Comments on: We quit.

By: Napblopmo day 3 « American Family

Napblopmo day 3 « American Family — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:14:06 +0000

[...] year M was in a twice a week immersion program at a local university. (Post about dropping out here.) I was also doing private tutoring with both M and L so that was already three days a week plus [...]

By: jwg

jwg — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:35:12 +0000

Good for you! I was worrying about M being overscheduled and not having enough time to play and just be. That was eventually going to lead to trouble. I’m glad you recognized and acknowledged her feelings.

By: Marc

Marc — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:21:55 +0000

Good for you! I think you have made the right decision. Your Chinese language school sounds just like the one we have in our area. Kids hate it, but parents still do it for the sake of social and also for keeping the cultural identity for their kids. Our Chinese language school has both Chinese American kids, biracial kids and some adoptive kids. My kids have told us many times that when they grow up, their kids will never be sent to a Chinese school on weekends, as if they are being tortured by us now. We have tried to make it fun for them and helped them with their homework so that they don’t get overwhelmed. The classroom is chaotic and teachers still think like Chinese (lots of homework and irrelant memorization for a group of confused kids). We don’t have a better alternative now. So we are torn. We have researched on a few totally different Chinese schools in our area. Every single one has their own issues. Your decision is encouraging to us.

By: O Solo Mama

O Solo Mama — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:23:16 +0000

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. We never started them and I feel not one iota guilty. I think it’s great when people do it but not every kid is ready for it and not every family can manage it.

By: Tonggu Momma

Tonggu Momma — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:56:08 +0000

Our Saturday Chinese class sounds so much like M’s Chinese Club, minus the full immersion (heh – I know that’s a big minus). But we chose it because the combination of games, cooking, culture, art (such as brush painting) and language creates fully engaged classmates. Most of the girls have continued classes (without whining) until they begin taking Mandarin in junior high school.