Ça Alors

As a doting and indulgent parent, I frequently let Patrick select a little something for himself when we are at Target. Since he invariably gets a sheet of letter stickers it is no hardship (cheap AND educational- or it would be educational if Patrick hadn't known the alphabet since birth, making his pleasure in letters merely, I don't know, aesthetic?)

After our most recent excursion he sat down at the dining room table with his score and looked at the package. Savoring it, I thought, but in fact he was reading the warning label. This caused him to suddenly fling the stickers across the room, dramatically stating, "I cannot use these! They are JUST for mommies and daddies!" I could tell he was thinking about whether or not he should cry for emphasis. 

I picked up the package and looked at the warning. Then I handed it back to him and said, "Keep reading. See the next line?"

"NOT FOR CHILDREN," he said.

"Not for children..."

"Under three years of age," he finished.

"And you are?"

"Four."

"So, go. Stick. Enjoy."

He kept reading:

"Nee convenient pas yooks infants..."

I stopped him. "Patrick, that's French. You can't read French."

"Yes I can. I am! Listen! De moyn..."

"But you do not know what it means, so you are not really reading it." Tactful, you understand, but not fatuous.

"I do know what it means," Patrick replied.

"Oh yeah?"

"It means NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS OLD."

"Touché," I said.

"Was that French? I speak French," Patrick said, and started sticking his new letters onto a piece of paper.

PS I just got his written assessment from last week's testing in the mail five seconds ago. I wanted to look at what she said before I wrote about it, so that will just have to be a later post. In the meantime I have a question for you. I think Patrick would actually like very much to learn French (or Spanish. Chinese. Latin. something). Do you have any ideas on how I could go about finding a French teacher for a four year old?

Comments

[expat]

What a gorgeous child!

[expat]

Oh no, I was first, and I couldn't come up with something witty and/or pithy? How pathetic.

I don't even have any amusing anecdotes or useful information about French teachers to share.

Sorry.

[Natalee]

Maybe a local college student (who knows/studies French, obviously, and who maybe is going to school to teach it) would be willing to tutor Packy for some extra $$? Anything's gotta be better than waiting tables to pay your way through school.

Or, is there a language school nearby?

Ok, that's all the ideas I have.

Patrick is precious.

[Jessie]

That's adorable and funny! I love Patrick stories.

[Tiffany]

Holy crap! I'm seriously not trying to me-too you, but Nicolaus insists that he wants to learn french. He's been pretending to speak it for a long time, ever since we put his Little Einsteins DVD on in French as a joke. He watches a lot of his movies in French now and I don't understand a fucking word of it. I'm not sure he does either, but you know some of his fake french really does sound almost believable.

I've thought about hiring someone to come over and speak French (or really any exotic language since he's interested in languages in general) to him but haven't managed to get my shit together to do that yet. My plan is to put a flier up at the nearest university and basically hire a babysitter to come over and just play with him for a few hours a week, speaking only French, while I get work done.

[Deb]

Check out local homeschooling lists and resources, LOTS Of them have great connections to private teachers for great prices or places where classes are or programs you could do at home as well.
Much easier for children to learn languages young, great idea!

[LMM]

For French, I'd try calling Alliance Francaise in Minneapolis at 612.332.0436. They should have some recommendations for you.
As for Latin. Please don't have him learn Latin. I'm already uncomfortable in the sneaking suspicion that Patrick is smarter than I am. If he learns Latin...well, damn.

we have our 5 year old (who sounds a lot like patrick) in a spanish immersion school. he loves it. does your local public school have any immersion programs, to plan ahead for?

[Jen-Again]

Craigslist- teachers who want to earn extra money list their services for tutoring on Craigslist. You can find some that teach grammar school age kids, but I would think any teacher who teaches beginning language would be able to teach Patrick.

[Amber]

bless that child's heart. he cracks me up!

[Amber]

Forgot...about the French. Seems like a little vacation to France is in order. I can't think of a better place to learn the language. and the shopping...THE SHOPPING.

[Chickenpig]

Have you ever read the book "Cheaper by the Dozen"? (the original book, not at all related to the stupid movie with Steve Martin). The father has his kids listen to a language record until they are all able to speak the lessons. I think he puts it on while they are brushing their teeth or something to time them ...it's been a long time. Anyway, I would get language CD's that you can listen to at home or in the car. That way, if Patrick doesn't like a language, or blows through them quickly, you can do another. If he is partial to one or another, then I would move on to getting him a tutor. Thre are also great computer programs available for middle school age children with vocab games and such which would probably be at a good reading level for Patrick.

[Elizabeth]

Awwwwwwwwwww...

J'ADORE PATRICK!!!

Moi je parle francais aussi! Of course he wants to speak French! When I was a little kid (about 7 or 8, not 4!) I found my dad's French phrase book and spent hours writing "letters" in French by copying the phrases I wanted to write. It's a pity that my parents didn't think to get me some exposure to the language b/c by the time the public schools offered French I was 12...eager to learn, and I did, but 12 is the tail end of the language learning "window" - you can learn languages after that age, certainly, but not usually without some sort of accent.

Anyway, my advice as a former French teacher: YOU speak French, right? Well, start labeling things for him in French. Put little signs on everything with the French words and he will learn tons of nouns. Then speak to him in French for a little bit each day. There are those Muzzy videos but I"m not sure Patrick would like those - try finding "French in Action" on your PBS station - meant for college students, but honestly I think Patrick would pick a LOT of it up and they are excellent videos IMO. They were made in the 80's and feature every French stereotype plus an engaging elderly narrator who rolls his R's (in the style of, like, 17th century French) in a most captivating manner.

We live in San Diego and there is a French immersion school that starts from 16 months old (mommy and me classes) and goes through elementary...they have a preschool program; maybe there is something like this available near you. But Patrick being the petite eponge that he is, I think that starting with labeling all the nouns and then letting him having exposure to the language (written and oral) so that he can "fill in" the grammar will work quite well and if he is motivated he will learn a LOT.

Always nice to find French people to hang out with, too. An au pair?

[Amy]

I love that in Patrick's mind "not for children" = "for mommies and daddies."

My children are learning spanish from our sitter, and my son has just started french lessons as part of kindergarten (private school; mandatory french K-8). I think lots of schools are starting to offer language classes for younger children (rather than waiting until 7th grade like when I was a kid); there must be something similar in your area.

Hope you are feeling better.

[Anja]

I think you should read the novel "The Last Samurai" by Helen DeWitt if you haven't already done so. It's so so excellent and intelligent and you will laugh. And it's about a boy who is reading the Odessey in Greek on the tube at five years old. No, it's really good.

[Elizabeth]

OH and I definitely second the idea of planning a vacation in France. He will learn in like 20 seconds.

He. Is. So. Adorable. I really really love that he started reading the sticker "warning" in French.

There is really no limit to what they can learn at this age so if you want him to learn Spanish or some other language, too, don't be afraid of introducing it. He's obviously well aware of the existence of separate languages and will not be likely to confuse them any more than any bilingual/polyglot child.

My daughter is learning Greek and French (through osmosis - she's a toddler) and I feel that this is a real gift we are giving her, the chance to learn languages at the optimal time. (My husband is Greek so he takes care of that one, and although he is woefully inconsistent with speaking to her in Greek, she is still learning, and I am just doing a little French here and there with her, mostly singing songs, but we'll do more as she becomes more verbal.)

[Jecca]

My brother and I attended preschools and elementary schools that used the Carden Method, which included French classes beginning at the age of three. Perhaps he'll end up in a school that includes foreign language? Since those immersion language camps are in Minn., I imagine you could find resources through them, too.

[Tammi]

I don't know where in the Cities you are, but I know that St. Paul has the most amazing array of school options...including magnet schools focusing on French, Spanish, music and aerospace schools, etc. - A friend told me there is a circus school, but apparently it is not advertised as such on the District website. MN does have open enrollment and so if parents can cover transportation kids can go to any district as long as they make enrollment deadlines.

If you are thinking about public school next year for Kindergarten, I would start checking out your area schools and see what they offer. So curious about the eval...am awaiting that post!

[cursingmama]

There is a private K-12 school not far from you (very undercover - no?)that has an excellent language program. I would call the school - make contact with the person in charge of the program & see if they have any leads.

[TexasMama]

Do you have an Alliance Francaise in your area? Here they offer French classes for kids starting at 3 I think. My nieces have done them and really enjoyed it. The web address is http://www.alliancefr.org/ if you want to check for one.

[Christine]

I vote you pick a language with a completely different alphabet, just so the rest of us can catch up with him a little.

And Latin never helped me, but I used to bribe my mom to do my homework.

[SarahD]

Ah, Patrick. Si adorable! I don't know about resources in your area, but I agree with the commenter above who recommended French In Action videos. I took 3 years of French and was the president of the French Club and honor society, and those videos were the ONLY thing that could encourage me to actually speak it.

[e]

I think he is the PERFECT age to soak up other languages. I remember being that age and being a language-sponge.

I'd try to find out whether there are any French ethnic clubs in your area (I feel you are rural, though, so I don't know; perhaps French Canadian?). And go through the school-system--what about a young middle-school French teacher eager to make an extra dollar?

[Anita]

Aliance Francais. Although I have had a hard time finding local chapters through any web site, (I picked up Charlotte's brochure at a French Bistro), they will have preschool classes on Saturdays.

You can also check out ex-pats who do private lessons. We have an International House that provides information, too. (I don't know where you live, so can't say if you have one, also)

however, I have no doubt you'll be able to find someone willing and able to teach a child their language.

[Casey]

Mon Dieu! Sacre Bleu!

Bon chance avec Patrick, mon petit choux.

Now he'll be smarter than all of us in two (or more) languages.

[Meg]

In Canada, all the parents who want their children to learn French early (and aren't Francophones themselves) put their kids into French immersion preschools and kindergartens and elementary schools (and so on, and so on.)

I think group classes really are the best way to learn, since kids can interact in the language and play games, etc.

My friend who knows French the best (again, without Francophone parents) had a French nanny who just engaged him in conversation all the time.

I showed the same kind of proclivity towards languages as a child (which somehow disappeared, dammit!) but my parents wanted me to nail everything about English down until I leapt into the next fray. Granted, I learned to read at 2, so I was ready to go at Patrick's age, too.

But still no childhood lessons.

Now I speak some French and took Latin for a few years, and I wish I were still fluent.

[Denise]

At Delaney's School they teach them Spanish and Sign Language. The sign language they pick up pretty easily she is learning about 3 signs a week. They do this through games in cicle time, lots of repeation and even sign videos.

When she was in the 2 year old class they had a Spanish speaking teacher and she taught them Spanish trhough songs. It was amazing... she would sing spanish, then the english so she knew what it meant. In the pre school class neither teacher knew spanish and to be honest didn't learn much. Now she is in Pre-K no spanish teacher, but they have videos with the songs. She loves it and sings the songs at home. They also are taught a small phrase a week... once again lots of repeatition through out the week.

Patrick is VERY smart. Instead of going with an actual teacher... why not try the videos. You can watch them together and learn together. Look for videos where they sing songs (I was told it's easier to learn). Also, what about Dora the Explorer? Delaney loves the show and says all the Spanish words they do.

Also, with all your internet savvy, you can probably find some sort of language game online. Then he would learn not just to say the word, but see the word.

Good luck!!!

[Kristina]

I have a friend who takes her 4 year old son to a French class in St. Paul each Saturday morning and then they go to a little cafe and have pastries together afterwards. Sounds lovely to me. Let me know if you'd like some details and I can ask her.

[Leggy]

Oh he is just too cute. I MUST HAVE the post about the educational assessment- the suspense is killing me.

How about Craigslist? I am thinking about starting the Cutie Pie on piano lessons and I got about 10-12 posts re: people offering to teach piano.

[Aurelia]

So far, the best thing I've found is a computer program witt speech recognition and levels you can set. There are differnet prices at Amazon and ours has brought my kid's grades from a fail to an A+. French lessons at school don't do it nearly as well.
As for vacations, no need to go to France. You can just come visit Quebec. Montreal will have both French and English exposure, and if you go further afield, like Quebec City, you will be completely immersed in French.
And we promise, no french swear words, like last week. (Grin)

Please come & enjoy, it's really beautiful here!

[owlhaven]

I love the Rosetta Stone language learning computer software. I went thru 2 levels of Korean on it, and several of my teens have done both levels of Spanish. It works for any age, and he would probably learn very quickly with it.

Mary, homeschooling a bunch

[Tine]

Contact Alliance Francaise here in Minneapolis. Here's the web address: http://afmsp.org/

There's also a French immersion school in town: http://www.famn.org. It has a preschool program.

[Ariella]

Do you live near a university? If so, contact one of their language departments and see if there is a graduate student who would be interested in coming to your home once (or twice) per week in order to tutor Patrick.

I had a Swiss nanny and she taught me both German and Swiss and I have retained most of what she instructed because it was taught at such a young age (although, I must admit, I have a knack for langauges and that may have something to do with it, as well).

If you don't live near a University, then I'm not sure how you could find someone. BUT! You could probably brush up on your language skills and teach Patrick yourself, if you took anything while in school. Since you'd begin by teaching him things like nouns (ie, colors and numbers) and basic, present tense verb conjugation, I don't think it would be very difficult for you to do it yourself. You could probably buy a beginner's text book and just go through it that way... even call a private school near you that teaches languages to young kids and find out what books they're using.

[JuliaKB]

I don't know about French, but there is an absolutely kick-ass system for teaching reading in Russian, and given Patrick's inclinations, I think he would love it. If you want, I can look into whether there are good Russian teachers out by where you are. Or you can fly me out every week or so, of course :)

[e]

Shame you don't live near a Lycee Francais. Jodie Foster went to the LA one, and as far as I can tell from her various film roles in French, came out of it with a faultless accent. Other than that, I have no clues about classes, except maybe trying to access a French-speaking satellite TV channel, if such a thing is available in the States.

How about a French au-pair? You don't have to pay them masses. Usually best to arrange them by recommendation, though.

[Lisa]

For my two cents, I would suggest Spanish. Because I'm totally kicking myself that I took six years of French, was semi-fluent for about a nano-second, forgot most of it, and now am completely unable to join in the conversation with my boyfriend's Mexican parents and extended family who can talk about me en Espanol to their hearts content without my being able to utter a single word in my defense.

Spanish would be so useful to Patrick, but French is such a beautiful language, and my first love of course, so if you go with that, that's great too!

[kati]

we raise our daughter bilingually (german/english) and it's fascinating stuff. I'm not sure though either how to go about teaching foreign languages to kids if both parents speak the same one. Au-pairs may work (but then you would have to be comfortable with someone else living in your home), immersion schools sound good, or find someone with a different native tongue who consistently meets with Patrick and only speaks in the foreign language. Good luck with this language project!

[Leslie]

A) there is a French school somewhere in Minneapolis (my friend's kids went there).

B) Does your area have Language Stars? It's a foreign language immersion school for kids. You can go once a week for 90 minutes or 3 hours, or several times a week. Though I will venture to guess that despite the actual difference in language, Patrick will probably find the the lesson plans rather pedestrian! www.languagestars.com

[Tania]

Lexie has been learning spanish at pre school last year and this year and is pretty good at it, she also is a wonderful smart reader at only age 4!!!

Try your pre school and see what they have to offer, also see if one of the children there speak french and maybe they and or their parent(s) can help teach it to the children as a group. It is a much easier/funner experience that way.

[JustLinda]

I'd call the schools in your area and ask.

Or check eBay. You can find anything on eBay. ;)

[Sheila]

My girls have learned more French from Madeline books, videos and CD games than I learned in all of high school. I'm thinking of using them as translators on my next trip to Paris.

[Kira]

Start with Latin. There are oodles of Latin DVD programs (thus my children, who are brighter by far than I, are learning Latin). We like the Mars Hill press series.

[susan]

Oh man, I wish I had such problems. Though they say those who learn other languages before they're 7 are better in math and english for all of their school years.

Good luck. He's a great kid. You sure he isn't the model for Calvin though?

[Cadence Daly]

I'd like to respectfully put myself forward as a candidate for a possible future marriage to Patrick. From everything you've ever written about, I feel certain he is the one for me.

I am willing to relocate, also would be willing to undergo any intelligence and aptitude testing you might deem desireable in a potential mate for him. There is no chance that I am his equal in the brains department, so no worries about he and I ever arguing about who the smrt one is. I did take two years of French in college, so with a bit of practice I could probably keep up (at least for a while).

You might have some reservations about all this, and I can understand perfectly. But please don't let the fact that I am old enough to be his grandmother enter into the decision. Or that I am already married. I'm willing to compromise.

[Audrey]

I just want to hug this kid to pieces, every post I read. What a brilliant little guy!

And if he learns ANY other language, he'll be ahead of me, but children really do best with languages at his age, so, please, go for it!

[MustangSally]

Have you thought about hosting a French student from a study abroad program? Either high school or college (if you've got one nearby)?

[kimberly/Tippy Toes]

Do you belong to a local mother's club? My three year old is in an immersion program at our home with four other kids and a French teacher. I heard about the classes via my mom's club email group. We've shown my daughter a few episodes of French in Action, which is what my husband had to watch in his college French class. She claims to love the videos, but I think that is because she normally does not get to watch TV.

As for Spanish, we live in California, so what most people do is hire a nanny. I had hoped our cleaning lady would help teach my daughter some Spanish because she and my daughter love to talk while she's here, but she wants my daughter to help her learn English. Oh well.

[Mary Ellen]

How cute is he??

I am sure you could find someone through a local university. This is actually the best time for him to learn. I studied child language in college, and studies show it is much easier for children to become fluent in a second language if they learn it in early childhood than if they learn it later in childhood or in adolescence.

[margalit]

It shouldn't be that hard to find a french teacher. Call your local high school and ask for a senior student that has taken at least 3 if not 4 years of French. Get the recommendation from the French teacher, and then offer the student a fare wage. If you have a college nearby, you might do even better with a grad student.

I found a latin teacher for my son for the year he was in boarding school that didn't offer Latin though a local college. It worked out well and kept him up with his classmates that were in public school.

Good luck, and Good for Patrick for wanting to learn French. Just wait for the spelling tantrums. It sounds beautiful, but spelling in French is tough for a little guy.

[anothter Amy]

Oh, my god he has better comprehension skills than some of my third grade students. It makes me happy that you are looking for a way for him to learn another language.