Membership Drive

[Dr Maleficent]

Beaucoup, mais il y a un forum francophone d'ailleurs

Mouais, pourtant on est ici

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Its compulsory here to take a foreign language from 11 to 16, however I think in Europe they start even earlier.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

At the kids' school they have been learning English since the age of 7 - funnily enough they are pretty good at it!

 

[bogwoppit]

Hey do about forget about us Quebeckers. We speak some kind of French and we are switching to the USAG JO system next year, some of Canada already has.

 

[bogwoppit]

At the kids' school they have been learning English since the age of 7 - funnily enough they are pretty good at it!

My kid are pretty good at English too!!! Nice to have them able to function in two languages.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

My kid are pretty good at English too!!! Nice to have them able to function in two languages.

Definitely. My kid's parents barely function in one...

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I tried with mine when they were little but the boys weren't interested. P&F has more of a gift for languages.

I would think that we would do better to promote the site in Germany, Holland and Scandiwegia where English is spoken a lot.

 

[JBS]

Beaucoup, mais il y a un forum francophone d'ailleurs

OK...I think I got it translated. There is a French gymnastics forum?

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Yup, but I find CB much more user-friendly

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Yep, I am a member and embarrassing my can't remember the name! Think it may be gymnet.org

 

[bogwoppit]

yes Gymnet. There was a Canadian one, but it died a death a year or so back. called gymbrook.

 

[Sari]

I tried with mine when they were little but the boys weren't interested. P&F has more of a gift for languages.

I would think that we would do better to promote the site in Germany, Holland and Scandiwegia where English is spoken a lot.

I'm onto that, but most of the gym people I currently know aren't actually that good at English. Most schools nowadays do start teaching it in first grade. I started in fifth. (And French in 7th)
A lot of these coaches though are 40+ years old and not at all fluent. Different system back when they were in school! Eh.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Speaking as a 40+ person I remember the exchange students at school speaking much better English than we did their language, plus my aunt who is is in her 60's speaks very good English, my Grandmother ( who was born in 1909) however, spoke not a word of English.

 

[Sari]

Well, to backpaddle a bit, it all depends on whether or not these people need English in their daily life.
I'm not denying that a lot of people know the language, and know it very well, especially if they have some sort of higher education, but there is also the other side of society - those who never attended university - that doesn't need to constantly speak a foreign language and therefore is far from fluent. My mother would only understands bits and pieces of the conversations going on here. My grandparents (born 1935 and 1936) don't speak any foreign language because they couldn't go to any secondary school after WW2.

I'm assuming most German exchange students come from grammar schools. Higher education. French is also taught in other forms of schools but only for three or four years (simply because they end after year 10). From my own exchange with France a couple of years ago, I remember something similar though. We all spoke better French and English than the French students did English and German. But I also had a friend from France who spoke English effortlessly. As with everything in life, I think some people are just more talented at learning foreign languages than others!

Anyway, totally went off topic there. I'll try to convince a couple of coaches to join this board!

 

[Sari]

Urgh, typos in there again, sorry!
(I have to mention I'm seeing them, I'm OCD like that)

 

[COz]

I always mention this forum when I'm giving the rundown to the confused parent of a kid who's just upped their hours out of rec.

 

[OzZee]

Beaucoup, mais il y a un forum francophone d'ailleurs

Margo you have to join me on the move to France!
My french will definitely discombobulate many - even me, you can be my guide.

 

[LucyTRA]

Its compulsory here to take a foreign language from 11 to 16, however I think in Europe they start even earlier.

Modern foreign languages are now on the nation curriculum for primary schools and have to be taught. Teachers generally can't speak a word though!

It's not actually required in secondary schools at all I don't think, but it's definitely not statutory after age 14. I think it should be!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

really ? Locally to us it is, P&F's teacher in Primary is a German specialist, but they do a term of French, German and Spanish, just numbers, colours, rhymes etc

 

[LucyTRA]

really ? Locally to us it is, P&F's teacher in Primary is a German specialist, but they do a term of French, German and Spanish, just numbers, colours, rhymes etc

Yep. Annoyingly it's specified that they have to teach SOMETHING, but they can pick whatever language they like and there isn't much direction in terms of tWHAT they learn, as long as they do it. This is from the new curriculum that came into force in sept though, so it's very new. Swapping every term seems kinda useless?!