Tips for Parents

7 Reasons Why Learning A Second Language Makes You A Better Person

I recently discovered numerous scientific reasons why you seem to appear smarter, more creative, or attractive, when you can speak more than one language. Here are the top reasons why:

1. You Develop Better Memory

Researchers have found numerous positive impacts that being bilingual has on our brain. First of all, knowing two languages helps you process information about the surrounding environment more effectively, meaning you become a faster learner. Next, children who speak a second language typically have much better working memories, compared to monolingual peers. Adults, fret not! Though our working memories are developed early in life and it may be harder to master a new language once we’re grown-up, you can still reap the positive benefits.

2. You Strengthen Your Brain

Being fluent in more than one language improves your brain’s functionality by challenging it to operate within different language systems, hence boosting your ability to negotiate meaning in other problem-solving tasks as well. From a scientific standpoint, switching between different languages triggers the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for problem-solving, multi-tasking, and focusing on important things while filtering out irrelevant information).

Bilingual people are also better at paying attention to their environment and analyzing it. This skill comes from being able to tell which language is spoken, so that one can quickly switch between different languages.

Knowing two languages also makes you more creative as you are more capable of understanding things like language syntax, metaphors, and figurative speech, which boost our creative skills and allows us to respond to obstacles in an out-of-the-box manner. In general, being bilingual allows you to tap into the unused creative parts of our brain unlike those who are monolingual.

Another study, from the National Academy of Sciences, discovered additional cognitive gains from being bilingual since birth. Scientists tested 7-month-old infants using audio and changing visuals to analyze their cognitive performance in comparison to monolinguals. They were given an audio cue before being showed a visually stimulating reward (a puppet popping up on their screen). The action was repeated, so that the babies would anticipate the reward. The rewards were also displayed on the opposite sides of the screen after the audio was played. The experiment’s results proved that bilingual babies were faster to adapt to switching screens and showed faster reactions.

Another group of adults were tested to learn Spanish with lyrics in Spanish and English. Participants who already knew another language apart from English and Spanish, proved to pick up and remember the lines faster, compared to those who knew one of the languages, once again proving the positive impact of being bilingual in regards to our memory and cognitive performance in general.

3. You Stave Off Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease For a Few Years

According to Brian Gold, a neuroscientist at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, knowing two languages can reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s and postpone dementia.

When conducting a test with bilingual seniors, researchers discovered they were better at tasks that required them to sort out colors and shapes, when compared to monolingual peers. They also monitored the processes happening inside their brains with a scanner. It turned out that the brains of a monolingual worked much harder to accomplish the task, while the bilingual’s brains were more efficient and could be compared to those of young adults. Having more reserve of brain power when you age can help you stay protected against the losses caused by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

4. You Become Better At Building Relationships With Others

Apart from the obvious fact that being capable of conversing in different languages makes it easier to create social ties with people around the globe and win attraction more easily, there’s also a more subtle level of impact behind that.

Susan Ervin-Tripp from the University of California noted in her report, “When we are in situations demanding a change in language, we may have a strong sense of a shift in values and feelings. Some bilinguals even report they have two personalities.” Indeed, a lot of bilinguals admit they feel like having two different personalities for operating one or another language. Mainly, this is due to the fact that different languages influence the way we think, from how we choose the vocabulary to describe the world around us to getting influenced by the different cultures you are operating in. Actually, that’s a great thing, as the ability to switch between different languages improves your ability to understand others, be more empathetic, and communicate better; therefore, drastically improving your relationships with others.

Language is the core tool to help us better understand morals, beliefs, passions, and woes of other people.

5. You Have More Career Prospects

Having more than one language in your resume can drastically improve your chances of getting hired. In fact, a recent survey proved that bilinguals in the US also tend to earn at least $7.000 more annually compared to monolingual peers with the same kind of work experience. The reason is simple: there are fewer bilinguals to choose from, hence each one has a higher “value”. However, in Canada (a bilingual country), many people speak the two official languages of English and French. They tend to earn 7-8% more than monolingual counterparts. Foreign languages that will currently make you the most money include German, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic.

6. You Seem To Appear More Attractive

There’s something special about your friend who’s capable of switching between languages, right? Well, a recent international survey has just confirmed that bilingual people tend to appear more attractive compared to monolinguals. Over 79% of survey respondents from around the globe agreed that a person speaking a second language instantly seems more appealing. However, there’s a catch. Only certain languages cast this magical effect. The languages on top of this list are no surprise: French, Italian, Spanish, and English. The least sexy language turned out to be Korean.

7. You Become a Better Traveler

One of the biggest differences between a traveler and a mere tourist is that the first one is capable of making genuine connections with the locals and getting to know the culture deeper, while the first one simply enjoys a quick and superficial familiarity. Speaking the local language, at least just a few words, will open more doors to you and will help you connect to the locals on a new level.

Obviously, navigating around a foreign land gets much easier. The locals will often make an additional effort for you if you manage to crunch just a few local phrases. At least, that’s what my travel experience has proven so far!

Repost from Lifehack.

What to Say To your Kids About the Election?

It is hard to keep our kids out of the very adult conversations that have entered this election cycle. Either side you stand on there has been a lot of name calling and put downs regarding those folks across the aisle. Here are a few tips from our friends at Common Sense Media.

Today, when the latest campaign trail gaffe or political scandal goes viral, your kids will likely hear about it before you do. How will they know whether a claim or a charge is based in fact, an unsubstantiated smear, or typical campaign overstatement?

For today’s teens, social media is their primary news source. According to a study by the University of Chicago, nearly half of young people age 15–25 get news at least once a week from family and friends via Twitter or Facebook. And they can’t necessarily tell fact from fiction. The presidential candidates now use Twitter to spin their messages and slam their opponents. One of the study’s conclusions: “Youth must learn how to judge the credibility of online information and how to find divergent views on varied issues.”

The media plays a huge role in our country’s political process. And with the 24/7 news cycle, those effects are magnified. On the plus side, there are plenty of age-appropriate resources at your fingertips, some of which we’ve listed below. Here’s how you can help your kids become media-savvy participants in democracy.

Elementary School Kids

Seek out kid-friendly news. Turn to news sources designed for kids, such as HTE Kids News, Time for Kids, and Scholastic Kids Press Corps. These news websites break down the events of the day in age-appropriate terms, while avoiding stuff you probably won’t want them exposed to.

Decode ads. When a political ad comes on TV or is striped across or down the side of a computer screen, talk to your kid about the claims the ad is making and how music and visuals are used to persuade viewers. Talk about why there are so many negative ads — and why they work.

Read kid-friendly books about American politics. Check out Bad Kitty for President, which does a surprisingly good job of explaining the U.S. political system. And since candidates are always referring to the founding fathers, find out what they were really like in The Founding Fathers: Those Horse-Ridin’, Fiddle-Playin’, Book-Readin’, Gun-Totin’ Gentlemen Who Started America. See Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? and Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? for a taste of colonial-era politics.

Keep the bombast at bay. Kids may not understand concepts such as abortion, guns, troops, and immigration, but they can certainly feel the emotion behind the rhetoric. Try to change the station and mute the TV when you can. Kids will pick up on your reactions — and they sometimes feel at fault for causing them — so if a candidate makes you mad, explain that the man or woman on TV made you feel that way and why.

Middle School Kids

Watch one or more of the many televised candidate debates. Discuss the issues during the commercials and after it’s over. Ask your kid: Whom do you think won, and why? Did the moderator challenge the candidates or just let them spout their talking points?

Talk about political advertising. How is a political ad like a regular commercial for a product? Is it selling a candidate just like another sells cereal? Who paid for the ad you’re watching? Can political ads actually influence the outcome of an election? Watch political movies to see how fictional political strategies mirror real-life ones.

Share political cartoons. Mocking the candidates is a long-cherished tradition Americans can enjoy in the name of free speech. Poking fun of politicians takes some bite out of their often harsh statements, shows kids that challenging bold claims is part of our political process, and offers a sense of relief when the campaign rhetoric heats up.

Ask how elections really work. Draw a link between your kids’ experience of student body elections or mock presidential elections at school and those on the state and national levels. Are elections just a popularity contest, or does someone win because he or she has the best ideas?

De-fang hate speech and fear-mongering. Be sensitive to the fact that when candidates unleash extreme, zealous statements, they can stir up scary emotions (worry, confusion, fear, anxiety) in tweens. Explain that candidates intentionally try to appeal to people’s emotions to gain an advantage over their rivals and that some candidates will resort to insulting, bullying, and even lying. Tell your kids that much of what the candidates say simply isn’t true. See if you can get your kids to pick out the kinds of statements that are attention-getting vs. meaningful comments about what policies the candidates would institute if elected.

High School Kids

Watch news and debates together. Compare the media coverage on different shows and networks. Do reporters, news anchors, and opinion shows spend too much time on distractions that heat up the news cycle rather than on the real issues facing our country? Check the credibility of candidates’ claims at the nonpartisan site FactCheck.org.

Talk about the influence of polls. A lot of what drives momentum in campaigns are the latest poll results, reported on news shows and websites. Your family may be getting calls at home from pollsters or one of the campaigns asking whom you’ll vote for. How might polls influence people? Are polls accurate predictors of election-day results? Send teens to Reddit, where they can share, rank, and discuss the news.

Discuss the role of social media in elections. Do your teens follow any politicians on Twitter or other feeds? What kinds of posts earn your teen’s respect, and what kinds erode it? Is it risky to talk politics with friends online if you disagree?

Remind them not to believe everything they read. Encourage them to get out from behind their computers with Rock the Vote, which uses music and pop culture to engage teens.

Talk about fear and hate-mongering among politicians. Teens are old enough to understand that extreme positions and outrageous comments attract attention — and sometimes that’s all politicians want. Why do candidates make offensive statements, and what impact do zealous positions have on voters and the political process? Do you pay more attention when a candidate is making outrageous statements or discussing actual policy? How much of what a candidate says is designed to appeal to voters’ emotions?

Repost from Common Sense Media

6 Benefits of Raising a Bilingual Child

There are many benefits to raising a bilingual child. This video highlights six critical benefits that your child will receive from being exposed to a bilingual education early in life.

Children Learn Language Without an Accent: Neither my husband or myself speak any level of Mandarin. One of the best compliments that we receive when native Mandarin speakers communicate with our children is “their accent is perfect.” Our daughters truly love speaking Mandarin and despite our household’s fluency in the language the fact that our daughters were introduced to Mandarin at such an early age native speakers continuously acknowledge that their Mandarin is void of any English accent that is often found in native English speakers learning Mandarin.
Language Exposes Children to Different Cultures: I have to admit that sometimes this is a mixed bag as it relates to raising bilingual Mandarin speakers as an African American family. There are so many connections between the Chinese and African American community. But the Chinese culture has an open door policy around criticism and accountability that is very different than the “American way” of parenting. On one occasion a Mandarin speaking parent shared that a teacher informed a kindergartner “if you don’t pick up your back pack off the floor I will never be your friend again.” The native English speaking parents were shocked and offended by the comment. The parents that were raised by Chinese speaking parents laughed it off stating “that sounds just like my mom.” We have struggled with the fact that our children are exposed to a level of engagement that we view as harsh and at times inappropriate. I have had many discussions with Black parents that are deeply troubled with this level of engagement. We have not identified that our children have internalized any negative issues regarding self-image regarding these statements and continue to move forward. Additionally, the Chinese culture is deeply embedded with fables and folklore surrounding the Monkey King and stories that are inclusive of subtle issues around skin complexion, stereotypical gender roles and death and dying. We have embraced this process to discuss the parallel process in American and African American history but many families are unable to connect with these fables and cultural depictions. The novel Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes is an example of the literature that we expose our daughters to in order to explore a shared and parallel experience between the Chinese American and African American experience.
Children Learn Through Play: Our daughters have been completely immersed in the Chinese language experience because we have had a series of excellent teachers. Initially, our daughters were in a preschool that provided a 100% Mandarin Immersion experience where the entire classroom instruction was in Mandarin – from drop off at 8am until pick up at 6pm. The teachers have been so kind, caring and nurturing that our daughters’ experience, engagement and introduction to the language was enjoyed with an incredible amount of fun that made it easy to digest. They are currently in a program that is 50% Mandarin and 50% English. The girls continue to enjoy the hands on activities that assist them in learning a new language and exploring the world around them.
Caretakers Who Speak a Foreign Language: Due to cost and accessibility this is not always an available option to monolingual parents. We have been lucky that we live in Berkeley and that there is a large community of Mandarin speakers at the local university. While we do have to pay more for college student babysitters that are Mandarin speakers than we do for our English speaking sitters it has been a great opportunity for our children. Additionally, we have noticed that the Mandarin speaking sitters have truly enjoyed the relationship that they have developed with our children. They have consistently been impressed with our daughters’ language skills and enjoy the opportunity to further their contact with Mandarin speakers in the US. Bringing native speakers into the home has also encouraged the girls to speak more Mandarin with each other outside of school. I have noticed that when the girls are about to get in trouble – yelling at each other or refusing to share – they have opted to speak to one another in Mandarin in an effort to avoid mommies consequences. Albeit it is funny I find ways to encourage engaging in Mandarin at home without using it to share secrets from mommy!
Children Learn When They Are Emotionally Engaged: Our daughters also benefit from their language learning experience through their exposure to PAASSC (Parents of African American Students Studying Chinese). For the first few years we never explicitly explained to our girls what PAASSC was. But the connection to other African American students provided them with an opportunity to consistently engage with a larger community of sutdents of African descent that are also learning Chinese. While my daughters were young I believe that they thought most Black children spoke Chinese because such a significant amount of non-relatives that they were meeting also spoke Chinese. This was a great way to normalize their process and help them to feel confident in their skills and experience as a bilingual youth being raised in a monolingual household.
Learn At Home with Language DVDs and CDs: We have two amazing Chinatown communities available to us here in the Bay Area (San Francisco & Oakland). There is a plethora of DVDs that we have been able to purchase for our daughters (some that we like more than others). Additionally, we have enjoyed the range of videos available on YesAsia.com. We will be purchasing a Universal DVD player in the near future to obtain a larger selection of Mandarin films.

Monolingual parents do not have to miss out on the opportunity to raise bilingual children. There are many resources to help monolingual families raise bilingual children that love and grow from the experience – no matter how foreign it may feel to us.

Celebrating Thanksgiving (in Chinese)!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Celebration. I love Thanksgiving even more than Christmas because family travels near and far simply to spend time amongst loved ones. The girls were excited all the way up until the big day. We traveled to the airport to pick up family. They have enjoyed treats, snacks and a great selection of soul food. Below is a video of Kiah talking about her Thanksgiving Day plans with some of her friends at school. She enjoyed speaking in front of prospective families with her friends and especially the new “big kids” that she is friends with at her school. Hope you enjoy watching her excitement in this video.

5 Reasons to Hire a Chinese Tutor… Now!!!

Is it necessary to hire a tutor if your child is enrolled in a Chinese Immersion program. The short answer to that question is “no” the best answer to that question is “YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!”

As monolingual parents of bilingual children it is unlikely that our children are exposed to Chinese in the home. It is not required to hire a tutor but supplementing your child’s education increases the chances that your child will be confident in speaking their non-native language, receive individualized support, and address any learning needs right away.

I am concerned that families that do not supplement Chinese at home and/or outside of the classroom are less likely to notice delays in their child’s ability to learn and/or retain the non-native language right away, have difficulty providing their children with simple tools and techniques to keep their children interested in learning and on par with their peers, as well as, the added benefit of connecting with a Chinese tutor that will help to explain certain cultural aspects of the Chinese language.

1. Your Child’s Academic Success also Depends on their Chinese

Once a child begins to show some delays in their ability to recognize/write characters or maintain a conversational fluency comparable to their peers it may be too late to seek help. I don’t want to sound like a pessimist but there are a number of reasons why waiting until your child is struggling may be too late. First, while there are numerous resources out there to help you find a Chinese speaking tutor there is no guarantee that the week or month that your child needs support that your schedule or your finances will match the availability of the tutors that you find. Second, when the teacher or your child makes it clear to you that they NEED a tutor how do you really know when your child began struggling and whether or not their confidence and desire to learn Chinese has been impacted by these struggles.

I believe that it’s better to start early. Try out a few different tutors. There are a number of affordable options. 1) While your child is young develop a relationship with a pre-teen that is willing to read story books and sing songs with your child while you are home. As the pre-teen ages they will still allow you a discounted rate and their own maturity level and skill set will increase in the meantime. 2) Utilize a virtual assistant through services like elance.com. You can hire a virtual tutor that will skype with your child two to three times a week for less than $10/hour.

Build the relationship early to find a tutor that is right for your child so that you aren’t forced to scramble at the last minute if your child is experiencing some difficulties. Additionally, it’s an added perk to support your child with extra opportunities for reading, writing and speaking Chinese outside of the classroom. They can only benefit from the experience.

2. Time Flies When you are Learning Chinese

Many parents begin their children in Immersion programs and they know that their child needs support learning Chinese. If at any point a parent sees their child struggling I know that the decision is often made fairly quickly to look for a tutor or additional supplements to support your child. But then time passes quickly – 1 week (waiting on return phone calls), 2 weeks (busy at work), 3 weeks (the teacher hasn’t mentioned anything else), 4 weeks (your child says they don’t like school anymore), 5 weeks (sticker shock), 6 weeks (family members start promoting their school where they promise your child will excel), and the ball keeps rolling.

3. You are a Busy Parent

Supplementing your child’s Chinese by yourself is an incredible opportunity but one that may overwhelm most parents. As a busy parent the best way to supplement your child’s Chinese is to play Chinese CDs in the car. You can get CDs from the school, local library and/or from your local Chinatown retailers. While many parents are opposed to television there are an array of Chinese DVDs that range from popular Chinese children’s songs, Chinese dubbed American movies, etc. Be sure to begin collecting DVDs early and establish a relationship with a retailer. Some of the movies may have poor production quality or might not appeal to your child. Keep trying and find a style that is right for your child.

While many of us will find creative ways to supplement our child’s learning that doesn’t mean that we will ever be able to help them with their Chinese homework. While it is not necessary and most schools but supports in place for monolingual families I strongly recommend hiring a tutor. Educating your child is a one-time opportunity so no regrets.

4. You Can Move Beyond your Own Cultural Group

I don’t know about you but I have always considered myself to have an extremely diverse group of friends. It’s actually something that many people compliment me on. That’s why I was surprised when I realized not one of my friend’s are Chinese. In fact my friends are not quite as diverse as I thought. Very few of my friends are bilingual and even less were born outside of the United States. For families like my own I see the investment in a tutor as an opportunity to begin connecting with a cultural group that I clearly have unwittingly alienated myself from. I anticipate it will be difficult to explain to my child why I am promoting that she learn a set of cultural norms that I am clearly disconnected from. Identifying a tutor early on in this journey helps us as parents to establish relationships beyond our own cultural group.

Outside of developing a relationship with a tutor families can incorporate celebrations of Chinese holidays at home, cooking Chinese foods and visiting Chinese businesses.

5. Staying at the Top of the Curve

While this may not be politically correct I think it’s necessary to add. It’s time for us as African American mothers to embrace the “Lion Mom” inside of us (tigers don’t live in Africa). We didn’t step out and encourage our children to try something new so that they would be “okay” at it. We are pursuing a Chinese Immersion education in an effort that it will provide our children with a stimulating academic environment so that they will reach their full potential.

Staying at the top of the curve sometimes requires a little nudge. Often we don’t have to nudge our children if we start early enough. We really need to nudge ourselves. Nudge ourselves to raise our expectations. Give Kumon a try. During Spring Break consider a science camp. Join a museum and take your child regularly. And don’t forget to read your child a book every night. Start habits for yourself that will ensure you are giving your child the best gifts for their future.