RE: Lower School French Class Dear TPS Parents, I am hopeful that you have all had a good start to the school year. I had the chance to visit with Cindy Evans, PATS President, for a few minutes yesterday and she shared that the first week of school went very smoothly. I will be holding our first “Parent Coffee” on Friday, September 6th, 2013 at 7:45 AM in the TPS MPR. We know that this is not the optimal time for everyone, but if you can, please join us! At these coffees we have the opportunity to share the vision and news regarding the school with you as well as answer questions you might have. In the mean time, I do want to answer one question for you, that you might not have heard the answer to last year at our parent coffees or in the board meetings; that question being, “What about lower school French?” ______________________________________________________________________________ There is actually a three-part answer to this question. Part One: When I was first brought into TPS six years ago there were concerns with the lower school French program. In short, it was ineffective and students over the course of time were not really learning to understand and speak French, they were memorizing common French words, the alphabet, colors, and numbers. This was partly due to the inefficiency in curriculum and faculty. So we made adjustments to both and over time we saw some positive results but not all for which we had hoped. The primary reason that French was not effective was that we were not teaching it by immersion, or lengthy time periods where students are required to read, listen to, and speak only French. Due to our rigorous curriculum and heavy concentration on English language arts as well as making sure we maintained time for history, geography, math, science, art, and physical education we realized that teaching French by immersion was not possible in our program. Part Two: We are a classical school and a true classical school focuses on Latin. Latin is a significant root language for much of our own language, English, as well as French and Spanish. Therefore the teaching of Latin roots in our grammar program was a natural flow of our classical program, and we have worked hard to develop a progressive scope and sequence for Latin roots in grades K-6 setting our students up for grades 7-8 (and one additional year in grades 9-12) where full Latin classes are required. In doing this we have developed a system in which students going from K-8 are extremely well prepared for grades 9-12 where they can choose from more Latin, Spanish, and French. Interestingly, through this process we have more Freshman this year than ever before who want to take Latin in high school. In addition, all data points to the fact that those students who take and know Latin score significantly higher on the SATs which impacts their college entrance. Since Latin is such a strong root language it impacts their reading comprehension and vocabulary. Therefore, our concentration on Latin K-12 is in alignment with both our classical model and mission to prepare students for college. Part Three: Beginning next school year, 2014-15, the state of California will be administering the “Common Core” tests for state testing. These tests will be administered on-line. In other words, students in grades 3-11 will need to have the computer keyboarding skills to maneuver through the tests effectively and accurately. While most children today are what they refer to as “digital natives” like my own – whom I still need to ask for help when I am trying to navigate my i-phone – they are not keyboard savvy. In fact, I have seen a student using his two thumbs on a wireless keyboard in the same way he would type on a phone. That would not be an effective means of taking a test when time is of the essence. Thus, we realized the practical need for helping our students succeed through physical keyboarding skills in the same manner that Latin provided them mental word processing skills for the same. _____________________________________________________________________________ So, with all three of these factors in mind we realized that the best possible solution was to exchange the Lower School French program with a computer keyboarding skills program and have invested in such and will continue to do so to make sure TPS students are prepared for the “Common Core” testing, while still maintaining our commitment to a rigorous classical education. I hope this helps answer the question, and, I hope to see you at the coffee on the 6th! Scott S. Phillips, J.D. Headmaster
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 00:45:06 +0000
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