Multilingual Exposure

Increasingly, our students are becoming global travelers. Instead of telling us they went to Tahoe or Disneyland, they mention that their family vacationed in Paris or Spain, and with that comes an awareness they were in a different culture. Recently a young boy told me about two words he found important on his trip to Italy, “prego” (you’re welcome) and “buongiorno” (good morning).

In our preschool and kindergarten, children often learn how to say a few words in the language of one of their classmates. Even if that learning isn’t through a formal lesson, having bilingual or trilingual children in class at any age is one of the ways students learn that they live in a multicultural, multilingual society. We feel that being around children who speak more than one language is beneficial.

In addition to bi- and trilingual students, we usually welcome a few children every year who have no knowledge of English when they start. We typically don’t worry how these students will fit in socially, since they often seem miraculously absorbed into play.

When a four-year-old who had just arrived in America and knew no English joined a preschool class a few years ago, we were amazed that by the second day, everyone wanted to play with him. Language wasn’t the main currency of their active play, yet everyone was excited when he started using phrases in English. Watching this process allows us to reflect on how many aspects of communication are nonverbal.

We can also appreciate how knowledge of another student’s language background helps children to be more sensitive socially. Knowing that a classmate is struggling to learn English helps students to develop empathy. What that language immersion process looks like:

Room 2 teacher Nari Souleiman has started recording her son, Zakarie’s, overtures into English when he comes home from school each day. Zakarie’s first languages are French and Arabic, and he knew almost no English when he started in Room 5 this year. Still, he immediately made a best friend, Meheriyar, who speaks English, and is learning Balochi from his father, Eshan. (His mother, Chiana, attended our school.) From their first days, the two classmates adeptly coordinated their activities, sometimes mischievous, using blends of their languages but mostly non-verbal cues.

When Zakarie comes home, the concepts he is struggling to express in English during the day come out in bursts: “Wait, your turn, my turn, hey guys, look, hop like a bunny, open please, mine, don’t touch!” These enthusiastic expressions reflect the wonder of the human brain, allowing him to sort through the hundreds of words he hears every day and extract the ones that allow him to engage with others. 

It’s helpful for Room 5 children to be aware that Zakarie and other children in their class speak more than one language and that their classroom is a culturally rich environment. We have so much gratitude for people’s willingness to share their diverse backgrounds at school. We hope you will join us in learning more about the cultures in our school community by participating in Saturday’s Culture Fair, either as a presenter or visitor.