Dinner Time Language Class

EFFECTIVE WAITING 

Dinner Time Language Class

These are some of the ways that I can think of right now that people use to learn a foreign language:

A. Immerse yourself in the culture, and have no other way to survive but to learn it.

B. Google translate. 

C. Book or translation dictionary.

D. Language app. 

E. Taping the word and pronunciation to various items in the home.

I have lived in Germany for three years but worked on an American military post, so I was not immersed in the culture. I did not learn German.

Internet-based translation has always caused the other person to raise an eyebrow, so I am hesitant on its accuracy.

I have a small pocket dictionary for English to Russian translation, and though I see it daily, I have only opened it a handful of times over the last year because it’s not a necessity.

Language app: I downloaded one for French Creole, and tried the free parts of it, but I only kept it up for about one day. It just didn’t hold my attention.

Taping up the words on items around the house has not yet been done, and I wonder how much it would be utilized.

I’ve made lots of changes in my life, and I found that some of the most powerful key ingredients to change include the following:

A. A living human teacher/mentor. 

B. Interaction based practice.  (Hands on learning)

C. An assignment I’m willing to do with a deadline.   

D. Accountability for the assignment.  

So, I thought it was pretty cool when my wife signed up for a one on one FaceTime class for one hour each week.  The teacher has experience with both Adoption and Haitian society today.  My wife takes what she learns, and uses our dinner times that are already happening every night and converts this time together into social time for us to practice applicable phrases. It’s a slow pace method for myself and the kids, but it’s not overwhelming, it’s enjoyable, and it keeps us all on the same subject… as you can imagine how crazy dinner time might be for a family of seven.

A short side story from tonight‘s dinner: our youngest daughter (5 years old) in her very tired condition shed a few tears and was a little angry when I told her that her siblings won’t be able to understand her at first because they won’t know or understand our language. She demanded adamantly that they would understand us easily when they first arrive. I just gave her love, told her tonight‘s phrase, and she easily switched gears and replied with pride with a twinkle in her eye and a smile...and a tear still on her cheek.  I love her!

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