Local Elementary School Offers Language Immersion Programs

By Emily Holden

It doesn't take long to find out that any good or bad word a young child hears is likely to be learned and repeated. Parents are frequently astonished by a child's capacity for language. And parents of children who attend one Baton Rouge school have recognized this is a unique ability and they are taking it up a notch.

South Boulevard Elementary began offering foreign language immersion programs more than 10 years ago. The academic magnet, located downtown off Government Street, began with Spanish and added the French program seven years ago when it was moved from Winbourne Elementary.

Native-Speakers
Students at the school spend 65 to 75 percent of the day speaking a foreign language. Native-speakers teach math, science and social studies in the target language. Native English speakers teach reading and language arts. Class sizes are usually between 17 and 20 students so that each student receives individual attention. Cheryl Miller, South Boulevard principal, said the immersion program is not as well known as it should be.

"Sometimes people are under the false impression that these are Spanish speaking children coming here," Miller said. Students who speak English as a native tongue may only enter the program in kindergarten or first grade unless they have a background in the target language. The school uses the same application process and academic magnet test as other parish magnet schools.

Pauline Ewing, lead magnet teacher, said languages learned before age 8 are stored in the same part of the brain as the mother tongue.

"That's why if you learn a language very young it's easy to find the words when you need them," Ewing said. She said learning a second language activates a part of your brain that would otherwise remain dormant.

"More often that not, they accept it because French is part of Louisiana culture and a large part of our English language is filled with words from Spanish and French languages because they are both Latin-based," Miller said. She said it's interesting to hear students from each of the classes comparing vocabulary words.

Miller said parents often worry they won't be able to help their children with homework. She said younger children receive homework in English and all homework after second grade is in the target language. However, teachers review the concepts before they send the work

Understanding Another Language
Ewing said parents are always amazed to see their children understanding another language when they come in for first nine-week conferences.

"In that short amount of time, they could see how much the child had absorbed," Ewing said.

Miller hopes to see the immersion program expand through middle and high school. She said she would love to include other languages such as Mandarin Chinese, but it is just not feasible for the near future.

Ewing said parents of prospective students should call the school and arrange to visit a class. South Boulevard will also hold an “Immersion Excursion” open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 for interested parents.