Learning Spanish

September 27, 2016

“Mom… do we have to have a Spanish lesson tonight?  Did you know that I’ve already done 4 hours of Spanish today…?”  My heart goes out to my kids, and I sometimes wonder about the wisdom of scheduling a 2 hour Spanish lesson with our tutor Marta on Friday nights after school… but it is the day she is in our area, living more than an hour away from us on the other side of the city.  Caleigh is quick to point out, “you know, after this lesson tonight, it will be 6 hours!?” and sighs heavily.  Mansell arrives to commiserate, “I know, I’ve already done 3 hours of SSL (Spanish as a Second Language) today, and now two more hours with Marta…” and a big sigh finish from him too.  Once Marta arrives and we get started we always have fun and laugh a lot at ourselves, and on this night I pointed out to the kids that all those hours of Spanish are really making a difference to their acquisition and execution… Caleigh has experienced her “click” moment and is just so comfortable with the language now.  I’m so grateful to have the kids around when running errands, or making or receiving a phone call – they are always so helpful to translate for me.  They are picking it up so much more quickly than I am, using it daily in school.

I’m so happy for them and so thankful for them and so proud of them.

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May 29, 2016

Was working around the kitchen eavesdropping on the kids first Spanish lessons with our new tutor, Marta. I’m so starved for direct language learning! I’m picking up phrases that I need to use in my daily life, and I understand quite a lot of what I hear, but still not fully understanding how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet, I have a long way to go! Marta arrived and started right away, having got lost getting through our complex (it’s easy to do and everyone who comes to our house for the first time is late because they get so lost!), so we never really established expectations around “what does Mom, who so badly wants to take lessons with Marta and has been trying to for months now secure her as my tutor through the company, do while the kids are her students?”  She’s so great and even though I busied myself with “nothing” tasks, I had an ear to their lesson the whole time, she invited me to next time join them. You see, I met Marta in March through a friend who has her as a tutor.  Marta helped me to sign up for my first Telmex contract for home phone and internet… It was a lifesaver to have someone to translate and help me work through the sign-up process and I’ll always be grateful to Ann who suggested we go do that on one of her tutoring days.  At the time, Marta had time in her schedule to tutor me and I needed a tutor – the language learning vendor hired through the company was having the “worst” time trying to find me a tutor… We asked for language lessons in January, as soon as possible after arriving… For the record, Aaron started his lessons only three weeks ago… and after months of asking to have Marta as a tutor, we finally just decided to hire her privately for the kids and then (finally!) for me; we will submit for reimbursement up to the limit allowed.  So thankful that Marta was still willing to work with us after all the back and forth (ridiculousness) between us and the company trying to hire her.  The kids are really enjoying her sense of humour and Spanish support for their assignments.

As I watched the kids first lesson with Marta, I was struck by how much they know! I was amazed by what I was hearing – I find language learning and acquisition to be fascinating (I found the process of the kids learning to read their “mother tongue” so cool!!)  Now I’m watching them acquire a second language and it is truly amazing. Once again, I marvel at how much they know already. Understanding is there first, then with opportunities to practice and growing comfort and confidence, execution. Mansell is very much willing to give it a go, the others are still a bit more hesitant, but it’s slowly coming along.  I asked Mansell what was the moment that he realized he knew Spanish – I was washing some dishes, he was doing his homework nearby – all of a sudden one day he said he could just understand everything he was hearing – and he said that things “clicked” and he began to notice patterns in common phrases people were using frequently and in specific situations.  He also spent a tonne of time in his SSL (Spanish as a Second Language) Class drilling vocabulary and verbs, which has really helped!  There is a logic to it, with it’s specific and not too crazy rules, that just all fell into place.  It’s the neatest thing… hoping we all experience that “click” moment at some point!!

February 8, 2016

The children have already begun Spanish language learning in school and we all pick up a little everyday we are out and about amongst the Spanish speaking majority.  We are very proud of them and their “stick-to-it-ness”, giving it a-go everyday even though they are SO frustrated!!  And we can tell them what a great opportunity it is til the cows come home, it means nothing to them when they are doing the hard work of acquisition and execution of knowledge in such a new environment.  Caleigh and Hudson are in a Spanish immersion program – half their day is in Spanish only, the other half in English.  Subjects flip weekly between delivery in Spanish and English – so one week Math is taught in Spanish, the next, in English.  Thank goodness numbers are somewhat universal in this case and google translate is our friend in deciphering the questions!  Mansell has two Spanish periods a day and is REALLY embracing the learning.  He sees how much easier his life will be once he masters it so he’s giving it his all.  He’s quite inspiring in his enthusiasm for learning Spanish (although timing IS everything! 🙂  and sometimes there is some fine tuning necessary!)  A Spanish tutor is in the works to support the kids in their studies.

The grown ups begin our Spanish lessons very soon – we have been coordinating with our teachers to determine suitable days and times and feeling anxious to begin!