回复 #151 Cherrydaddy 的帖子
Cherrydaddy,
As a matter of fact, I do spend time teaching my child English and I've done so since he was born. I've also been acquainted with an American woman who had a child with a Chinese man. Her child could not speak English very well and the reason for that is because she did not spend much time teaching her. This mother also assumed that our son would not be able to speak English very well if he grew up in China, but I have since proven her wrong.
Yes, I've had success teaching my son English, but I've had just as much success teaching children whose native language is Chinese. The principles are the same, it's just that time spent with my students is usually less. If you must know, however, sometimes I feel very tired when I instruct my son at home after teaching Chinese kids all day long, but I still recognize how important it is for me to continue his education. So, I continue teaching him even when I don't want to or I feel frustrated with having to repeat things to him. Also, I don't think he would ever gain native proficiency in China without my help.
The real fact is that every family "teaches" their children, they just don't always understand how they go about doing it or they may not label what they do as "teaching." To say that many bi-lingual families don't teach their kids is ridiculous! Obviously, you haven't spent much actual time with any bi-lingual families. The first thing every family must do is set time aside for their children. In doing that, your children will learn in a very natural way and that is what I try to recreate in my classroom.
Your assumption that Chinese kids can never reach such a high level of competency is also fundamentally wrong. Seriously, it's all about the approach you take and the amount of time you spend practicing. There are plenty of people out there who have done amazingly well with foreign languages. These people are few and far between in today's society, but I submit to you that this is because the most common approaches to English education are not the most efficient, the level of most English teachers is not high, the amount of time most students allot to English practice is very little (and therefore should be more efficient), and many students give up before they achieve a higher level of success (usually because they don't place enough value on learning more or they become frustrated with periodically slow learning... though the reasons and excuses could be countless).
To say that most students will not reach anything more than "fluency" is not far from the truth. However, to say that no one CAN reach a level beyond that is ludicrous. English is not magical and it is not genetic. It doesn't matter what your nationality or race is, you CAN learn it and you can learn it well. How much you learn and how well you speak is entirely up to you. Let me tell you, I know plenty of native speakers who speak the language horribly in my own country, so don't tell that it just depends on growing up in an English speaking environment either. There is a lot that depends on how seriously you want to learn. If you want to learn the language well, then I advise you to find a good teacher who is serious about his profession. If you want better than that, then find a teacher with a high level of proficiency and ability to teach as well.
My motto is this: the sky is the limit. In other words, there is no limit to what my students can learn from me. I am here to teach them everything I know and I fully believe in my ability to do that. That is why I think we have the best place in this country for supplemental education. Keep in mind that not all teachers and programs are the same. If you want to find the best, then I think you should do a lot of comparison and research. Even after that, remember to keep an open mind, something better may come along which you were previously unaware of or did not conceive.
Finally, let me say that I am very proud of the progress my students make. My best students study with me about four times a week and they have already reached the level of "fluency," as I knew they would. Since they are so young now (around 7 years old), I have no doubt that they will be far greater in the future. Students who study with me once a week are a little slower, but they still make noticeable progress and I think they will do just fine in years to come; certainly enough to study in universities, conduct business, and communicate with foreigners. In other words, enough to cover the expectations most parents hold for their children these days.
We do our best to make every hour spent in our classroom meaningful and informative; especially since the amount of time some kids spend speaking English is very nominal. Believe me, nobody realizes this better than us, but we also think that in years to come, every little bit of practice will pay off. Why not make the time spent more efficient as well? That's why we think everyone should come study with us. I mean, why spend 10 years studying what you could learn in only 5?
Nothing I do or say is based on anything other than real experience with real kids. My methods of teaching work and they work remarkably well. In fact, those who follow my advice most carefully get the best results from our program. My students often seem years ahead of their peers in many ways. If you'd like to see things in action, come to our place of business and we will be happy to demonstrate how good it really is..