Real People, Real Stories, Real Life!

Yesterday, we had a discussion panel with three refugee families organised by Gina and her husband. I found it interesting and inspiring to hear about both the parents and children’s experiences in coming to the USA, including the opportunities presented to them and the challenges they faced. The families were friendly, honest and passionate about helping us to understand the barriers they faced and those that they continue to face. The experience has assisted me in connecting my academia and theory to real life, making connections which before were not possible. I was inspired at how the families wanted the group to understand, recognising the importance of our role in helping others as future educators within the US or beyond.
Today, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet LaRae Wiley and her husband Chris. LaRae and Chris spoke to us about the endangered language of Salish, and the importance of keeping the language alive. I was totally unprepared for just how much I could be touched in three hours, and left the classroom amazed and in awe of the work they have done and continue to do. I have always appreciated and believed in the upkeep and extension of language, but was surprised at how the sound of their music, words and voices could be so influential. A sound not just for Salish, but for languages across the world.

LaRae taught us some vocabulary and phrases in Salish, which I found extremely difficult to develop as quickly as my bi-lingual counterparts (who amazed me at how quickly, fluently and accurately they grasped each word and phrase!). Unfortunately, the UK education system does not do as much as the other European countries to develop the skills of second languages learners, and I sure did feel the part of my brain that should function for language learning struggling to keep up! At 26, I have past my optimal learning time for developing a second language, but I’m going to have a shot at it when I return back to the UK. How can I encourage the children I may teach about the importance of developing a second language if I can’t speak another language myself?

Without a doubt, the best two experiences of my time at EWU so far.