MSML or Spanish

[SteveFoerster]

Under those specific circumstances, I'd do the Master's.

[Johann]

She speaks fluent English without an accent even though she came to the US as an adult. That part I have never been able to figure out.

Certainly unusual. Native ability plus intelligence and motivation, I guess. My hat's off to her. In a similar vein, I read an article about a Polish girl of 16, who came over here to Toronto Ont., with her folks. She knew NO English at all when she got here. 18 months later, she won the Senior High School English prize for the entire city - population 2.9 million+. I've tried to learn a little Polish, and I can tell you I won't be winning any prizes in Warsaw!

Language plasticity - the ease of learning new languages - has started to dry up, usually around age 12. That's right around the time most school systems start teaching languages. That's why - or partly why - people take languages in school and can't use them later. The rest of it is - as you said, horrible teaching.Your son did well to go "right to the source." Best decision possible.

As to how fluent ClepKing will be in 6 months - that depends on a lot of things ... but how fluent will he be if he doesn't work at it for 6 months?

[ss20ts]

She speaks fluent English without an accent even though she came to the US as an adult. That part I have never been able to figure out.

Certainly unusual. Native ability plus intelligence and motivation, I guess. My hat's off, to her. In a similar vein, I read an article about a Polish girl of 16, who came over here to Toronto Ont., with her folks. She knew NO English at all when she got here. 18 months later, she won the Senior High School English prize for the entire city - population 2.5 million+. I've tried to learn a little Polish, and I can tell you I won't be winning any prizes in Warsaw!

Language plasticity - the ease of learning new languages - has started to dry up, usually around age 12. That's right around the time most school systems start teaching languages. That's why - or partly why - people take languages in school and can't use them later. The rest of it is - as you said, horrible teaching.Your son did well to go "right to the source." Best decision possible.

As to how fluent ClepKing will be in 6 months - that depends on a lot of things ... but how fluent will he be if he doesn't work at it for 6 months?

That's interesting that our language plasticity dries up around around 12. Certainly explains why kids in the US struggle so much learning a language in junior and senior high. 

The Polish girl is absolutely amazing. She had to have worked on her English skills practically nonstop. She was one determined girl! 

Our grandmother came to the US when she 18 during WWII. She knew English while in Germany, but that doesn't explain why doesn't speak with an accent. It's mind boggling to me. I know other people who came here as teenagers and adults who didn't lose their accent. It's fascinating to me. I know how hard it is to keep one's accent. I fought to keep mine when I lived in the southern US and I'm from the northern US. It's not like a Boston or Queens or Maine accent. It's a blend of western New England and Midwestern. Almost like the generic accent they use for tvs and movies.

[Johann]

That's interesting that our language plasticity dries up around around 12. Certainly explains why kids in the US struggle so much learning a language in junior and senior high....  

Our grandmother came to the US when she 18 during WWII. She knew English while in Germany, but that doesn't explain why doesn't speak with an accent. It's mind boggling to me. I know other people who came here as teenagers and adults who didn't lose their accent. It's fascinating to me. I know how hard it is to keep one's accent. I fought to keep mine ...

It explains too, why English-speaking Canadian kids "learn" French for years, and hardly any ever get proficient - and most lose it completely after they leave school. Same two reasons - loss of language plasticity and horrible teaching. I don't really know how French-speaking Quebec students fare in English instruction. But from the number of college and university students and grads who speak English well, I figure Quebec schools must be doing something right that we're not. And I'll forbid myself a tirade on the subject of rabid French language protectionists, uniformed language police and the occasional wilful suppression of the rights of English-speaking parents to have their kids educated in English-speaking schools if they so desire.

Despite legislation that restricts use of English in Quebec, I'd say Canada as a whole has a bigger percentage of French-Canadians who speak English well, than there is of English-Canadians throughout the country who are fluent in French. At least in larger cities, that is. I like Quebec - I really do - people there certainly know how to live, and I speak French when I go there because I can - and because it pleases them and we all get along. But any place where they have uniformed "Language Police" - well, those guys are just creepy. Oops! There I go again! If I keep this up, they'll send me to a camp outside Repentigny for re-programming!

You fought to KEEP your accent? Good for you. I fought to LOSE mine, when I came here from England. It was easy, took about a week. What would you expect - I was NINE? I had to keep the original to talk to my parents - and elsewhere I was just another kid on the block. 68 years later, I still am.

[ss20ts]

That's interesting that our language plasticity dries up around around 12. Certainly explains why kids in the US struggle so much learning a language in junior and senior high....  

Our grandmother came to the US when she 18 during WWII. She knew English while in Germany, but that doesn't explain why doesn't speak with an accent. It's mind boggling to me. I know other people who came here as teenagers and adults who didn't lose their accent. It's fascinating to me. I know how hard it is to keep one's accent. I fought to keep mine ...

\

You fought to KEEP your accent? Good for you. I fought to LOSE mine, when I came here from England. It was easy, took about a week. What would you expect - I was NINE? I had to keep the original to talk to my parents - and elsewhere I was just another kid on the block. 68 years later, I still am.

Yeah I worked really hard to keep my accent because of the way people spoke where I lived in South Carolina. I couldn't understand them half the time. Very mush mouth. They didn't annunciate. There was a southern draw that I just didn't want. I didn't know if I would live there forever and I liked my accent. Everywhere I go in the US people can understand me so I thought that was a plus. I only lived in South Carolina for 2.5 years so it worked out keeping my accent and not getting lazy when speaking.

[HogwartsSchool]

It is aug 31st the wgu counselor told me the earliest i can start is oct1

Things to consider about a MSML at WGU.

To complete in one term. You would need to complete 9 courses in 5 months, plus (capstone averages one month). That is roughly one course every two weeks. While that is possible especially with someone that has tons of management experience, its not likely for most.

an example. Ethical Leadership. This course requires 3 papers. Each paper averages 2,000 words. Between research, study, reading, writing, revisions, etc., that's a lot of school work to complete in a two week period especially if you are working full time and I didn't even include family time.

btw: I completed this same course (from MBA program) and speaking from experience.

Overall, getting a MSML is really good, however, its important to be realistic about time management with full-time work and school requirements. Also, plan out if you have to return to work sooner rather than later.

[JosephMcAllister]

Nice thread...
very informative
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