Kids with foreign languages
Hi,
my husband is moving to Doha in December and the children and me will follow next year. We are austrian and my kids had until now no opportunity to learn english. My daughter is 9 and my son is 5. They are learning english now with a private teacher as in our primary schools they don't offer english lessons.
They will both start with school in Doha in September 2009. I am sure, they will settle after a few months, but I would like to give them as much support as possible.
Has anyone made experiences with kids with other languages than english and how do the schools treat them? As I heard, it is not easy to get a place in a school, which is maybe even harder for children with foreign languages.
Regards from Austria!
Well, when we came here she only spoke french. Then I put her in English schools. In grade 4 she went to Qatar Academy where she learned Arabic, specially socializing with her friends. Spanish was her 2nd language in studies & did A level in it. French we continued speaking & specially with her father, visits to Switzerland and Dutch cos I am Dutch and going there on holidays. Kids have an ability to pick up languages which is remarkable, and seemingly effortless. As long as you start young enough.
Aisha-Taweela
5 languages.. good. by the age of 12 she can definetly get a job as a translator or an interpretor. good for her
can you please explain how your daughter picked up so many languages ,Mashallah ?
I'm really interested in knowing ..please
thanks in advance ...
My daughter was 2 and half years old. She did not speak a word of English. I put her in a kindergarten and after 3 weeks she started to speak English. Now she speaks fluent Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Dutch. Also for your info there is a german school in Doha. For info google or ask the German Embassy.
Aisha-Taweela
my oldest son "switched" from one language to another for 4-5 months, he was 3 yo at that time.
Don't worry, all schools provide a language support for non-english speaking kids!
The first three months was really frustrating, after 5 months my son did his homework by himself. Think your problem will be to get in to the school you prefer. There are tests they have to pass to get in.
It was suppose to open a German school this Autum though.
I was that child once... but with French..
just put a postive spin on it... same as your daughter
helping mum
how clever
you could get lots of fun books
have English hour at home
get her to help you write the shopping list in English
gradually integrate it into her life....sometimes when you switch to full imersion it can be a bit disconcerting and the kiddie clams up.
for your helpful comments!!!
this one can help.
Also let them watch barney and hi5.. I am not sure if HI5 is showing in youe country.. but my daughter learned speaking english by watching barney and Hi5 since she was still months old and now she speak good english..
aulux, there are many students here with varying levels of English proficiency. Your kids will probably have to be tested as part of the admissions process for whichever school you will be enrolling them in. No worries, though. By then they will have had one year of English already, so they should be fine. At their age, they will probably pick it up fairly quickly. Many of the schools here offer ESL (English as a Second Language), so the students can get help with strengthening their English skills and also receive support for any classroom work that may be challenging for them.
Good luck!
you can supplement school with extra English classes, either through individuals or institutions like the British Council. They will pick it up in no time....there are also plenty of German speakers here as well.
we had same experienes when we went to jamaica.....my daughter was 5 years old....she could not speak a word of english ...she did not understand a word of it.....
we were very worried....but belive me she learned english in 3 months......kids learn language fast....