Kindergarten in a Second Language

Ever since leaving Kyrgyzstan four years ago, Josh and I have held onto the hope that we could travel again in time for Misha to be able to go to kindergarten in a different language. And somehow, it happened!

Misha proudly shows me his classroom during welcome week.

Before we left Riyadh for the summer, I jumped through all the hoops to get Misha enrolled in the kindergarten for children of students and staff on campus where I teach. It's perfect for many reasons. First, it's one building away from where I teach. Misha jumps in my taxi every morning, I drop him off at his school, and I walk into my department. I hate losing my precious time to traffic congestion, so not having to make an extra trip to take him to school is great. When I get off work, Misha's ready and waiting for me to take him home. Second, since it's a local school, it's far cheaper than an international school. British and American international schools here run over a thousand dollars a month in tuition, but all I have to pay for this local school is a small fee for their computer classes plus afternoon day care fees. And most importantly, this kindergarten is in Arabic.

Lunchtime! Or, as Misha has learned, "wejba!"

Our main goals for Misha's kindergarten experience are for him to learn Arabic and to have socialization with children. We are not worried about him academically, since we work with him at home and he can already read easy books. By going to an Arabic kindergarten, Misha has access to the real language and culture of Saudi Arabia - something that Josh and I are mostly isolated from. I have to admit I'm quite jealous that Misha gets to have fun and learn Arabic all day long! From working at Hillcrest Elementary School back in Brookings, I have seen Spanish-speaking kindergarteners start school without a word of English, and by the end of the year they can speak and understand basic English. We are so excited to give Misha the opportunity of experiencing another language in kindergarten. How much he learns and whether or not he retains it is not the issue - we are just happy he can have the chance to use his brain in new ways, to experience the thrill of understanding foreign speech, and to have his curiosity piqued to learn new languages and cultures.

Carpet time, a classic part of kindergarten.

Of course, we were expecting it to be difficult for him, but Misha has adapted amazingly well and he's excited to go to school every morning (though not so exicted to wake up at 6 a.m. to get ready). During registration week, children were invited for optional half-days, one of which Misha attended. I had to leave him there by himself while I went to teach. He was reluctant to leave me, but he gave me a hug and kiss and said goodbye. When I came back that afternoon, he ran over to me shouting, "Mommy! They gave me PRESENTS!" He showed me stickers, balloons, name tags, and even a remote-control tractor that he had received. (All the boys got tractors, and all the girls got Barbies!) They really know how to make kids like school. Then Misha had to show me all around his school - his classroom with all its play areas, the cubbies, the outdoor covered playground, and even the mini toilets.

As Misha showed me around, I was thrilled with what I saw. It looked like what every parent would want in a kindergarten - blocks, trucks, counting toys, magnifying glasses, plastic animals, puzzles, an art station, a reading station, a kitchen play area, etc. The walls were covered with pictures, Arabic and English ABCs, the classic 100-chart with Arabic numerals, a weather chart with days of the week in Arabic, and posters of all the colors.

The winner! Misha wins a prize.

Misha loves his teachers. He gives them hugs goodbye when I come to take him home. Saudi women, from everything I have seen, adore children and love to spoil them with gifts and affection. Being pale and red-headed, Misha stands out and gets even more attention. Some of the teachers speak a little English, so they are able to help him. After six weeks, Misha knows numbers, body parts, animals, family members, colors, and handfuls of words from songs, games, and exercises they do in class. He comes home singing entire songs in Arabic to us! His teachers have told me that he is learning quickly and that they are impressed with his Arabic accent. His main classroom teacher was kind enough to take photos of him at school and burn them to CD for me so I could see him interacting and having fun. Thanks to her, you're looking at those pictures right now.

Building a block pyramid, with the number chart in the background.

Recess: the playground is full of slides and climbing gyms, all shaded from the sun.

"This is where the girls play," Misha told me as we looked through his pictures. He was so excited to bring home the photo CDs - he couldn't wait to show them to me.

Sorting by color.

Creating a zoo.

Showing off the class pets.

Exploring his world with tools from the discovery station.

Workbook time! Sometimes he brings home some homework, writing Arabic letters and numbers. He finishes quickly and asks me, "Why didn't they give me any more homework?"

Ready for morning exercises!

Every morning, school begins with songs and exercises. Children count and move, following the teacher's directions. I think it's a brilliant way to begin the day! They also play a lot of action games. One of Misha's favorites is "Shejara, Namla," which means "tree, ant." When the teacher says "shejara," the kids have to stand up tall like a tree, but for "namla," they crouch like an ant. The teacher tries to trick the students a bit like Simon Says. Another game they play involves running around until a teachers says freeze. Then the teachers fan out into the mass of frozen students with the intent to make the kids laugh by making funny faces at them. If you laugh, you're out! Another is similar to Duck, Duck, Goose, called Tag, Tag, Tagia. (A tagia is the white Muslim skull cap.)

Since we will probably be in Saudi Arabia for just this one year, it has worked out amazingly well for Misha to attend kindergarten here. In fact, he will probably gain the most out of all us this year culturally and linguistically! After kindergarten, children are segregated by sex and taught only by teachers of the same sex, so this year is the most normal experience Misha could have. We are not sure if Misha would even be allowed to attend a public first grade school. But judging by how happy Misha seems this year, he is getting exactly the attention and confidence he needs at his kindergarten.