Mandarin immersion school, is it a good idea without learning Spanish? (Houston: private school, universities)

[LisaBrown713]

Originally Posted by pmmd

My friend's child began French and Mandarin in the same year with much success. A younger child's brain is more adapt at learning multiple languages, than that of an older child or an adult.

I agree that a younger brain will easily adapt to learning a multiple languages simultaneously if they are around it on a regular basis.

Was the child learning French and Mandarin at school or was your friend a native speaker? Do you know how old was the child when they started teaching the languages? Thanks

[LisaBrown713]

Originally Posted by nervouslaughter

I would not leave it up to my children at that age to decide what language they would learn. This is a decision the parents should make. Otherwise, I'm sure they'd rather learn pig Latin than something of value.

Thank you! As a parent you have to make the decisions for your child until they are mature enough to start making educated choices themselves. When my kids go to middle school then they will be able to pick what other language to add to their repertoire

[Dopo]

Before I answer 14Bricks,
I'd go for Mandarin 1st because it's more difficult. Spanish will be a piece of cake after that.

Originally Posted by 14Bricks

How many of those countries are just third world countries? How many are in the G -8(none). How many are economic powers, beside Brazil and they don't speak spanish there.

Got bad news for you. All the countries in OPEC are 3rd World countries and they control most of the oil in the World.

[tstone]

All of these oil addicted countries' successful people will most definitely speak English. Expand your childrens' extra brains into the math and sciences instead of this immersion stuff, and they will rule the world. What type of success are you trying to set your child up for, anyway??

[testmo]

The idea speaking a Chinese language will help an ... American... is silly. Yes china is looking into invading lands and exploiting things for more resources, but guess what? China is full of engineers, engineering companies, and cheap manual labor. They aren't going to be looking to hire your kid in 25 years. When they do hire outside they always seem to be Indians or Dutch

Speaking Spanish though - easily learn to speak French and Italian. Much easier to move through European countries and contacts with those languages. If you are in O&G how many times have you sent people to Africa in the past 5 years? Most of them speak French.

How many times has your company sent people south of the border? Heck don't you have an office there yet?

All the oil and gas fields, refineries guess who a lot of the grunts and foreman are?

No way will learning Mandarin give your kid an edge (if he even really bothered to stick with it). Maybe you think you can decide what your child will learn when they're little, but two English only speaking parents and a mandarin "immersion" school isn't going to be easy. 3 and 4 years olds get bored when things are tough to comprehend too

The only eastern asians I really had to deal with were the Koreans. I'd say forcing your toddler to learn Korean in the hope that gets them somewhere would be a wiser choice

[tstone]

Originally Posted by testmo

China is full of engineers, engineering companies, and cheap manual labor. They aren't going to be looking to hire your kid in 25 years.

Of course they will, for cheap wages. You should see what those overseas engineering companies pay. But some people here may find that attractive if they've exploited the American credit system for what it's worth, and then just up & defect. They may save enough cash to come back home once every 2-3 years, but they will be 100% taken care of. I hear Chinese girls like white American guys, too ... and there are also billions of them (literally)... may not be a bad way to make a fast break before landing in the slammer in the US.

[Vicman]

Testmo, a lot of foreigners work in China in white collar jobs. Some in business ventures, some as English teachers. Many of them come from the U.S. and European countries.

Originally Posted by testmo

The idea speaking a Chinese language will help an ... American... is silly. Yes china is looking into invading lands and exploiting things for more resources, but guess what? China is full of engineers, engineering companies, and cheap manual labor. They aren't going to be looking to hire your kid in 25 years. When they do hire outside they always seem to be Indians or Dutch

Speaking Spanish though - easily learn to speak French and Italian. Much easier to move through European countries and contacts with those languages. If you are in O&G how many times have you sent people to Africa in the past 5 years? Most of them speak French.

Firstly, wages in China may be relatively low, but the cost of living is far lower. I read somewhere that one needs an income of US$30K to qualify for a yacht club in China.

For women who want foreign men, keep in mind that in many cases they are divorced. Chinese men often don't want divorced women, so they only have western men. Also, many western men offer financial security.

Of course they will, for cheap wages. You should see what those overseas engineering companies pay. But some people here may find that attractive if they've exploited the American credit system for what it's worth, and then just up & defect. They may save enough cash to come back home once every 2-3 years, but they will be 100% taken care of. I hear Chinese girls like white American guys, too ... and there are also billions of them (literally)... may not be a bad way to make a fast break before landing in the slammer in the US.

[Glucorious]

Originally Posted by LisaBrown713

Thank you! As a parent you have to make the decisions for your child until they are mature enough to start making educated choices themselves. When my kids go to middle school then they will be able to pick what other language to add to their repertoire

Sounds like you and your children aren't ready yet for prime time.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Before I answer 14Bricks,
I'd go for Mandarin 1st because it's more difficult. Spanish will be a piece of cake after that.



Got bad news for you. All the countries in OPEC are 3rd World countries and they control most of the oil in the World.

And how my are SPANISH speaking? You people keep dodging the question why is learning spanish important besides its good when I go on vacation or talk to the yard man.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Before I answer 14Bricks,
I'd go for Mandarin 1st because it's more difficult. Spanish will be a piece of cake after that.



Got bad news for you. All the countries in OPEC are 3rd World countries and they control most of the oil in the World.

Lol, I wouldn't exactly call saudi arabia, Kuwait, or the united arab emirates "third world" the people in those countries don't have to pay taxes, health care, or for education because of all the oil money. They live better than we do in america. My friends wife got a job in the united Arab emirates teaching English(not Spanish) for $80,000 a year tax free.