nygatl15 Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 My budding friendship is going along quite nicely. She has become the sunshine of my days. I'm feeling we were meant to be from the beginning, but I detoured down the wrong road in meeting the "current". My question is concerning her son, he is 14 tommorow. He seems like quite a good young boy. He doesn't know any English, except for a few phrases. His mother has taught herself english quite well, I'm proud of her. Back to the question, How does one help him get into the mainstream of American life. If he doesn't know english, how can he go to an american school? Now he is not interested in learning english really, for all real purposes he has no reason to. His mother will not tell him of our intentions until I get there for a visit and we decide our direction together. I don't blame her, becuase I did detour before. I didn't know then how special a lady she was then. She told me recently, don't have hate and bad feelings for my "current", because she felt good that she gave me back to her.... I must say I got goose pimples and a rush when she said that. Back to her son, we will plan to get english classes for him, once I go there and we talk to him about our plans. I don't think it would be fair to him or her for any plans to be made prior to me going there and we conclude our wishes and plans for a future life together. As many have said here, I shouldn't start anything until I have finished my current situation. Well, in regards to him, I feel strongly and she does also feel this is a very important point. I'm really interested in anyone here who has had to deal with children who come with thier mother and how they adapt and what to do to help them in thier new country. I know it is hard enough for teenagers as it is that are from this country. We are not making plans, but I want to think about everything before I get to a point where definite decisions have to be made and thier lifes affected. Link to comment
Trigg Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 All American schools have ESL (English a a second language) programs. this not only teaches English but gives him certain alterations in his learning environment while he earns the language. He will catch on quickly I'm sure. it would however, make the transition much easier if he were to start gaining English skills now so he could at least communicate on a rudimentary level to his classmates. figuring that it will take every bit of a year before he would get here, it seems that he could get a good 'leg up' on this before his arrival. Link to comment
nygatl15 Posted March 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 All American schools have ESL (English a a second language) programs. 194618[/snapback]I didn't know this. But I guess considering the high population of spanish speaking people in the Atlanta area, this would make sense. Once I go there and he knows of his mother's and my intentions, we will explain to him the importance of learning it quickly. She teaches her 3 year old nephew, but teenagers in China are just like teenagers in the USA, Mom or Dad isn't the one you normally like to learn from. Link to comment
philb Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I would check with the proposed school system about enrollment. Most, if not all, school systems will not allow your child to enter into schooling without first displaying compentency in english. There will be an ESL class - hope that there are other asians; not just hispanic attending this. Have your SO bring over the Chinese school transcipts when she comes and save yourself some time and pain. ---at least this is what ole Eric has coached me on...contact esun41...he'll tell you about the same. He has recently enrolled 2 children. Phil Link to comment
Trigg Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I would check with the proposed school system about enrollment. Most, if not all, school systems will not allow your child to enter into schooling without first displaying compentency in english. There will be an ESL class - hope that there are other asians; not just hispanic attending this. Have your SO bring over the Chinese school transcipts when she comes and save yourself some time and pain. ---at least this is what ole Eric has coached me on...contact esun41...he'll tell you about the same. He has recently enrolled 2 children. Phil194735[/snapback]NO No NO---------. I've worked for school systems. They DO NOT stop enrollment based on language proficiency. All children in america not only have the right to go to scholl but it is mandated that they go. Link to comment
Trigg Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically. Link to comment
nygatl15 Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically.194745[/snapback]Very good to know. I have no idea of a time frame yet. Too early to know. Still, i would think if he came in the summer, the summer month, ESL would be a problem maybe because of summer vacation. Still, 2007 is too far off to even think about yet.... Nevertheless, still good food for thought. Link to comment
frank1538 Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Back to the question, How does one help him get into the mainstream of American life. 194616[/snapback]Can you say video games? My step son and step daughter spoke virtually no English when they arrived. One went to ESL classes at Dekalb Tech, and the other got enrolled in the ESOL program at the high school (Cross Keys). Neither is the best program out there, but it was a quick shot that helped both of them get started. Link to comment
Trigg Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically.194745[/snapback]Take Trigg's word on this. I've met Wong Fong and had no problem at all in speaking English with her. Even slang and humor which surprised me. She does have a bit of an accent, but carries on a conversation like any other kid her age.194827[/snapback]Soon we will be getting her caught up on cussin'. Link to comment
LeeFisher3 Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 (edited) Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically.194745[/snapback]Take Trigg's word on this. I've met Wong Fong and had no problem at all in speaking English with her. Even slang and humor which surprised me. She does have a bit of an accent, but carries on a conversation like any other kid her age.194827[/snapback]Soon we will be getting her caught up on cussin'.194842[/snapback]I thought she got plenty of this already, oh yeah, that's in Chinese. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons6/24.gif And yes, her English is EXTREMELY GOOD!!!! Edited March 2, 2006 by LeeFisher3 (see edit history) Link to comment
Trigg Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically.194745[/snapback]Take Trigg's word on this. I've met Wong Fong and had no problem at all in speaking English with her. Even slang and humor which surprised me. She does have a bit of an accent, but carries on a conversation like any other kid her age.194827[/snapback]Soon we will be getting her caught up on cussin'.194842[/snapback]I thought she got plenty of this already, oh yeah, that's in Chinese. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons6/24.gif And yes, her English is EXTREMELY GOOD!!!!194849[/snapback]Of course it's good. I'm her role model!!! Link to comment
philb Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically.194745[/snapback]Take Trigg's word on this. I've met Wong Fong and had no problem at all in speaking English with her. Even slang and humor which surprised me. She does have a bit of an accent, but carries on a conversation like any other kid her age.194827[/snapback]Soon we will be getting her caught up on cussin'.194842[/snapback]Trigg: I didn't mean to confuse anyone. I didn't mean to NOT enroll. It is just that most programs will begin with ESL and minimal education classes until they pass a certain level of fluency. It doesn't make sense to throw a child into a competitive class situation in say, Trigonometry, without being able to understand any of what is going on in english. Of course, I didn't fare much better in some of my classes supposedly speaking the language...I sure didn't do so well in chiming in on this subject! Back to the cheetos, Phil Link to comment
Trigg Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Interesting topic, as I am faced with a similar question. My SO's son is 10. He is a very smart, handsome, well-mannered young man, and we got along great. I want to make sure that when he gets to the U.S., he has the least struggles possible, given the distance and culture change. While he is learning English as quickly as he can, his teachers are Chinese, and there is a certain difference in how English is spoken by Americans vs. how it is taught out of a text book. Part of my dilemma is over timing: If my SO comes over here at the beginning of next summer, then we could focus the whole summer on ESL classes and get him ready to enroll at the start of the school year in the fall. However, if her K1 is issued on a typical 7-12 month timeframe, we do not want to delay her move that long. But neither do I want to throw her son into the public school system in the middle of the year. Hence the dilemma. Has anyone actually dealt with a similar situation, and what did you do?194716[/snapback]My stepdaughter come here at age 14 during March of '04. she spoke a little English as taught by Chinese teachers. we enrolled her immediately so she could transition into American schools. It was a good move as not only did she assimilate well but she rapidly learned English. In retrospect I'm glad she came mid-term as it gave her a huge leg up socially as well as academically.194745[/snapback]Take Trigg's word on this. I've met Wong Fong and had no problem at all in speaking English with her. Even slang and humor which surprised me. She does have a bit of an accent, but carries on a conversation like any other kid her age.194827[/snapback]Soon we will be getting her caught up on cussin'.194842[/snapback]Trigg: I didn't mean to confuse anyone. I didn't mean to NOT enroll. It is just that most programs will begin with ESL and minimal education classes until they pass a certain level of fluency. It doesn't make sense to throw a child into a competitive class situation in say, Trigonometry, without being able to understand any of what is going on in english. Of course, I didn't fare much better in some of my classes supposedly speaking the language...I sure didn't do so well in chiming in on this subject! Back to the cheetos, Phil194862[/snapback]Phil, most schools have programs beyond ESL. That is to say that most will include the child in regular classes for most of the day with moderations for language abilities. If it is a highschool student their first classes will ethe easy ones, P.E, art etc. If it's a pre-H.S student it won't really matter as long as they are learning and passing.Either way, most find the transition to be much easier than we would be inclined to think. Certainly easier than an American child moving to China!!!!! Link to comment
Yuanyang Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 It's good to know. Our daughter will be in one of the better school districts. I haven't contacted the ESL program head yet. Should I? Or do I just proceed with regualr admission and take their guidence. (she's in the 1st grade now.) Link to comment
nygatl15 Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Can you say video games? 194836[/snapback]This shouldn't be a problem at all Link to comment
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