I learned Spanish in Junior High, High School, College, and most importantly through mission trips to Mexico.  Spanish came fairly easy to me.  My minor from Texas A&M University is Spanish.  For four of the five years I taught in the public school system, I taught Spanish.  I currently tutor in Spanish from my home once a week.  In addition, I teach my own children the language at home.

Ideally, I would speak Spanish at home all day long so that my five children would learn it naturally like a native speaker.  Unfortunately, it just does not happen. And, I am not a “follow the curriculum to a tee” kind of girl.  When I was paid to teach Spanish, I never used the textbooks that the school purchased.  I did unit studies.  Back then, I only had to worry about a child’s education in Spanish.  I was not responsible for math, science, history, etc. unless it pertained to the language.  As a home-schooling mother, I feel a much heavier weight of responsibility on my shoulders.

I looked at the different foreign language curricula available.  Overall, I was not impressed.  Most of them seemed too similar to the textbooks I ignored in the public school systems.  I was not wanting to write my own for my children each year.  I could do it; I was capable, but with two little ones I did not feel like spending my time in this manner.  What to do?

Well, I went to an expert in education, Charlotte Mason.  I read everything she wrote on learning a foreign language in her own words.  Like everything else in her educational philosophy, Ms. Mason believed the most natural approach was the best.  She went along with the research and finding of  Mr. Francois Gouin.  He studied German and after a year could not speak it with any fluency.  Does this sound familiar?  Who has ever taken a foreign language class and not been able to converse in the language at all?  However, he noticed that his young nephew without formally studying a language could speak fluently.  Something must be wrong in the way one studies a language.  Gouin believed you need to expose yourself to new vocabulary daily connecting it with other words in a series.  His method is called the Series Method.

Of all the foreign language curricula available, the one I chose followed most closely, in my opinion, to the natural approach.  I purchased and use Rosetta Stone. I had levels 1 and 2 in the older version.  I am not one to buy the new and improved versions that come out.  Usually there is not enough improvement of the material to warrant my buying it.  However, the exception was Rosetta Stone Version 3.

The company had really overhauled the software.  It was so much better that I was amazed!  The pictures were better.  Writing, grammar, speaking, spelling, etc. is all integrated into the one unit.  It switches between the lessons to give you a well-rounded grounding in the language.  I was impressed how they changed their starting point and how they progressed through the language.  I loved how the program guided my children through the units and taught them the language, especially the correct pronunciation of the words.  This version even breaks down the word into its different syllables in order to better understand the pronunciation.

My absolutely favorite part is the milestone lesson at the end of each unit. The student has to carry on a conversation with the computer in different scenarios depending on the unit.  At the end of the first unit, the student finds himself/herself a hiker who stumbles upon a group of people camping.  The student has to enter the conversation and continue it.  It is great!  I am absolutely thrilled when I hear my child speak so well in a foreign language.  It is a confidence booster for my children, too.

My three oldest children do Rosetta Stone at their own pace and ability.  What does that mean?  How can a computer know what their ability is?  Well, it doesn’t, but you have a much better idea as the parent.  For example, my son Jake started using Rosetta Stone, Version 3 when he was in the 2nd grade.  Jake was learning to spell in English and I did not want him getting upset about misspelling Spanish.  I was more interested in him listening to and speaking in Spanish; therefore, I set up his program as such.  As the teacher, you have several options.

Even the makers of Rosetta Stone know that they cannot completely teach a child to be a native speaker by working through the lessons.  They give ideas to enhance the student’s education and make it as well-rounded as possible.  I also employ my own ideas, which I will be happy to share with you, but at another time as this article is getting quite lengthy.  In summation, Rosetta Stone, Version 3 is worth every penny. It is not the cheapest option, but it is the best available in my opinion.  I have only tried the Spanish language, but I am confident that the results would be the same regardless of what language you choose to study using this program.  To try it out free of charge click here.

Tags: foreign language, Homeschooling, review, Rosetta Stone, Spanish

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