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Do you think the basics of language are important in today's world? Is it worth enrolling in a school that offers advanced language programs?
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Gulya
Yes, I think so. I can’t say much about school in general; for me, one-on-one lessons work better. My child attended an advanced studies class, but I didn’t see any noticeable results. And one-on-one with the teacher is going really well.
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olga Gorohova
Gulya It's not just a class—it's a school. It offers many hours of English, and you can choose a second language.
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Lyudmila
Those who need to will master it. My children identify as Russian and aren't interested in learning foreign languages. I don't intend to force them.
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Ulyana
I finished high school with an emphasis on foreign languages. I didn't send my own children to a school like that. English is wonderful, but it shouldn't come at the expense of other subjects. And language itself is important for those who will study it further—translators, teachers, or other humanities-related professions. If schools aren't enough, you can always join an extracurricular club.
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Ruzanna
Two older daughters studied at an English-language school, and the third is now in seventh grade there as well. Honestly, English has made me want to throw up over the years, but my daughters have a good level.
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Lena Pugacheva
I think that's always a plus.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana As for that, I thought it wasn't needed either. My husband and I both work in IT, and we need the language. My husband knows it fairly well—it's easier for him. I don't know it; it's harder for me. 😀
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana That is, we’re not translators, not teachers, and not people in the humanities…
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Gulya
Gulya If there is any feedback, I would like to take a look. We don't have any of those either. We were also promised a second language, but it was taken away.
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olga Gorohova
Lena Pugacheva They say that mathematics and the exact sciences suffer in schools like these.
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olga Gorohova
Gulya There are reviews. Overall, the school ranks in the city's top 15, and it's a 15-minute walk from home. The other nearby schools are easier—ordinary schools that don't rank in any top lists. I'm worried that math and other exact sciences could suffer...
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Valyushka
No, they still won’t provide the program. It’s only available on an individual basis.
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Ivanova anna
Could you explain what 'the basis of language' means?
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Ulyana
Ulyana One more thing.
In a language school, the focus should be on language, not mathematics. Additional language classes come at the expense of mathematics, computer science, and other subjects. Why would IT knowledge require English literature in the original language? We had several subjects taught in English. For an IT professional, it's essential to study mathematics more deeply—ideally in school or through regular courses. Language is a means of communication; you don't need to master every grammatical nuance or read Shakespeare in the original to read technical literature. It would be better to devote that time to mathematics. Of course, a coder with no English is unfortunate. But there are intermediate options between having no English and attending a language school, and those options are worth pursuing if the child also plans to go into IT.
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Ivanova anna
Ulyana I have a few acquaintances in the IT field, and none of them know English. One is a programmer, and the other is a computer security specialist.
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olga Gorohova
Ivanova anna Mastery. Typo.
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Svetlana
There's nothing for me.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana Technical documentation can be translated at a comfortable pace with a translator. The challenge isn't knowing the language itself, but understanding it by ear when you're working on an international project. My project is Slovenian; all video materials are educational, and discussions about the platform are in English. Everyone on our project has been trying to learn it. 😀 But with family responsibilities and an eight-hour job, it's already tough.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana So they're working on an internal project for the Russian Federation.
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Ulyana
Ulyana I have many programmer friends—people like me.
And there are those who don't know English.
They often suffer because of it.
Some even start learning it in adulthood.
Some study it to obtain a visa.
But there aren't any such people who don't know English and for whom it hasn't been useful in life.
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Ekaterina Salina
No. Without real practice speaking with a native speaker, this whole school program will stay theoretical. Yes, you'll gain some general understanding and basic knowledge, but that's what a typical school program provides. School doesn't teach you how to speak English.
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Ulyana
Ulyana What you need is practical, spoken English. You can develop it in a club or group where you have the opportunity to practice with a native speaker.
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Ekaterina Berezanskaya
It depends on the goal.
My older son attended a language-focused high school with an intensive Russian program because, at eight and a half, he didn't know Russian at all and couldn't get into a regular school.
There were many language lessons there; his level noticeably improved, but he still had to study extra, and the other subjects inevitably took a back seat.
Therefore, if a child is in a similar situation or has already decided on a career from childhood, perhaps it should be pursued; otherwise, I don't see much point.
The child can easily hire a tutor, and if finances permit, even a native speaker, and study the language independently and at their own pace until finishing school.
In school, the emphasis would be on studying other subjects besides languages.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana Here's my dilemma: I have two options—either a school that offers English plus a second language (just 15 minutes from home and among the top in the city),
or two unknown, average schools. The other schools would require me to drive him there. I’d really like him to attend a school where he can get there by himself.
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Irina
My sister graduated from high school with a concentration in foreign languages.
She is now studying at a university and she does not regret it.
My husband completed high school with an emphasis on English. He speaks and writes English fluently. Even foreigners ask where he is from, remark that his English is excellent, and say that he speaks like a native speaker.
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olga Gorohova
Ekaterina Berezanskaya I don't know what kind of person he'll be when he grows up. He says he wants to design cars 😀 He's decided to study Chinese as a second language so he can negotiate with Chinese people. But he's still a kid. I wanted to be a police officer too, but I never became one. I don't really notice any particular inclinations in him either — maybe I just don't understand ((
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olga Gorohova
Irina Could you tell me what your sister is studying?
And what does your husband do for a living, if you don’t mind sharing?
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Ulyana
Ulyana Any school that offers in-depth study in a subject is better than an ordinary, nameless school. There, both students and parents are motivated to learn. When one subject is strong, the other subjects tend to improve as well. And overall, if the entire class is strong, the students will look up to the leaders. But there's one more surprise: in the upper grades, English will be pushed hard. And it may happen that there won't be enough time or energy left for math.
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Irina
Irina My husband is studying to become a full-stack developer, and his courses are in English, which makes it easier for him. My sister is in the arts. She graduated from school with a gold medal, so I don’t think her studies have come at the expense of other subjects.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana I've heard that she struggles with math. I have a technical university degree, and so does my husband; he's really strong in math and even scored about 80-something on the Unified State Exam without any tutors. We might be able to help her. But at the same time, if schools underprovide knowledge, it will be harder. In short, I don't know what to do ((

For now, we can send the little one to a school with English instruction. If in 7th–8th grade we realize that he needs math and physics, we could switch him to a distant school with a stronger program. He'll be able to commute there by himself by then.
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Ekaterina Berezanskaya
Ekaterina Berezanskaya Generally, you can do it this way: as long as he wants to study languages, you can enroll him in this school, have him study there, and see how it goes.
If, in higher grades, he wants to switch to a different track—or if a subject, like mathematics, isn’t available at the needed level but is important to him—then you can simply move him to another program.
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Ulyana
Ulyana Honestly, these days there's absolutely everything online. It isn't necessary to go anywhere in person. There isn't a single right answer about which school to attend; every option has pros and cons. I chose the first teacher I found to make sure my children felt comfortable learning. My son is currently studying online, focusing on the subjects that interest him. And besides schoolwork, my kids also participate in sports.
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olga Gorohova
Irina Is he still in training? After finishing school, what did he study?
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Irina
Irina He is 21 years old.
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Gulya
Gulya Well, that's another reason I prefer one-on-one lessons. My son needs subjects in the exact sciences, because his future career involves both languages and the exact sciences. The top schools in our city don't really tell us much, unfortunately. Our school is supposedly the top in the city, but in reality they don't even offer all the subjects. In the end we chose extras for the essential subjects, while the general education is ordinary.

On top of that, with one-on-one lessons, after just a year he already reached a Cambridge level.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana I've also selected the teachers at this very school.
I haven't looked at others yet.
There is no requirement to complete SHBP here,
but the school with foreign languages does have such a requirement.
So I selected teachers there and enrolled them in SHBP there as well.
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olga Gorohova
Irina Ah, sorry about that! 😊 I'm used to everyone here being older.
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Irina
Irina Well, I’m 29; I’ll be 30 soon.
My husband is nine years younger than me 😅
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Ulyana
Ulyana In addition, seek out a good teacher and a quality school. If your child shows an inclination toward the exact sciences, don’t wait until graduation—start extra tutoring earlier.
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olga Gorohova
Irina Oh, that's another rare case 😀
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana Thank you.
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Ivanova anna
Ivanova anna Alright, I understand.
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Ivanova anna
Ulyana Yes, they're well taken care of here as well )). One is being served by Sber, and the other writes software for accountants.
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Lena Pugacheva
Lena Pugacheva That's a downside for people who need the exact sciences.
And not everyone needs them anyway.
I suppose the idea is that languages fall under philology, and philology is pursued by humanities students.
But that's only true if it's really the case; after all, people say a lot of things.
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olga Gorohova
Ulyana I'm also working on a project with Sber about insurance. I need this in English. There are several different projects.
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olga Gorohova
Lena Pugacheva Yes, English is considered a humanities field.
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Olya
Lyudmila Are your kids traveling abroad for a vacation?
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