Question 1

Can I visit Lingual Learners to see what the program is like?

Accepted Answer

YES!! We highly encourage families to come and see what we do.  You can schedule a visit on a Tuesday to see our program on our calendar.

Question 2

What if my child is a beginner?

Accepted Answer

We welcome beginners of all ages, and we can help them adapt to Spanish immersion learning. It can be helpful to learn some basic words and phrases before you start, like "Can I go to the bathroom?" but we offer classes at different levels and multi-level classrooms where beginners and more advanced learners are learning alongside each other.

Question 3

Are the classes 100 percent in Spanish? How will my kid understand anything?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our classes are all in Spanish! There are times where a teacher will use a word or phrase in English to provide clarification or intervene in a specific situation, but in general, we try to conduct our classes completely in Spanish, and we encourage our students to speak Spanish as much as possible.

This might sound impossible, but we promise, it isn't! We use a language acquisition model that focuses on transmitting meaning through gestures, pictures, questions, repetition and more. While every learner might not understand every single word said, we make sure that everyone gets the main idea and enough context to give it meaning. You will be amazed at how much your child can understand after several weeks in the classroom!

Question 4

What will my child's day be like?

Accepted Answer

Our students have three class periods with a half hour for lunch and a half hour of parent-supervised gym and social time at the end of the day. It can be a fun "school-like" day for homeschooled kids, changing classes, eating lunch with their friends and playing games in the gym, without the 5 day a week commitment. Every student takes a reading and writing class during the first class period. The second two periods are electives, with fun topics such as music and movement, art, culture, science, social studies and more, taught in Spanish with hands-on projects.

Question 5

Will content be different if my child already took these classes?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The enrichment classes are on a 3-year cycle, as are the beginning classes. Language Arts and Unit Studies classes are also on a rotation, based on the students who are enrolled. For example, in 2025-2026, we will study Mexico as a country, and we won't study it again until 2028. By that time, your child will be in another level of classes where they will go deeper into the content and do different activities at their age level. The same is true for all of our other classes so that kids are always exposed to new content.

Question 6

Will my child have homework?

Accepted Answer

In general, no, we do not assign homework at the elementary level. We welcome families to use Spanish at home, and a teacher will sometimes send an optional activity home with students.

Our older students in Spanish 1/2, etc., do have homework outside of class to complete. These classes are meant to be an equivalent of a middle or high school Spanish class, and so homework is assigned to make sure the class hours are equivalent to a regular school class.

Question 7

Is one day a week of immersion really enough for my child to learn Spanish?

Accepted Answer

We offer Spanish immersion because we believe it truly is the best way for your child to become proficient in Spanish. By "proficient," we mean that they can actually use the language - understanding a native speaker and learning to communicate.

Obviously, one day a week is far fewer contact hours than a regular Spanish immersion school, so it will take much longer for your child to reach proficiency. However, as fellow homeschool parents, we want to offer a bridge between the complete immersion environment and the flexibility and joy of home education.

While Lingual Learners students rarely have homework and we do not require our families to work on Spanish outside of our Tuesday classes, we offer a number of ways that you can continue learning at home and increase your child's Spanish proficiency, such as:
— monthly family activities such as field trips or group experiences
— a Spanish and bilingual library where you can check out books to read at home
— optional homework assignments that your student can complete
— messages from your child's teacher with information about what they have been learning, including videos you can watch at home
— our music and movement classes come with a digital download of the music we use in class, as well as a songbook with activities

In the coming year, we plan to offer more outside-of-class experiences and support and ideas for families that want to improve their child's language acquisition or learn Spanish as a family at home. We know the joy of learning together as a family, and we know the joy of language learning, and we want to help our families experience both.

Question 8

Do you offer ways for families to connect outside of Tuesdays?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We want our families to connect and our students to make friends, as well as support each other in their language learning. We offer monthly enrichment activities such as field trips, cooking classes, activities and more. We also plan to offer more parent education opportunities, where you can learn more about what we do and how to bring Spanish home, as well as social times for parents to connect and socialize.

Question 9

What if I don't know any Spanish?

Accepted Answer

We have parents who are fluent Spanish speakers, some that know a little bit, and some that know none at all, but want to give their children the opportunity to learn a new language. It's okay if you don't know any Spanish, but we also welcome families who want to learn the language together and can provide ideas and resources for how to learn Spanish or bring Spanish home.

Question 10

Are you a faith-based program or do you require a statement of faith?

Accepted Answer

No, we are not a faith-based program, and we welcome anyone to join us. Our classes do take place in a church, but we do not consider ourselves a religious program. From time to time, in our classes, religion might be mentioned in the context of culture — talking about a religious festival, the beliefs of a certain group, etc., — but it is noted in a neutral way, being respectful to all beliefs.

Question 11

Do you offer classes on other days? We are busy on Tuesdays.

Accepted Answer

Our main classes are on Tuesdays. We also offer enrichment activities once a month on other days which may be helpful for some families. Some of our teachers also offer private tutoring, which may be able to fit your schedule.

Question 12

Do you work with homeschool partnerships?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we work with Hamilton, Grand Haven, Three Rivers and Niles homeschool partnerships. We are not a partner with Jenison homeschool partnership, as they offer their own in-district Spanish classes.

If you are with a Homeschool partnership program we will bill them  directly for your students tuition.  Any balance on your account will be  due by August 1st or when registering if after August 1st.  If a  student drops a partnership, any remaining tuition owed will be due  within two weeks of withdrawing from the partnership.

Question 13

How do I enroll?

Accepted Answer

Visit our registration page to connect to our registration site with Homeschool Life. First, you have to request membership with the site.  The membership request will be  sent to admin for approval.  Once approved, an email will be sent letting  you know you are approved and an invoice for the registration fee of $30 per student will need to be paid.  You are then able to register for classes using your login.

Question 14

How do we make payments for our tuition?

Accepted Answer

All tuition is due by August 1st.

Using a partnerships: Students participating in a  homeschool partnership (Hamilton, Niles, Three Rivers) must pay their  remaining balance by August 1st to keep their spot.  We will bill the  partnerships directly for their portion of the tuition, and send you an invoice for the rest.

Paying personally: we will send you an invoice to your email where you can pay tuition.

Paying your invoice: All invoices can be paid via paypal on the website.  A check can also be sent to Lingual Learners 2384 Deer Trail Dr NE Grand Rapids MI  49505.  If you prefer to pay via a bank account online, a seperate  invoice can be sent that can accommodate a bank payment.  We do not  accept credit card payments at this time. If sending a check or prefer a bank payment please send a message to linguallearners@outlook.com with this request.

Frequently Asked Questions