Language Immersion Institute

This isn't about Chinese, but it is at least about learning a language. A couple of weeks ago I flew up to New Paltz, New York, to attend a weekend session at the Language Immersion Institute. I thought it would be fun to try learning a language by the immersion method. I took Polish because I knew almost nothing of the language, so it would be a truly new immersion experience. I was disappointed to discover, though, that most of the class was taught in English, with Polish just during exercises. We were taught grammar in English, and when we got to the three rows of desks covered with realia, the teacher talked about it in English, except for when she got to a few pictures of her family and she gave us their relations in Polish. Those of us in the class also had been asked to bring realia, and we talked about it in English, too. Plus, the teacher's grasp of Polish grammar was weak. While we were learning verb conjugations, including a verb that appeared to be irregular to us, one of the students asked if Polish has irregular verbs. The teacher said that it doesn't. I knew better, because I know irregularities creep into every language. The next day when the teacher was reading a grammatical description to us in English she found herself telling us about irregular verbs. Not a good sign.

I'm told that this isn't typical for the Institute, and that they normally really do use the immersion method. I won't be finding out, though, because it isn't worth it to me to take a second chance and fly to New York and pay for a hotel, both of which cost more than the class itself.