DI resident’s ‘Lowcountry Language Academy’ offers worldly experiences for kids

Is your child having difficulty staying focused at school? Is he or she struggling on standardized tests—or simply making poor choices that end in a flood of tears? While counseling might be considered as one option, there could be another viable solution for your child: learn a second language.
Studies show that children who learn a second language demonstrate higher levels of focus and attention than their monolingual peers. Apparently, cognitive processes activated in learning a second language are the same as those used to achieve a specific goal. Multi-linguals also tend to score better on standardized tests and make better decisions.
Enter Lowcountry Language Academy, a full immersion Spanish language program, founded by Daniel Island resident Tania Schettini. Located in Mt. Pleasant’s Old Village, Lowcountry Language Academy is like stepping into a colorful, miniature Spanish speaking country worlds away where small voices gleefully greet visitors with phrases like “Hola” (Hello), “Buenos Dias” (Good Day) and “Gracias” (Thank You).
Visitors note that English is not an accepted language once within the walls of the Academy, at least not between teacher and student.
“I only speak Spanish to the children,” insisted Schettini. “They understand everything I say, even if they have only been here a few days. They are learning by looking and listening.”
Pre-school is a perfect time for a child to begin learning a second language. However, children in early grade school and beyond can benefit as well. But full immersion in a second language, rather than occasional exposure, is key.
Schettini also firmly believes in working with every child at their level of interest and ability
“Children gravitate to different things,” she noted. “Whatever sparks their interest, like music or crafts, will spark their interest in learning a language as well. Children will always let you know what words they want to learn, how much they’re ready for and when they’re ready to go to the next level. I take my cues from each child.”
During the school year, Lowcountry Language Academy operates as a preschool for ages 3½ to 5 during the first half of the day and an elementary school setting for home-schooled children who are ages 6-12 during several afternoons.
“We have the same learning goals in the classroom here as they do at many pre-schools; the only difference is everything we learn is in Spanish—even the fairy tales I read to them,” said Schettini.
While some parents might be concerned that learning a second language might overtax their child’s brain and slow down learning, in fact the opposite is true. Studies show that bilingual children are as, or even more likely than, their monolingual counterparts to comprehend story structure and correctly identify story elements like characters, setting, theme and plot.
Home-schooled groups at the Academy focus on traditional subjects like math, science and literature, all of which are taught in Spanish.
“The children not only master Spanish language more effectively that way,” pointed out Schettini. “They also grasp academic concepts more effectively because they are simultaneously using other parts of their brain.”
Some afternoons, Schettini works with children who attend other schools. Jacob Daniel, a rising 7th grader at Daniel Island School, has been working with Schettini since fourth grade.
Olivia Daniel, Jacob’s mother, said, “Initially Jacob was hesitant to spend his afternoons learning Spanish rather than playing with his friends. But the very first time Tania came, they spent the afternoon in the kitchen cooking. Jacob had so much fun. Now, Jacob can understand almost everything in Spanish.”
Jacob’s younger sister Marie, a rising Kindergartener at the Daniel Island School and an enthusiastic alumna of Lowcountry Language School’s summer camp, will enjoy one full immersion session every week with Schettini.
Lowcountry Language Academy also offers week-at-a-time summer camp options for children 3½ to 5-years-old. The camp is a slightly modified version of the academic year pre-school program.
Last month, under Schettini’s tutelage, children at the camp learned native Costa Rican songs, listened to traditional children’s stories from the country, dressed in native Costa Rican costumes and made a “rain forest” decorated with miniature flora and fauna native to that environment -and even a miniature working “volcano.” A mid-morning cooking lesson provided an opportunity to make pandebono (cheese bread and a Colombian favorite), learn the Spanish words for flour and cheese and attend to simple measuring instructions. Pandebono received a thumbs up from the children as a wonderful break-time snack while cries of “Me gusto!” (It’s delicious!) filled the air.
Schettini, a native of Columbia, is a bi-lingual Spanish/English speaker. Growing up in South America, she planned to become a journalist. But when Schettini came to the United States to gain proficiency in English in support of her career, she found that she could barely pay attention to the traditional and “painfully boring” English language courses she had signed up for. Yet, she mastered English anyway—far more quickly and painlessly—by participating in other, more enjoyable courses like journalism and cooking.
Then Schettini had an epiphany. The best way to learn another language, she realized, was not through dull grammar and vocabulary drills but through engaging in active dialogue about a subject you are passionate about. She changed career goals and subsequently received a degree in teaching a second language at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
After taking time off to get married and raise her three children who are now 23, 19 and 16, the youngest currently a rising junior at Bishop England, Schettini felt ready to put her passion to the test. After teaching Spanish at local private schools in Charleston for a while, she opened the doors of Lowcountry Language Academy.
Schettini explained that she opened Lowcountry Language Academy in part “to give back to the community that gave me so much when I came here.”
Schettini added, “I believe that discrimination is based on fear. When you get to know someone from another culture, another language, then that fear evaporates. With the internet and social media, the world is getting smaller every day. I hope that my students—my children—go out in the world with all that they have learned and really make a difference in life.”
For more information on Lowcountry Language Academy, visit http://www. lowcountrylanguageacademy.com.