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Starting school but doesn't speak English!

malimis

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 September 2012 - 22:10

My DD is 4 and since we've just arrived to Dubai she has not have time to learn any English so far .. She is supposed to start Kg2 this week but I am so worried for her. She seems to be the only one in this school who doesn't speak English.. anyone who has been through this already??

Anonymous (not verified)

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 September 2012 - 16:33

My daughter has been living with grandmother in NW Pakistan and doesn't speak any English. She arrived in the UAE 1 year ago and started school - grade 1 without any KG experience at all. She now speaks, reads and writes not only our native Pasthu but also Urdu, English, and Arabic. I think the most important thing is that a child loves her teacher and the teacher loves her - then the child will thrive!!!! Just make sure the school is nurturing and her teacher is loving - the rest will just happen before your eyes. Children are sponges if they are happy.

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zebra5564981

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 22:22

Children learn new languages much faster than adults , dont worry :)

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karabalta64530

165

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 12:05

When we lived in Jordan, I put my son (age 3) in an all-Arabic nursery. I wanted him to learn the language and the best way is immersion. He was ok, although the teacher at one point told me he couldn't concentrate and needed assessing ... I just laughed as it's hard for an adult to concentrate in a second-language setting for so long.

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tiktok3464985

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 11:58

Kids catch up very fast , just make sure you teach your child the basic necessary phrases. Water, pain, hungry,toliet

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flydiver1136092

504

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EW GURU

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 10:42

Only you know your child. I'm sure some kids are amazing and grasp any new language and some struggle. My husbands colleague arrived from SA with a 5, 7 and 8 year old, all mainly speaking Africans. The older two thrived and were chatting away in no time. The 5 yr old was shy and very unhappy, so they decided to take her our of school and home school her for the rest of the year with an English tutor. She is doing much better this year, and has just started back with her siblings. Another friend has also chosen to send her 3yr o,d to an Arabic school for the first 2years to learn the language. She's only been there a few days, and is the youngest in the class, but seems to believing it. Follow your instincts and do whats best for your family, and I'm sure she will be just fine.

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jellymum

196

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 09:40

Agree with Desert Rose on this one. Watch to make sure your child is coping and offer support where necessary, and of course stay in close touch with teachers at the school. This situation is not unique, particularly in this part of the world where there is such diversity. We had similar issue years ago when we adopted a 4-year old non-English speaker. We started her off in a nursery where there were others speaking her language as well as English and then progressed to a British curriculum school. You will be amazed how quickly they learn. Within 6 weeks our daughter had enough words for basic communication and the only issue we ever had in the British system was that, because she had never been in the UK, there were gaps in her knowledge and vocabulary. For example, how can a child who has always been in this region know about the seasons? She wasn't however alone in this as lots of British children in Dubai have never actually lived in the UK either. More telling in our case were the sad times when she was asked to take in pictures of herself when she was a baby - and of course we had none!!

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mushypeas29204

2192

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 08:50

is the school aware of this ? was your child assessed before they offered a space.

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malimis

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 September 2012 - 23:18

Thank you both, she is shy but very smart and I HOPE she'll learn fast and i also hope the school will manage to give her the support she neads..

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DesertRose1958

1337

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 September 2012 - 22:51

Malimis, I think you're right to be concerned because this kind of situation is quite often brushed off as being not much of a problem. I dont think its always the case, it wasnt in our situation, some of my children picked up the foreign language automatically, but one didnt and his early school years were not that great to be honest. It also spilled over into his out of school life and he was very unhappy for a long time. I think all that can be said is - just watch your DD and if it looks like she's not coping then accept that this situation can often be portrayed to be more difficult that people generally make it out to be. Trust your instincts as a mum and if you think your wee girl is not coping then she probably isnt. Than again she will more than likely be blethering away in English 6 months from now and you'll wonder why you were worried.

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Heyjude35473

254

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 September 2012 - 22:36

I have come across a couple of families that have had to deal with this "challenge". In both cases, the kids adapted and learnt so fast, that three months later it had ceased to be a problem. That is not to say that is isn't scary for the child and worrying for the parents. I was stressed out and in tears last week and my kids were only changing school, not country or language (my kids were fine though, only I was the stressed one). Because your little one is so small, I think you will be amazed by their capacity to learn. At that age and the desire to communicate is stronger than their concern over getting it "wrong", they learn much faster than we would in the same situation.

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