The Ecstasy and the Agony
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bilingualbabies
Posted on: 04/12/08
The Ecstasy and the Agony
Why can't I just be happy? I mean, I am, but you see...Since the Quest for Kindergarten began, we have been dreaming about CAIS. Now that K.C. is actually registered there for this fall, I find myself feeling guilty, where I thought I would be giddy.
Our motivations in choosing CAIS are really quite earnest. We chose Chinese, in part because of my family's heritage, but also because it is such a difficult language to learn as an adult. And we chose CAIS, because it has a well-established immersion program. Not to mention, we have simply had very positive and warm impressions of the school with every visit.
Nonetheless, I can't escape a guilty feeling that we have made a choice that is possibly politically incorrect or even socially irresponsible. Huh? Well, you can blame Sandra Tsing-Loh's recent Atlantic Monthly article for crystallizing my vague sense of unease into outright guilt. Am I being at elitist or foolish or both for sending my child to a private - uh, I mean independent - school?
And while, as I stated, our decision to teach our kids Chinese is primarily due to personal ties and linguistic characteristics, I feel haunted by echoes of the battle we had over the choice of an immersion language in Burlingame. I am still acquainted with many parents and board members that I worked with in establishing Burlingame's Spanish Immersion program, and I would hate to be perceived as offending or betraying them.
In parenting, we make school choices for all sorts of reasons. And at the end of the day, I do believe that CAIS presents an amazing opportunity for our children and our family. I just hope that, soon, my feelings of embarrassment will fade beside my feelings of pride.
bilingualbabies
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