My fifth grader and I had a conversation at the beginning of the school year that we never would have had three years ago.
R – “I don’t want to take Spanish this year.”
Me – “Why not?”
R – “I want to try something different.”
Me – “You have a lot of options.”
R – “Let’s try Chinese!”
Me – “That’s a great choice!”
“R” is only 10 years old, but she has already taken two years of Spanish. When the elementary electives were opened this year she (and I) were very excited to see that Chinese was being offered. You see, we have a pen pal who lives in Shanghai and we thought it would be exciting to learn more about her language and culture.
When my kids were enrolled in a traditional elementary school, foreign language was never an option. Heck, when I was in elementary school it wasn’t an option! Most countries around the world teach foreign language to young students, but the United States seems to be lacking in this area. I know that my pen pal began learning English as a small child. She is now in college and all of her science classes are taught in English.
One of the things that led me to choose a virtual school was the extensive selection of electives offered to elementary students. I think that it is wonderful for children to be allowed to explore different cultures — and for this virtual momma to explore right along with them!
Adios! Zai Jian! Au Revoir!
God Bless 🙂
Christy
I am a Virtual/Homeschooling mom of 3 who loves helping my children realize those AWESOME "lightbulb" moments!
Virtually Speaking... 
It’s great that your child gets exposed to foreign cultures and languages. Mine is interested in Spanish (because of Dora) and I hope that she will have a chance to learn it.
That is so great that your school offers foreign language for elementary! I don’t think ours does but it’s a great idea. We do have it available for middle school and they keep right up with the high school students!