Title: Aria

Author: Richard Rodriguez

Aria provides a unique and personal look at what it is like to grow up speaking two languages. Rodriguez shares the heartfelt story of his home language of Spanish and how his language and Spanish roots created a special bond with his family. To fit in at school, just like many other MLL children, he had to learn English to fit in and be like everyone else. Learning English helped him do well in school and life, but he felt a little bit more distant and misunderstood as the distance grew between him and his parents. The world he grew up in was changing. Aria’s story encourages us to think about how language shapes who we are and our relationships. Aria explores the personal journey of a bilingual child, exploring how adopting a new language can alter the family dynamics of your culture. After reading this selection, I asked myself Isn’t there a better way? No one should have to pick one language over the other. Both should be celebrated! This was a heartbreaking read to think about having to make such a difficult choice. 

Title: Teaching Multilingual Children

Author: Virginia Collier

Collier provides a poignant explanation of teaching MLL children and the benefits of dual language education. Collier argues against the subtractive approaches to MLL education that diminish or take away L1 language. She argues that both languages need to be taught to affirm students' linguistic and cultural backgrounds in two languages. Collier provides guidelines for multilingual children as she advocates for high-quality dual language instruction, where both languages are taught strictly. Key concepts include valuing the first language, providing separate instruction for both languages, and ensuring that qualified teachers support this additive bilingual environment. Ultimately, the goal is to develop growth in both languages, leading to fair and equitable outcomes for all students. It is essential to create an outcome where an individual does not have to choose between languages, just like in the Aria story. 

Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4

The video series Teaching Non-English Speakers Even If You Are Not one!’ aligns perfectly with the Collier articles.  This webinar series provides practical guidance for educators on teaching MLL students. The video series advocates for teachers and others to see students' home language as an asset, not a problem. Each episode builds on the other, which is inspiring. As a teacher, I am interested in exploring the importance of understanding students' diverse backgrounds to foster an inclusive environment. I was inspired to listen to other teachers' ideas and how they plan to use translanguaging, code switching, and celebrating bilingualism in their classrooms. 

    Interesting Finds

                                        Multilingualism is my Superpower

                                                         MLL Stories

      Inspiring Website