<p>My daughter spends a lot of time on AP Spanish, but it’s ok because she absolutely loves it and wants to either double major in Spanish or minor in Spanish. The hardest part is the listening so she spends a lot of time listening to Spanish tv ( the news) and I bought her the Spanish AP books with audio. We do not have any native speakers but my older daughters friend is majoring in Spanish and my kid and the friend often talk so that my daughter can practice. Right now she is doing very well in the class although I do understand that the AP test is difficult. We have some friends in our neighborhood who speak fluent Spanish and I told my daughter that I am willing to pay the kid for her time if she comes over and speaks Spanish with my daughter. My daughter just looks at me like I am weird. </p>
<p>Maxwell good luck to your D with her clarinet!!</p>
<p>I just found out that S is learning Spanish on the side of his other studies. We were in the grocery store and he set the self checkout scanner language to Spanish. I thought that was a creative way to become familiar with the language.</p>
<p>Maxwell, Good luck to your D on the concerto! My D is trying out for All County in a couple weeks. She hasn’t played her instrument over the last few months since she plays a different one during marching band season, so she is feeling some pressure too.</p>
<p>I tried that with my phone. I switched it to Chinese. Uh-oh. My Chinese was not quite good enough to switch it back to English. I had to give it to D who doesn’t know Chinese either but she knows phones.</p>
<p>@shoboemom, good luck to your D.! Is she still doing marching band in school? I always admire the band kids. they have to spend so much time in band, and take good care of their academics. When my D. was in band, I watched her and wondered if I could do things like that. D. really loved band. She got into all state in freshman year. She loved band and decided to do it all four years. That didn’t happen because of complicated situation with the teacher. She is still very close to the band and good friends with many band kids.</p>
<p>@Maxwell, She opted out of marching band this year. She did it Freshman and Sophomore year, but that was one of the things that just needed to go. She never did love it, but liked some aspects of it. She seemed to like some of the practices and the competitions, but did not like playing at the football games at all. I think she is serious when she says she’d love to find a college that has no emphasis on sports! Marching band may be in consideration for next year. I sort of doubt it though. During marching season this year, she still played her marching instrument (Sax) while in class since that was the music they were always working on. Most of her friends are in the marching band. We went this past weekend to watch the final competition.</p>
<p>shoboemom, In our school, if they don’t participate in marching band or jazz band, they’re not allowed to audition for all state. It’s great your D. can still try out for all state even though she’s not in marching band. Is she in jazz band, or concert band? In our school, you have to do marching band in order to do concert band.</p>
<p>OK Sally22, you do have me beat! I feel like I spent all weekend on the soccer field though, and this is just a rec league! We finished with the championship game under the lights last night. D2’s team lost after a double overtime and then penalty kicks - 18 of them! It was brutal. There were some wonderful moments of great sportsmanship though, which is making me all teary again just thinking about it.</p>
<p>Good luck to all of the kids still playing sports or who are competing for orchestra/band spots! D played viola for years and took piano too, and has asked me to sign her back up for piano lessons. I love to hear the kids play their music in the house. :)</p>
<p>Slackermom, that happened to me too! Not with Chinese and not intentionally but my friend was “helping” me with my phone and accidentally switched the language preferences to a language that used an unfamiliar alphabet. I’m thinking it was a Scandinavian language but I can’t say for sure, only that I couldn’t read a word. I had to call customer support to talk me through resetting the phone to English.</p>
<p>I was recently impressed when my D had a lengthy conversation in Mandarin with a group of tourists looking for help finding a landmark, learning the hours it was open, figuring out how much it cost to get in…etc. She is not a heritage speaker so she started from scratch in this language and has had no parental help. It seemed like she was getting nowhere for the first few years-finally she’s at a point where she can converse and understand, at least in the basics. It sounds like very modest gains but I’m impressed. She is on track to take the AP test as a senior and I’m pretty happy about that. She’ll take it as planned but I don’t think she has a prayer of doing terribly well unless she goes away for an immersion year the way Apollo’s S did. All AP language exams and probably the SAT subject tests too lend themselves to native or heritage speakers taking the class for an easy “5.”</p>
<p>She is in concert band, which really begins now that marching band season is over. I think she is ‘supposed’ to be in marching band. We had to write a note to excuse her from it. We didn’t have to offer any specifics, just a parent note. I have heard others says tht marching was required at their schools. I don’t really understand why it needs to be required…that means you can’t be involved in playing an instrument unless you can make a big commitment to after school activities. Not sure why it needs to be all or nothing. I do wish the schools here had an orchestra option. I’d love for her to have that experience. </p>
<p>3 girls, that is quite impressive that she could carry on the conversation in Mandarin!</p>
<p>Softball sounds like a heck of a commitment! D used to play club volleyball so I know long days in unfamiliar cities, but since that season conflicts with Lacrosse she doesn’t do it anymore. Right now is the lovely quiet between vball and LAX…no winter sport here, just once a week indoor LAX and runs after school, which I have started doing with her. I haven’t been a regular runner for a couple of years…</p>
<p>Speaking of Changing Languages on Electronic Devices - When the bought our last GPS for WW (wonderful wife) we set the language to Mandarin…the DD & I were snickering while in the car car while WW was driving…now she was following the directions but couldn’t quite understand why her Mandarin brain was engaged (her native tongue is Mandarin - born is Taiwan). </p>
<p>PS - by the way neither the DD or are are at all fluent in Mandarin - I personally have enough challanges with English.</p>
<p>Talking about FL, does any body plan to apply NSLI-Y? or does anyone know somebody with that experience? We’d like to hear. D. is applying for their Chinese summer program. Don’t know if she can get in. It must be extremely competitive, since it’s completely free. She went to Cambridge last summer and greatly enjoyed the study abroad experience.</p>
<p>Yes- softball girl is applying also for Chinese. Our HS have had 2 students the last 2 years take part. I know d2 is busy working on her application. She met with the girl who went last year on Friday before school to discuss her application. Funny the same girl met with my D1 the following day to discuss the college scholarship d1 has.</p>
<p>I haven’t really researched it much- H is putting his footdown about some of the countries she is discussing for her 2nd choice.</p>
<p>I don’t even know if D. has put in second choice. I remember hearing her saying there is no chance to get into second choice, because there’d be so many people putting her second choice as their first. I don’t know if it makes sense? She already sent hers in. In our area, nobody ever applied.</p>
<p>I’m trying to convince D to finalize her application. She could combine this with a history project she is working on in Suzhou but she’s so timid that she’s afraid of staying with a host family. She’s also applying for something different through the school. That doesn’t start accepting applications until January though.</p>
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