because my son can learn things quickly and seems to get bored when the environment is static.  He likes math, but he is finding when he has to type the missing letters of the sight words on the computer that creates a challenge for him.  Again, I have to admit that this is my fault.  I have sheltered him from the computer, so he has never really typed on a computer.

Feeling Different

While reading a Flat Stanley book to Jedadiah this week, the issue of being different was approached. 

Flat Stanley is a fictional character, who is different from the other kids in his class because he is flat.  Jedadiah said he feels different.  I asked him why he felt different from the kids in his class.  He said he feels different because he doesn’t speak Spanish.  His comment reminded me that I need to be sensitive to his emotions.   Becoming bilingual involves culture, and this acculturation process can be emotionally draining.  Some experts in the field of language learning would recommend that the student change his/her name so that this new persona can learn the new language. He said he teacher calls him Jedadiah but pronounced in Spanish.  I told him when we considered his name before he was born, we pronounced his name in Ruwang and Spanish to see if the name still sounded appropriate.  Little did we know then that he would be in a dual immersion program, and his name would be pronounced with a Spanish pronunciation.

Immersing in English

I have noticed since he has been in the program that he thoroughly enjoys watching movies. 
One of the highlights of his day is being able to select a movie to watch.  I have wondered to myself if watching movies gives him a sense of relief and relaxation since the movie is in his native language. I feel like he wants to completely cover himself in English to get ready for the next day at school.

Exhaustion

Friday: the end of the first complete week of school.  For Jedadiah, since he only went to preschool three days a week, this was the first time in his life that he had classes 5 days straight.  As a parent, this entry is difficult to write because I want to remember only the good days.  However, learning, especially learning a second language, is difficult and can add stress to a 5-year old’s life.  When I picked him up from school on Friday, the teacher motioned with her hands for me to stay a few minutes.  I waited till most of the other children were dismissed for his teacher.  (Communication has been a challenge since the school has a closed campus policy.)  I stood on one side of the 8-foot gate and his teacher was on the other side.  She told me that Jedadiah had told her to please stop talking; I am tired and want to go home.  In addition, he had pulled the hair of the little girl who sits next to him.  I felt humiliated and responsible.

First I felt responsible because I hadn’t prepared him adequately for school.  Perhaps I should have sent him to preschool five days a week.  Second, he had told me earlier in the week that one of the girls was bullying him.  Could this be the same girl? Finally, I feel responsible because he is my son.  I had just told him that morning to ignore the kids who weren’t being nice to him and to keep his hands to himself. 

We had a long talk, where he cried, lost several privileges and said he wouldn’t do that anymore. 

About 20 minutes after this talk, he fell asleep and napped for an hour and a half.  He hasn’t napped in months, so he must have been completely and utterly exhausted!

Week Two Highlights

Monday night, before falling asleep I was holding Jedadiah’s hand and noticed that he didn’t have his two green rubber bracelets on, he only had one.  I asked him, where is your other bracelet.  He said I gave one to my friend at school. I said which friend?  He said the one with the Hello Kitty backpack.  I asked what her name is.   He didn’t know.  I looked for the girl with the Hello Kitty backpack on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Finally today, she walked up to my son and handed him back his bracelet.   She’s a pretty little girl with beautiful eyes and a kind face.  Her name is Emily. 

This week when I have been asking about his day, I am asking basically two questions:

            What was the best part of your day?

            What was the worst part of your day?

                        These have been some of his responses:

·         The best part was when I saw my sister standing at the gate waiting for me.  The worst part was when I had to go home.

·         The best part was playing outside during recess.  The worst part was typing the missing letters on the computer.  That was super hard!

·         The best part was doing my math work.  The worst was when the kids were telling the teacher it was my fault.

While I reading a book (attempting to read it) in Spanish Tuesday night, he noticed one of his sight words VEO….he said that’s one of the words on my list.   Wow, I was so shocked.

And last night, his sister had LOVE written on her pajamas…he said look mom her shirt says VEO….

Yesterday, he was singing the numbers 1-13 then got stuck on number 14…catorce. I am so amazed at how his brain works. 

For me, it has been challenging because I can’t communicate directly to Sra. Olvera, and I don’t have direct access to his room.  I hope to volunteer one day a week in his classroom, so I can observe and help when needed. 

The Din

The Din according to Dr. Krashen who states in his book Insights and Inquires into Second Language Teaching, Immersion and Bilingual Education Literacy, Selected Essays: If the "Din" creates a sort of language craving in students "we are led to the hypothesis that language acquisition is a natural and enjoyable process for anyone as long as the right kind of input is provided (Krashen, pg. 41, 1985). A din is noise, usually a noise that you cannot understand. Krashen noticed that he sometimes experienced a “din” or involuntary mental rehearsal in languages that he was studying.

Yesterday was his sixth day in class.  I noticed that he was singing songs in an unintelligible language….could it be The Din at work.  I didn’t say anything to him, but I was listening and enjoying his made-up songs.

The Silent Period

As a graduate student at USC, I had the privilege of being a student of the great Dr. Stephen Krashen.  In the two classes that I took from him, I remember him talking about The Din and The Silent Period.
The “silent period” is what most language learners experience when first learning a second language.  It’s similar to child learning his/her native language in that a child has the chance to listen for nearly 18 months or so before anyone expects him/her to speak.  During this time, the child is receiving natural input by listening to the caregivers, to songs, to conversations and to books. According to language researcher Dr. Stephen Krashen, most new learners of English will go through a "silent period," where they are unwilling or unable to communicate orally, even though they understand much of what is going on around them. They are not comfortable speaking in the new language, because it is difficult for them to express their thoughts orally. Children in this silent period should not be forced to speak before they are ready. They need time to listen to others talk, digest what they hear, and observe their fellow classmates' interactions with each other. Because they are silent, it doesn't mean they are not learning the language.

My son needs this silent period. 

Last week when I asked him what he had learned in class and he responded, “I don’t know and I forgot”, I was shocked. Today, however, I thought about the silent period that he needs to encounter. Learning another language should be natural and stress-free.   Today, I expected a homework packet to be sent home, but there is still no homework.  He’s only in kindergarten…he’s five years old.  I would assume that some of the students in his class are still four.  Perhaps some have never been to school and don’t know yet how to write their names.   I am telling myself to relax.  The teacher knows what she is doing.  He can’t learn Spanish in one week!

First Week Highlights

On the way to the car Friday afternoon, my son looked at me with serious eyes and said, "Mom, what does "maestra" mean.  There's a boy in my class who calls my teacher this word all the time."  I said, "Maestra means teacher,"  He smiled and seem relieved that his classmate wasn't offending their dear teacher. 
He also told me that "kindergarten is funner than preschool."  I thought that was a perfect way to end the first three days of kindergarten. 

This morning, when we were reviewing list one of his 50 sight words for the year, I was impressed that he could recognize about 70%  of the first 10 words already.  His colors and shapes recognition and oral repetition is at 90%.  I am really happy about how quickly he is acquiring the language.

This week will be a full week of 5 days of school.  We let him relax quite a bit this weekend, watching movies, swimming, skateboarding, scootering and playing outside in the yard.  I don't want him to be stressed out in kindergarten.  I hope that he can realize that learning is fun.  Learning needs to be intrinsically motivating.

Day two....

My motivation for writing this blog is twofold.  First, I want a record for my son to reflect on his learning experience.  Second, as an ESL teacher I am curious about the process of learning a second language where there is little support at home. 
Furthermore, as a native speaker of English, I am concerned about his academic performance in English.  In the future will his reading and writing skills be equal in both languages?  Will Spanish be the dominant language for his literacy skills?
Today when I picked him up and we reflected on his day he shared that he had to count from 1-20 in Spanish and that it was very hard.  He also uttered his first Spanish words, "Hola Amigo."
Something funny happened in the cafeteria....I had packed chocolate soy milk in his lunch pail.  I asked him if he had drunk his milk and he answered affirmatively.  However, he said that one of the moms had given him a second container of milk.  "Where did the milk come from, I asked.  He said the mom had gotten it from the big container of milk.  There must be a container for the children who receive lunch at school to get a milk.  My son doesn't received a free lunch, but today he got a free milk! According to the school website, approximately 87% of the students receive a free or reduced lunch. 
He then proceeded to tell me...."All the moms at school speak Spanish, that's cause they are Spanish moms."

The Night Before....

My sons begins his formal education 13 hours from now, when he will walk into a classroom where the teacher will speak in Spanish. 
I told him that Sra. Olvera only speaks Spanish.  He said, "The first day, I will listen because I don't speak Spanish, but the second day I am going to talk."
If only I were as confident as him. 
He is so excited to go to school FIVE days a week.  He keeps telling his little sister that he is going to miss her, but that she can play his LeapFrog game any time she wants to play.
As an ESL teacher, I have my own reservations about a dual immersion program.  My son can't read in English yet, but he is going to learn to read first in Spanish. 

First day of kindergarten in a dual immersion program

First day of kindergarten

He was dressed and ready with his backpack on by 9:20 or so, we didn’t need to leave the house till 10:35 or so.  After searching a few minutes for parking, we parked and lined up to go to the cafeteria where he would begin his day.

He was ecstatic and had such a beautiful smile on his face when he saw his teacher, Senora Olvera. They start their day with lunch, so he ate a few bites of his pbj sandwich and was ready to go to the classroom.

The teacher gathered her 24 students together at the lunch tables outside, while the parents stood around reluctant to say good bye.  Sra. Olvera read The Kissing Hand in Spanish, and Jedadiah and some of the other English only students had a blank look on their face.  Fortunately he is familiar with the book since I had read it to him in English many months ago.  The parents kissed the student’s hands and in turn, the children have kissed the hands of the moms and dads.  I was crying.  I thought to myself, I trust this woman with my son.  She better do a good job.

I was completely exhausted when we returned home and feel asleep with my 3-year old daughter talking to me.  We picked him up and his first comment was that he was starving.  He said they didn’t have time to eat and could only go to the bathroom one time.  I asked what you did, he said, “We did our homework, played a game, did our homework, more homework, went outside, went to the bathroom and did more homework.  I said what words you learned to day in Spanish, he responded, “I forgot.”

I said that’s ok, you will learn the new words again tomorrow.  He said he made 3 friends but couldn’t remember their names either.

Overall he said it was good, and that he wanted to go back tomorrow.

Dual Immersion....the first day.

In approximately two hours my son will begin his quest of obtaining an education.  We have decided for him to attend a dual immersion program, Spanish/English.
I have told him a few times that his teacher, Sra. Olvera doesn't speak English; He responded positively, “Mom, the first day of school, I will listen because I don’t speak Spanish.  The second day, I am going to talk.”
As an ESL teacher, I know what Language Learning Theory claims.  A person should learn to read and write in his first language before learning to read and write in a second language.  Then why did we choose this for our children?  Because learning another language has so many benefits that outweigh what theory says. 

Wish him luck….we are off to kindergarten.