<p>My daughter is going to be a ninth grader this year. Over the past year she has developed a real interest in Japan and would love to study Japanese, but it is not offered in our high school. It is, however, offered in the town next to us. Is it ever possible to take a foreign language in another district's school if that language is not offered in your own? Even if it was just to audit i.e. not for credit. She doesn't need the credit as she will be taking Latin as her foreign language at our school - her choice; she already studied it for 3 years and loves it. (I am a big advocate for studying Latin but I see it as a totally different bird than modern languages which is one of the reasons I'm actively encouraging this endeavor.) I've been looking into private language schools for Japanese but haven't been too successful in finding anything near us. Just wondering if there is any point to pursuing the neighboring high school's program and how I would begin to approach this (speak to her guidance counselor? the principal at the other school?) What about local state or community colleges? I've heard of high school students taking college courses but usually for advanced math or science; not for languages. Thoughts?</p>
<p>College foreign language courses tend to be much faster paced than high school foreign language courses; a year of college foreign language may be equivalent to two or three years of high school foreign language. Some high school students may be able to handle that, but others may find it too intense if in addition to a full high school course load.</p>
<p>At that age most of the benefit would be one on one private lessons. My younger one did French in middle school (3 half years LOL) but has been doing private lessons for several years and she has made incredible progress. </p>
<p>Ditto for the language classes in college, but you may be able to find something for audit in a CC or dual enrollment locally. Also don’t forget that college intro language classes are often 4 credits and scheduling them is not all that easy unless you’re in a 40,000 student school and there are plenty of offerings.</p>
<p>You might also consider a summer program. </p>
<p>I’m most familiar with Concordia Language Villages which does month long programs for high school students. Both of my kids got a year of credit for their time there. They had a lot of fun and enjoyed the immersion atmosphere. I think that Middlebury College also offers summer programs.</p>
<p>I’m familiar with being able to go to high school in neighboring districts to be a full time student. Generally out of town students are required to pay tuition. Around here it’s a pretty hefty bill, but still cheaper than most private schools, however it’s only if the district isn’t already overcrowded, which many are. I think it unlikely you’ll find them ready to let a student take one class, and logistically without a free period for travel time, I can’t imagine how you’d work it out. </p>
<p>I think your best bet is to do it after school or in the summer. Some colleges also offer intensive summer language classes that last all day. My son tried that with Arabic and was completely lost after the first couple of weeks - so be warned if you go that route! It did not help that everyone else in the class had some exposure to Arabic already, or at the very least spoke a related language. Good luck finding something!</p>
<p>The other thing about high school languages is that they depend so much on the teacher. A good teacher can give a student a solid foundation. A poor teacher is usually a waste of time. </p>
<p>My daughter was very interested in Japanese when she transferred to a new school in 10 th grade. She would have needed summer tutoring to make up year one and she decided that she would just continue with the German she had taken freshman year. </p>
<p>She minored in Japanese in college, and fairly early in the process, the romance wore off, but she persisted. Had she done a summer program in Japanese, perhaps she would have gone a different direction. The summer programs are pricey, but there is some scholarship money available.</p>
<p>The Latin will help your daughter with so many other things that it is valuable.</p>