How Can I Help My Nanny Improve Her English?

When interviewing a Nanny, you will run through the
usual 20 questions that all nannies have heard.
Surprisingly, you will come away thinking that your
nanny speaks decent English. Then after completing
your due diligence, you decide to hire this person and
she begins working with you. After about one week
into the job, you realize that your nanny actually
speaks very mediocre English because outside of those
20 basic questions, she cannot communicate very well.
Now what???

Unlike learning the romantic languages where Italian
is not as difficult to learn once you know Spanish,
English can be more difficult. However mastering any
language requires constant attention to learning and
usage. Here are some suggestions for your Nanny.

1) Purchase English Tapes, CDs DVDs or Videos that
teach the language - go to www.languagequest.com - a
great resource for these items in all languages.

2) Insist that your Nanny speak English to you. Even
if you know how to speak her language and you would
like to learn more yourself by talking to her, you can
only help her learn English if you speak English to
her and insist that she speaks English to you.

3) When your Nanny speaks English and makes mistakes,
correct her. Don't feel bad about this either. Just
as you would correct your child that doesn't perhaps
use English grammar properly, do the same for your
Nanny. She may make mistakes repeatedly, but with
repeated correction, she WILL eventually get it right.

4) Have her read a children's book daily. If your
children are of school age and do not need to be read
to, then have your child read to your nanny and have
your nanny alternate reading paragraphs. It is a fun
way to have both your child and nanny participate in
learning to read.

5) Have her watch American television - news in
particular is good for learning a language.
6) If possible, see to it that she takes English
classes in the evening or on Saturday at a local
community college.

7) Leave her notes in English regarding duties of the
day. Go over these notes with her. She will begin to
understand the terminology needed for a domestic
position. Have her also leave you notes about
products and food that need replacing or anything else
of interest pertaining to the job.

8) Make sure your have a household manual in English
about your job description and at the back of it,
create a glossary of words.

9) Just as you would teach your child new vocabulary
by perhaps pointing to something and saying, "This is
a blender that we use to make smoothies." Do this for
your nanny and then have her repeat the sentence by
asking, "What is this?" Have her repeat the sentence
during the day a few times. Have her keep a notepad
handy and write down the new sentence of the day
emphasizing the new vocabulary. Have her review what
she learned that day in the evening just before she
falls asleep and then to add it to her weekly review
that she covers again on the weekend. This notebook
will be a fun way for her to keep track of what she is
learning and will serve as a way in which for her to
go back and review her lessons.

10) Be supportive as she is learning. For those who
are quiet and shy, learning a language can be more
difficult because of the very fear of making mistakes.
Your positive influence will help her become more
comfortable and feel at ease as she becomes more
confident in speaking the English Language.

It may seem like a lot of work for all parties
involved, but with a little effort on a daily basis
and the willingness of your Nanny to make every effort
to learn, you will see progress and find it quite
rewarding.