Job Discussion Forums

[Maitoshi]

[kzjohn]

We have two girls, now in their 20s, raised outside of the biggest cities with no international schools (city pop. is about 500,000). They're both successful, and while high on the bilingual scale, are low on the bicultural one.

First and foremost, be a father. Be there. Read as much as possible with them. Supply them with all the English media that you can (and now is different to the 90s, when ours were young).

You need to make a dash for the JALT Bi-Lingual SIG (Special Interest Group), because those people have been dealing with, and trying different things, for someone in your position for a couple decades or more. They have monographs with research, a newsletter (maybenow kaput), and other resources. There are many others who have gone thru conditions and been asking questions like you are now, and there is a lot of reading that you could benefit from.

Two suggestions:

First, you are a model language learner for your kids. If you expect them to adhere to the standard to become bilingual, then you should become bilingual, too. Equality all around. Show and model for them how bilingualism should be. This is my great failing--I just relied on "Hey, I'll just speak English with everyone," and while it worked out in the end, things (and my Japanese) should have been better.

Second, especially if you're staying in Japan long term, support all of their Japanese education. Don't diss or complain about the "system" or the schools here, you need to show that you have full confidence in what they are doing in school, and that you support that fully. And that you are trying to make that system work as best as it can for them. Be as involved and concerned for betterment as you can. (It will rub off on them.)

Finally, don't damage their chances to become perfectly fluent, normal speakers of Japanese (again, support their schooling). It's more important for them to have one good language, and one weak one, than to have two weak ones.

IMO, middle and esp. high school English textbooks are at a fairly high level. If they are able to grasp all of what's in those (something you could work with them on) their English would be pretty good.

[rxk22]

On my cell so this is all I could find http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2049938/Stressed-mothers-juggling-home-work-love-lives-likely-girls.html

[rxk22]

KZ John, just have to say bravo on the advice there. Well thought out, and just all around awesome. Esp about not knocking Japanese education, as that could lead to quite a bit of unintended consequences later on.

Also it is best to have one solid language, and one secondary language. I agree with you there.

[mspxlation]

(they were German immigrants) by not responding to anything in English.

My grandmother once told me that whenever she or her siblings said something in English in the presence of their parents, the response was always Ich verstehe nicht "I don't understand." However, she and her siblings always spoke English outside the house.

In fact, my mother also grew up speaking German because of contact with those older relatives. However, she was definitely English-dominant and had an American accent in German.

One of my mother's cousins married a German woman while he was stationed in Germany with the military, and they raised their two sons to be bilingual. One thing they did once the boys were older was send them to spend their summer vacation with the German grandparents.

Perhaps the OP could do something like this with his children once they are old enough to be away from home for a while, as long as the grandparents or other relatives would be willing to host them.

[Maitoshi]

Thank you, msp! Summers abroad are an excellent idea, if we can muster up the funds

We are also considering secondary and post-secondary schools abroad, but worry about how much influence we may lose over their development.