You Can Learn a Foreign Language!
Homeschooling Encouragement Article by Harriet Yoder
I don’t have
a native speaker. How can we learn?
Americans can’t do
more than one language.
It’s too hard.
Homeschoolers don’t have the resources that schools have.
How
can I teach a foreign language when I don’t know one.
It is a
very difficult subject for homeschooling.
Someday we will
learn a foreign language.
There are many very homeschool friendly foreign language
curriculum products that use native speakers on audio CD’s, audio cassettes, and
CD-ROMs. The accent and language patterns are available!
Not true. We just don’t have a reason because everyone speaks
English. I took Spanish in high school and French in college. I don’t remember
much, but if I were to live in a country where one of those languages was
spoken, I could learn it faster with the knowledge I have.
When I visited my daughter in Germany a few years ago, I
decided to take a cram course in German. Since I review curriculum, my thought
was to try several language products. With only three weeks to study, I listened
to as many CDs as I could and used a couple of simple books. It's true, most of
the Germans we spoke to could speak English. However, simply knowing basics like
please, thank you, and numbers helped immensely. For example, I could follow the
train announcements because I knew basics.
Now I am working on my Spanish again. I try to review
something each day, even if it's looking at words in the Spanish-English
dictionary to see which ones I can remember.
No, it takes time and persistent effort like any new venture.
I admit with that pending trip to Germany, I was more motivated to learn German.
Simply listening to the CD’s will help your brain be ready to learn. While I was
cramming German, I woke up from a nap recalling a few German words! I may not be
able to repeat everything back when I hear it the first time, but the repetition
helps me to remember!
Again with the foreign language products that are available
today--yes, we do have access to very high quality resources! We have CDs. MP3
players, DVDs, and computers. You can get together with other homeschooling
families and do a co-op. My oldest daughter traded babysitting for Spanish
tutoring when she was in high school.
Again, just do the program with your children! You never know
when you or the children will have a chance to travel or take a mission trip to
a foreign country. The best way to fail is to do nothing. (Been there, done
that, bought the t-shirt!).
Read that last paragraph again. Remember, you can do all
things through Christ who strengthens you!
If you start today, you will. Go to your local library and
check out what’s available. Do that program with your children for 21 days. This
will make learning your new language a habit. Research the various programs—many
have sample CD’s. Then, order your favorite program and “just do it.”
I learned a valuable lesson about learning a new language
when we hosted a student from France one summer. Stephanie stayed with us for
one month. She had studied English in school for several years, but had never
practiced conversation with a native speaker. When she arrived, she didn’t
understand much at all. By the time she left she was fluent because she had a
chance to practice English conversation. When she came back the next summer, she
was rusty at first but was fluent in only a few days. Recently we contacted her
after losing track of her for several years. Guess what? Her email to me was
very fluent—even though she apologized because she hadn’t spoken English since
she was here!
Adapting a line from Bob the Builder—my six year old loves
that show: Can you learn it! YES, YOU CAN!
Foreign Language Curriculum
Bilingual Books Curriculum
Excellent less expensive way to learn basics of a new language.
Rosetta Stone Foreign Language
Free headset in Rosetta Stone Sets!
TeLL me More® Foreign Language Software
Latina Christiana
Matin Latin Canon Press Latin for grades 3 and up.
Latin Primer Canon Press Latin for grades 3
and up using the classical approach.
Latin Grammar For use after Matin Latin or
Latin Primer.
Switched On Schoolhouse Spanish
Power-Glide Foreign Language |
You
are here: