Mother+Tongue+Expectations




 * Parents need to institute a strong home mother tongue policy and supply ample opportunities for children to develop and expand the purposes for which they use the mother tongue.
 * Parents are expected to speak their mother tongue to their child. Mixing languages is extremely confusing.
 * Parents can support the mother tongue with native language classes. It is recommended for parents to seek an outside source for this education instead of teaching it themselves. Children naturally separate the roles of their teachers and parents, and may be less receptive to a parent as the teacher.
 * Have a family language plan in place, and remain consistent with it
 * Parents should immerse their child in opportunities where parents can model higher level speaking in the mother tongue, exposing the child to rich language experience. The stronger and more developed the mother tongue is, the strong the additional language will be.
 * Parents need to be honest with their child's teachers about the level of native language their child possesses. The level of development of a child's mother tongue is a strong predictor of the child's additional language development. If a child is struggling in his/her mother tongue, there will likely be a struggle in the additional language. However, with proper communication the school can provide resource or additional support for the child to ensure confidence, security and success.