Language Immersion: It Was the Best Decision We Ever Made

We were like any other parents nervous about enrolling their child in kindergarten. All the questions that run through your mind. Which school? What are the best opportunities? Is there busing? Is there before or after school care available? Then another thought crosses your mind. The choice we make now will potentially set the course for the rest of our daughter, Paris’ life.

My husband and I grew up in small towns in Minnesota. We loved it. We knew everyone in our class, even the older and younger classes. We were involved in everything: band, choir, pop groups, sports, theater, student council, school newspaper and more. We had no experience of raising kids in a large, populous city. We had to start doing the research.

When looking at kindergarten, we often look at the high schools, too. You think to yourself, “When my child gets older will they have the same or better opportunities than what I had?”

We received a mailer about the open house in our attendance area, which was Madison Elementary. On the mailer was information about enrolling in the Language Immersion Program. Interestingly enough, I had heard about these kinds of schools in the Twin Cities. I remember seeing a news story on two schools: one that taught their entire day in French and the other in German.

I thought at the time, “That would be so cool. I wish I had had that opportunity growing up.”

I took German in middle school, high school and then in college.

My exact thought, “This could really be an amazing opportunity for our child.”

My husband and I attended the open house at Madison to get a feel for the school. We then learned there was an informational meeting for parents about the immersion program. We attended the meeting and were able to hear first-hand experiences from parents of current kindergartners. These parents represented the very first class of immersion students.

Parents shared experiences of awe and amazement at how quickly their kids picked up the language. Following the stories, professors from the University of Minnesota shared statistical and brain development data. We discovered children who are bilingual or multilingual statistically score better on verbal reading and math tests. They have increased right brain activity and acquire the ability to pick up a third or fourth language easier than their peers.

It became a no-brainer (no pun intended). We were completely sold. The only question was to decide between Spanish and Chinese.

To give some perspective, this was over 10 years ago. The Olympics were being held in China. Trade with China was at an all-time high and from what we understood, Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn. If you could master Chinese, you could learn any language.

We looked at it from a futuristic standpoint as well.  If our child is trying to get into a college or university and all things being equal, would they choose our child because she could speak another language fluently?

So, Chinese it was!

Now, don’t get me wrong. There were apprehensions. We can’t read or speak Chinese. My husband had some Spanish in high school, but in no way shape or form were we going to be able to assist with homework in Chinese. We were also concerned about making sure that we spent adequate time reading to our kids in English to help support their growth in English as well.

It was the best decision we’ve made in regards to our kids’ education.

Within the first few weeks of class, Paris was saying numbers, colors, words and phrases in Chinese. She began to write Chinese symbols with ease as if she were writing the alphabet. Our worries of homework help? Well, instructions were sent home in English for parents to read. Later, as she grew older and our son, Tristan, joined the program, we discovered math homework was in English out of textbooks, while in-class math worksheets were done in Chinese.

During third grade, English grammar was introduced in the classroom. The ah-ha moment for us was realizing that they use periods, commas and other punctuation in Chinese as well. What they learned in either English or Chinese was transferable between both languages.

By the time middle school came around, the classes in Chinese were reduced to two a day (Chinese language arts and social studies) with the addition of their homeroom in Chinese. This allowed for electives, continual use of the language and a close-knit group of kids to feel like they were traveling a path together.

This year Paris traveled to China with the rest of her classmates to spend two weeks learning more about the Chinese culture, attending school, staying a weekend with a host family and really putting her language skills to use. It was a transformative experience for her. She gained confidence and a kind of independence that we’d never seen in her. Her eyes were opened to opportunities for friends, education and a career abroad.

Looking back over the last 10 plus years, Paris is now in high school with only one class in Chinese. In the coming years, she will be taking Chinese at an AP level with the possibility to earn college-level credit. Our son, Tristan, has three classes a day at the middle school level.

With the incorporation of HSK testing (Chinese equivalent to current MCA standardized tests) in the District curriculum, Paris and Tristan could be eligible for scholarships to universities in China, allowing both of our kids the opportunity to build an international education and career.

For us, choosing the Chinese Immersion program was the best decision we could have made. Absolutely no regrets.

*Carissa Hopkins-Hoel is a St. Cloud Area School District employee, working as a Communications Coordinator.