The kid already speaks some English - her mom sends her to an English preschool (where the classes are mostly in English) but she wants to send her to a “better” preschool where the classes are exclusively in English. This one has an English entrance exam. The kid passed the first part of the exam but apparently she was judged to be lacking in social skills (?). Her mom thinks that some one-on-one English time will help her be more confident. I know, Korean parents are crazy.
Oh, they’re not the only ones. I’m starting with some private lessons for two absolutely adorable little girls this summer who are 4 and 3 1/2. Usually, when I do private hours with kids this little it’s for a specific and important reason, like the little girl whose family was moving to New York two months later, or to just give the kids some early exposure to English as a foundation for later. These particular two mothers think that English is such a critical language to know and that this stage of life is optimal for the teaching of it (which is true) and so their aim is to have the girls fluent in English after two years of my coming by for 45 minutes a week.
I’m going to have to have such a discussion about realistic expectations with them before we get started. How much am I looking forward to it? Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much, that’s how much.
I recently listened to a story on NPR about talking to babies. They did painstaking studies where they counted the number or words a mother spoke to her baby. What they found was the more the mother talked to the baby, the better. I can’t remember the specifics of what the outcomes were (higher IQ? better academic achievement?) but the point was, better-educated mothers naturally just chattered to their babies more. The lesson I though was no matter what your educational level, you can babble to a baby. And that is what appears to matter.
True Ellen Cherry It amused me to have my baby saying long words, but on reflection it’s probably easier for a baby to say “alligator” or “caterpillar” than “dog” or “cat” and certainly more fun. I mean, they hear this string of sounds all the time, then you asking them to just make ONE noise.