Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think many Italians are third and fourth generation and do not speak the language. I am Italian and grew up in a very Italian area and I took Italian in school. I would not want my children taking Italian in school. I just do not see the benefit of it. I am not a believer that taking language in school helps you learn to speak that language anyway (I know maybe 5 words of Italian after taking from K-12). I am proud of my heritage but I never kept up with my Italian because it is just not useful and I grew up in an area where many of my friend's grandparents spoke Italian. There is nothing my kids would do with it. I am sure many Italians feel the same as me and that is probably why Italian programs are not very popular.
I know New Rochelle has an Italian Immersion program and it is not doing well because there is not enough interest in it. It is in Davis. If you would like your children to speak Italian in school, I hope you find a program that you like. Good luck!
Learning Italian is extremely useful even today if your children are talented and intend to study classical voice, strings, fashion design/industry, visual and culinary arts and philosophy or religious studies (with plans to complete graduate studies in Rome). But those are not the pursuits of average kids which is why some schools don't offer Italian language instruction anymore. There is an after school business in Yonkers near Bronxville called La Piazza di Carolina that offers private Italian lessons.
Rye Neck next door to Harrison does Italian if you want to live in that general area.
If you go to Harrison tho, you'll find many people, including 20 - 25 yr olds do speak italian. They'll switch between speaking to you in English and speaking to their family and elders in Italian. I hear the same thing every weekday morning in Mamaroneck.
Perhaps you could petition Kurt Masur (who lives in Harrison) to speak to the school on the importance of Italian in the arts.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
