You’ve done it—you’ve taken the steps to enroll your child at Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School. You are thrilled about the life-long benefits of learning a second language (or third or fourth!) and eager to hear your child speak in their new language. But, you also just can’t shake the thought that learning in two languages may be too big of a challenge for your child. Rest assured—you aren’t alone in these worries.
The first few weeks and months will be intensive for young students. But, year after year, we see our students rise to the challenge and come out stronger on the other side! The research backs us up when we say “trust the process,” but we also want to alleviate concerns that may arise as your child’s first year at Arco Iris unfolds. We’ve compiled a list of helpful tips from seasoned teachers and parents of immersion programs to help you navigate the first year:
Be patient.
Trust your child and our proven program! Things will happen slowly, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working. Also, your child may be exceptionally tired the first few weeks as they adjust to this new way of learning. Help your child get extra rest and try not to over-commit to extracurricular activities.
There are many ways to communicate.
Humans are able to communicate through many means: body language, facial expressions, and gestures will help your child communicate with their teachers and peers, as well as comprehend the new language. While confusion may occur at times, our empathetic teachers know how to skillfully support a new language learner.
A silent period is normal.
Just like adults don’t want to show off a skill that is not yet mastered, your child needs time to put their new skills out in the world. There will be a silent period in which your child does not speak the new language. Our teachers know this and plan accordingly. A skilled teacher is able to look for clues that signal comprehension.
Also, don’t expect your child to use the new language at home, especially at first. Children are good at compartmentalizing their experience—to them, that new language is for school!
Your child will not fall behind in content areas.
It’s normal for students who learn in two languages to appear to be “behind” their peers who learn in only one language. Gaps in both languages may become noticeable as your child progresses in the program. This is a good thing—it means their developing brain is totally immersed in both languages—and will even out with time. Children’s brains are setting down flexible pathways that help them become creative thinkers!
Once their language skills have caught up, studies show that bilingual students outperform their peers in all content areas. In fact, our small school is the highest performing charter school in Oregon.
Grammar rules come later.
In the early years of language acquisition, your child will learn by hearing, doing, and speaking in a language-rich environment. Grammar rules come much later, so don’t look for worksheets on conjugating verbs in your child’s backpack! Your child learns to speak the language correctly by hearing peers and adults around them speaking correctly.
Understanding a language is different from speaking a language.
While your child is acquiring language, you will notice that he/she isn’t necessarily able to speak perfectly or translate to their native language. Comprehension, speaking, and translating are all separate skills acquired at different times. As your child gains more and more vocabulary and phrases, speaking and translation will come, but don’t expect your child to be able to supply words immediately.
The challenge of learning a new language brings immeasurable benefits. Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School celebrates the hard work and determination of our young linguists. If you’re ready to take the plunge and enroll in our award winning tuition-free K-5 Spanish immersion school, follow the link to our enrollment page to get started.
About Arco Iris
Arco Iris Spanish Immersion is a small tuition-free public charter school providing a rich, immersive Spanish language experience and robust academics in a true multicultural setting. Centrally located off 217, between SW Portland and Tigard, we serve K-5 students in the greater Beaverton area to become bilingual and biliterate leaders of the future. Come see why we’ve earned the title Oregon’s #1 charter school. We’re enrolling for Fall 2023-24.