“The kids have a great sense that differ-
ent people have different perspectives,”
says Clark. “They know that there is more
than one way of looking at something.”
But Mary Oborski pulled her son out
of German immersion at Orange Hunt in
second grade because she felt his teachers
weren’t a good fit for him. Since there’s
usually only one set of immersion teach-
ers at a school, switching an immersion
child to a different class typically means
pulling him or her out of the program.

“My child was much calmer and hap-
pier after I switched him,” Oborski says.

“He is currently in fourth grade and is
doing great.”
Another mother, who asked to remain
anonymous, also pulled her second-grade
daughter out of Spanish immersion at
Ravensworth Elementary in Springfield,
Virginia, in the early ‘90s because the
child was getting stressed about not
understanding her homework and projects.

“Many of my friends also took their
children out of immersion because they
were developing upset stomachs and had
lots of tears and frustration,” she recalls.

Though Harrington acknowledges
that not every parent and child will like
immersion, she says parents shouldn’t
automatically count children out based on
their personality or learning disabilities. “I
believe every child is capable of succeeding
in language immersion,” says Harrington.

Ultimately, we decided to enroll our boys
in Spanish immersion, and we are thrilled
with our decision. They are thriving in
third grade, and they get through their
math homework just fine (with a little help
from Google Translate). And this year, we
have already entered our kindergarten-age
daughter into the lottery.

“Our world is getting smaller because of
connectivity,” says Harrington. “So if you
want your children to be global thinkers
who are more accepting and understand-
ing of other cultures, then language
immersion is a gift you can give them.” ■
Jennifer Marino Walters is a freelance
writer specializing in parenting and
lifestyle topics. She is also the author of
12 books for children, with two more on
the way. Jennifer lives in Burke, Virginia,
with her husband and three children.

When she’s not writing, she loves to
explore the D.C. area with her family!
Immersion students
score better on
standardized reading
and math tests than
their non-immersion
peers by late
elementary school.

Considering Immersion?
Here are some tips from parents who have been there, done that.

1 Figure out transportation. Some school districts (like APS) offer bus service
for immersion kids, but many don’t. So if your kids will be going to a school
that’s not their zone school, figure out how you’ll get them there. “It takes us
an hour round-trip each day for drop-off and pickup, plus extra for any evening
activities,” says Clark.

2 Consider friendships. Clark says most of her kids’ classmates live near the
school, so she has to drive their children to friend’s houses. Therefore, they
don’t know kids in their own neighborhood very well.

3 LOCAL IMMERSION
PROGRAMS Below are four area school districts
that offer language immersion
programs. These programs are
typically filled via lottery systems,
and some of those lotteries are open
now. If you don’t see your child’s
school district on the list below,
just ask the administrators if an
immersion program exists.

Arlington Public Schools
apsva.us/world-languages/ immersion-program/
Grade at time of entry: K and
middle school
Language: Spanish
Lottery deadline: Feb. 3–April 15 for K;
middle school has a separate
enrollment process
District of Columbia
Public Schools
dcps.dc.gov/DL Grade at time of entry: K or 1 (except
at Columbia Heights Education Campus,
which has a structured late-entry
program) Language: Spanish
Lottery deadline: The deadline was Feb.

3 for high school and March 2 for grades
K-8, but visit myschooldc.org to
learn more.

Fairfax County Public Schools
fcps.edu/academics/world-languages- immersion-programs
Grade at time of entry: K or 1, depending
on the school
Languages: Spanish, French, German,
Japanese, Korean
Lottery deadline: March 20 for grade
K; late registration opens April 2.

Registration for grade 1 closed Feb. 20;
late registration opened March 5.

Late applications will be added to
the end of the waiting list in the order of
date received.

Meet the teachers. Oborski recommends meeting the immersion teachers at
your child’s potential school ahead of time to determine whether they might
be a good fit for your child.

Montgomery County Public Schools
4 5
Grade at time of entry: K-5, middle school
Talk to parents. Reach out to parents of immersion students at the potential
school to hear about their experiences.

Give it a shot. Still not sure about immersion? Just give it a try. You can
always take your child out of the program. “If it doesn’t work for your child,
don’t think twice—pull him or her out,” says Oborski. ■
montgomeryschoolsmd.org/ curriculum/specialprograms/
admissions/immersion.aspx Languages: Spanish, French, Chinese
Lottery deadline: April 24; middle school
has a separate enrollment process ■
WashingtonFAMILY.com 15