#396 – Beyond Words: How Bilingual Education Shapes Young Minds, with Sophie Ricouard

If you are listening to the podcast with your instructional team or would like to explore this topic more deeply, here are guiding questions to prompt your reflection:

• What is your experience with learning a new language?
• What are the benefits of learning a new language?
• What challenges might language learners face?
• Which strategies from this episode resonated with you?
• What is your biggest takeaway from what Sophie shared about her school and their practices?

• San Diego French-American School (official website)
• 4 Benefits of Dual-Language Immersion Programs (Andrew Warner via U.S. News & World Report)
• How Language Immersion Positively Impacts Young Brains (International School of Portland)

#396 Beyond Words: How Bilingual Education Shapes Young Minds, with Sophie Ricouard

AVID Open Access
44 min

Transcript

The following transcript was automatically generated from the podcast audio by generative artificial intelligence.  Because of the automated nature of the process, this transcript may include unintended transcription and mechanical errors.

Sophie Ricouard 0:00 Every skill that you will learn in an English environment, we do it, but in French: literacy, reading, writing. In English, yes, we do it, mostly with a French immersion. So it’s really French, French, French. And then the more you go to our program, the more it’s 50/50, French/English.

Paul Beckermann 0:19 The topic for today’s podcast is Beyond Words: How Bilingual Education Shapes Young Minds with Sophie Ricouard. Unpacking Education is brought to you by AVID. If you’re looking for fresh ideas, meaningful connections, and impactful strategies, check out the AVID Summer Institute, a professional learning experience where good teachers become great teachers. Registration is open now. To learn more, visit avid.org.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 0:48 Welcome to Unpacking Education, the Podcast where we explore current issues and best practices in education. I’m Rena Clark.

Paul Beckermann 0:59 I’m Paul Beckerman.

Winston Benjamin 1:00 And I’m Winston Benjamin. We are educators.

Paul Beckermann 1:04 And we’re here to share insights and actionable strategies.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 1:09 Education is our passport to the future.

Paul Beckermann 1:13 Our quote for today is from the San Diego French American School website. It states, “We thread French and American education together to create a bilingual symbiosis that enriches the individual and elevates the community”. Winston, what are you thinking about the quote today?

Winston Benjamin 1:30 That reminds me of growing up in New York City, right? Like, I grew up in a Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Panamanian, Honduran, like, just Trinidad, and so all of our cultures all mixed together as kids. I knew about the chocolate, so I was able, I was able to maneuver through different families and have an understanding of all the family expectations and behaviors.

So that, I think, it really allowed me to just not only see myself as one member of one community, but also like be able to engage and actually value others, because I had a bit of understanding of where they are and who they are. So that quote, I just love the idea of the thread, because that sounds like New York for me, right? Like where everybody is speaking a common, just foreign. So that sounds, that’s dope to me.

Paul Beckermann 2:26 See, in my growing up experience was almost the exact opposite. Melrose, Minnesota, could not be any more the same than it was. You know, we were almost all children of German immigrant families, and, you know, maybe our grandparents spoke a little German, but it was, it was not very diverse.

So I appreciate the fact that this school is bringing together these different cultures and communities, this thread, symbiosis, community. It’s just joining together. I really appreciate that, because for me as a student, I would want that kind of experience to to gain better perspective.

So kind of excited about our conversation today, because we will be joined by Sophie Ricouard, the Pre-Elementary Academic Director, the toddler through K at the San Diego French American School, which we just heard the quote from. So welcome, Sophie. Thank you for having me. We’re excited to have you here.

You want to introduce yourself and tell our listeners just a little bit about yourself and your school?

Sophie Ricouard 3:29 Sure. So I’ve been raised in France, like, you know, like in a monolingual school, in a monolingual, monolingual family, even if my grandmother was speaking native language, like, in Brittany, where I was, and she never spoke that language. It was like the secret language from my parents and my grandparents. But yeah, never been raised, never understood that language.

And so mostly, I loved education. Since a young age, I loved children, decided to, you know, take this passion to life. So I became a teacher. I ended up mostly with a preschooler. I don’t know why, but this is my life. And I went, I started, actually, in New York City, at the Lycée Français. So my bilingual experimentation started there, and I loved it.

I studied languages at school, at a university, so Spanish and English, so it was my majors. So this is why, for me, like studying abroad and being a teacher, a French teacher abroad, was like a tremendous dream of mine. To live in a country where the culture is different, where the language is different, was something that I really wanted to experience, experience. That’s why I ended up in New York City.

And yeah, and it was like you said, it’s a place multicultural, so diverse, with and you still feel like, it’s your community. It’s really amazing. Even as a French, foreign person teaching French in a school, I was, like, always amazed how New Yorkers are welcoming everyone. And you’re part of a big community, a big city, but big community, diversity. Like, it was amazing.

And then so I moved to the west coast, where I continued my teaching experience in Berkeley in a bilingual school, and it’s been like since 2009 that I’m here in San Diego at the French American school. I was a kindergarten teacher. I was a PK two teacher, like for four years old. I also was a two-years-old teacher, and I finally decided to instead of having 12 or 18 kids of mine in my classroom, I was like, why not taking over the full like preschool and becoming the director, curriculum director, to take care of 100 little ones now and more.

Winston Benjamin 6:00 That’s awesome. That’s awesome. Um, so I have a question, and I think because you started out saying that you were also schooled in a monolingual school, Paul and I, monolingual school, right?

Um, could you explain to us and the audience, what is the benefit of bilingual education for students, and why is it so important that we try to get as many students into bilingual education as possible?

Sophie Ricouard 6:28 So mostly what I learned about all those years, it’s like your brain worked differently. So being in a more language world school, it’s just different, because your brain is going to set a way where everything is going to be in one spot in your brain.

When you offer your your children to be in an environment with diverse languages, with a lot of it could be one language, two languages, three languages, whatever, but your brain is going to build differently. And it’s going to be like, it’s not like English on one side, French on the other side, like me. It’s going to be all languages at the same time, mixed up, which show the benefits of after for the students.

Like, the cognitive benefits of like, of learning, like, when they learn different, like they learn math or they learn science, they’re going to have that, that ability to switch from one side to the other and to see other problem solving also like to, “Oh, this is that. How can I fix that?” And it’s just give you so many benefits, because you had that experience to switch from one language to another, and to when you speak to someone in French, you know that person is going to understand only French. When you go to another person, it’s only English. You know you’re going to switch English.

And we also have Spanish now at school, and I see that with the kids, even our our staff maintenance, you know, the cleaning lady, our dearly Elva. She speaks Spanish, so every time she’s coming to help with us, they’re going to say “Hola” and not “Bonjour” or not “Good morning”. That switch right away.

So the brain of a student who starts the bilingual education is really like it gives you a strong foundation about cognitive ability and also socially. Socially, it’s it gives you, like, the ability to switch a language with other, with any people. It’s also open you to a different culture, culture awareness, because somebody is going to address you differently than another.

We also have so many different families at school, you know, like Persian. We have Chinese, Russian. They all act differently because of their culture, and children learn that from each other, even in a classroom environment. We don’t have only English speaker, French speaker, Spanish speaker. We also have families who speak Hindi or families who speak Persian at home, and so it brings something different in your classroom.

And the other thing that I really like to tell about the benefit of our bilingual education, it’s the long term. So long term bilingual education is going to open, open doors to a lot of good opportunities. I’m not talking about the job opportunities, but also, you know, when you travel, you access, you. Your behavior is changing. You act differently when you travel. You just know how to react, you adapt. You know how to address. You You have this ability socially, emotionally, to interact with any culture, because you had that, that foundation and that unreached world view about changing, like it’s always ever evolving. So you know how to change and adapt to any any person you addressed to, even like, even the little ones.

Paul Beckermann 10:04 It sounds like an amazing opportunity to get to work in an environment like that. I’m curious. You know, you’ve been there for a while now. What’s most surprised you during your time there as an educator in a bilingual environment, and have any of those experiences maybe changed, or had you evolved the way that you think about language acquisition?

Sophie Ricouard 10:24 The most surprising thing that I noticed with that during my years of education, it’s mostly to see the children how fast they can learn a language. And you can think that maybe in kindergarten, they will be acquiring the basics, the foundation, and then they will be able to express themselves.

But what I noticed like, and that’s why I started that twelve-year program, it’s like starting at three years old. When I had, I was a teacher in the PK zero class, the three-years-old class, I had that student who started no French at home, and six months in my classroom, she was like starting to use the French saying, “Bonjour,” “Merci,” to play like, the, I would like little sentences, six months, really, because I was a kindergarten teacher.

So when the kids were coming in my classroom, they already had those two or three years of French, you know. But when I was that PK zero teacher, the two-years-old, and I noticed that girl who was able to already have the basics, I’m like, this is new to me. I need to learn more. And this is really where I noticed that, over the years, the children, they’re not just learning words, they’re also learning the structure. They’re learning to navigate between like French, English, or whatever language they have at home, and they’re able to learn to express a need when it’s the time.

Our students who start, they need six months to three years to really learn the basics and to really, truly become a bilingual student. You add three to six more years. So mostly, when you start at three years old, arriving in kindergarten, you should be able to learn all your basics, all the foundation to express yourself, your needs, and you understand the direction. You you’re able to, uh, mostly, have a conversation, simple conversation.

But after that, it’s like you need to add those three years and to six years to become bilingual. And some kids will need those three years, and some will need four. Some will need five. Some will need six. And after that, you just need to keep practicing or going to France and travel the world to keep your bilingualism.

Winston Benjamin 12:44 I appreciate the fact that you discussed the timing that children need in order to become bilingual and also just learning the sponge, like their brains are, to take in information and then be able to process and move forward.

Um, so this question is about, in relation to that, what has been some of the biggest misconceptions parents have about bilingual education, and what do you wish families understood more, right, including the time, all those things?

Sophie Ricouard 13:19 So. So for me, the big misconception that I see through the years, it’s that parents think that their child are going to miss, they they will miss some English skills, and because of the French immersion.

And they don’t see that every skill that you will learn in an English environment, we do it, but in French. So this is really what I would like the parents to understand. It’s like our school, the program, the everything: the math that we’re teaching, the science that we’re teaching, the French acquisition, sure, but English acquisition too. We do it in French and over the year for the English.

So the English skills, I would say, literacy, reading, writing in English. Yes, we do it. It’s just at a different pace, because our schools start mostly with a French immersion. So it’s really French, French, French. And then the more you go to our program, the more it’s 50/50, French/English.

So the parents doesn’t get sometimes that it’s not about only French acquisition. It’s about all the skills that a child needs at three years old, at four years old. So it’s all about fine motor skills, gross motor skills, about social skills, emotional skills, because it’s super important. When you want to learn, you need to be socially and emotionally ready. So it’s my first goal for my third year and three years old, get ready socially and emotionally, and to do it in French. It’s much like, “Wow, do.” It’s it’s a learning in French. So it’s you learn your skills, not in English, but in French. So everything that I want parents to understand is that then we don’t, your child doesn’t miss anything.

Paul Beckermann 15:14 I don’t know if this is different, because I didn’t take German till like high school, but I did not truly understand English until I studied German. It made my English so much better, because I had to consciously think about the structure of the sentences, the things that you just don’t think about otherwise, if it’s in your own language, and I don’t know if that applies to these young kids or not, or if that’s a different.

Sophie Ricouard 15:41 No, it’s the language. Development is a process. It’s really a process. And children, often, they acquire the proficiency at their in their own language. First, you know, like for the speaking, and then they’re going to build on their English skills to build the French skills. And after, it’s bridges.

And like you said, the brain is a sponge, so everything is going to be connected at a young age. When you start another language in high school, like I did, also it’s different. Our brains work different, but at a young age, the early childhood education with children in a different language, everything is at the same. They’re little sponges, and they’re just making the dots, connecting everything. And like you said, they’re building on each other. So it’s going to become a strength in French, and then they’re going to catch up in English. And it’s just, it’s like, enrich their vocabulary, enrich their conception of language.

Paul Beckermann 16:41 Thank you for for kind of talking through, you know, how kids navigate some of that. And I’m curious if there are some common challenges that you see some students maybe experiencing when they’re trying to do this, and maybe some suggestions for parents and educators for how they might be able to support students through that.

Sophie Ricouard 16:59 So to navigate two languages. So depending when you start, so, for example, I want to have a new student in kindergarten. It’s you can see some challenges. So where a child is like, feel aside, because he doesn’t understand, or he’s like, so when they have this conscious about learning, about their skills, about when they are conscious about that, it’s challenging.

That’s why we put some extra time in French. We put some reinforcement, like French language as French as a Second Language, extra time to help them build their vocabulary, to help them build their basics and foundation factor. But for a young age, children who need to express themselves, they can put in English. It’s fine. We’re just answering in French.

So it’s not a challenge for them. They’re just, at one point, they understand. When you told them, “Go wash your hands,” you know, we have, like, sign language. We have, we imitate, we model, a lot for them to understand what we are expecting them to do.

So the challenge, I would say, for me, it’s when they start, really, they want to speak French, and they start to mix French and English. That would be like, where for parents, like, “Oh, my God, my child is mixing.” I say, “Don’t worry, it’s okay.” Some kids go through that phase, you know, where they need that mixed, and they need to go through that phase to become better and to become fully bilingual.

I always tell my new parents when they come, you know, like, for when they come here, like if they speak another language. For example, I had a Brazilian mom, and I told her, I say, this is super important. Continue to speak Portuguese to your child. It’s important to keep that language and don’t, don’t speak English to them. Just keep one language, because usually we notice kids who are mixing. Sometimes it’s because you speak French and English at the same time, or because you speak the parents speak a language and English.

So sometimes when they express themselves, they mixed the words, because, as I told you at the beginning, studies show that all the words at a young age go to the same place. So then it’s the brain who needs to, to work it out and to make the difference between languages.

So when one reference one language is at home, so dad speak French, mom speak Spanish. The teacher at school speak English. For example, the kids are going to it’s going to be easier for the kids not to mix languages. But I would say this is the only really concern sometimes that I see with parents. “Oh, my kid is mixing.” So mostly to support them, I say consistent. Exposure, but you need to keep your one language to your child. It’s like, don’t try to speak French to them. Don’t ask them to speak French to them. Keep that for school, and one day you’ll see the magic happen.

Winston Benjamin 20:14 I love that. So all everything that you’ve been saying, I’ve been thinking about how I, my middle school students who are new to learning English from different countries.

So I have one question for you, because I think this will help me and potentially my teachers, frame how to support our students who are coming into English. What role does culture play in bilingual education, right? And how do we how do you ensure the students not only learn the language but also gain a deeper connection to the both their home culture and the culture that they’re learning? Because I think that would be that benefit me so much in terms of my work.

Sophie Ricouard 20:54 So this is a hard question, culture. It’s super important for a child when they learn a new language. When they learn French, we are have different expectation. Our culture is different when we talk.

Sometimes it can be a way where they never heard people talking like that to them, because culturally, it’s different at home. So for me, like to ensure that students connect deeply with both whatever languages, French, their own language. It’s important to integrate the cultural activities.

What we do in French, for the French, for example. So we do traditional song. We we celebrate some. We have the French. We celebrate. We have stories in French. We have into our curriculum.

So what do we do for our families? So what we do is we invite parents to show their culture. It’s super important. Parents are welcome in the classroom. Come and read a story in your own languages. Show us how it what happened, what’s happening in your country? How do you do that? How do you communicate? It’s important for us that our community members, they’re part of also our everyday life.

So when we have a special event, we do International Week. We do sometimes we have a cooking week. So let’s have special snack. Let’s have parents coming and present a dish or one day older, for example.

What we have also, it’s like older kids. So I was thinking about your middle schooler, I would definitely invite them to present their culture and to show their culture to the other kids, and to have the day, even the day, for each culture like that. It’s an important thing that everyone knows what your culture is, and it’s something that it’s a parent share, you know, to help them understand, “This is my culture. This is my tradition, and I wanted, I wanted to share with you,” because this connection to culture, it’s not only enhance the language learning. It’s also foster, you know, the respect in our school. That’s how how I feel.

It’s like, I don’t have my family here. They’re abroad, they’re in France. I don’t have anyone. And I feel like even my kids are here. And I’m like, they are part. They’re my family. But for to be my family, they need to understand my culture. But we need to understand my son, friends culture, you know.

He has so many different culture around him, and he always bring back to me, like, I like, “Oh, you know, today we have a Eva who presents a Filipino a dish, and I love it.” And I’m like, “Great. I want to learn about it. Let’s taste it,” you know. And he brings that at home. And you’re like, we’re a French couple, French family, so I’m like, that’s great. I love it. You will see, I’m a little bit passionate.

Winston Benjamin 23:56 Yes, please. Yes, please.

Paul Beckermann 23:59 So speaking of passion, you touched on some strategies already and a little bit of how the preschool setting works at your school. But what strategies have you found to be the most effective for fostering language development in a bilingual preschool setting?

Sophie Ricouard 24:18 So when you said bilingual principle setting, mostly we are not yet bilingual. I would say we start bilingual in kindergarten with six hours of English, so but we have English time twice a week. We have Spanish twice a week. We also have our associate teacher, or Spanish speaker, English speaker.

So that’s why we can keep the bilingual, if you if you want, and the fact that we have all those languages in within the classroom, we like to do activities where we hands-on, act. Activities when we can create an environment where language, vocabulary, switch, you know, with within our stories that we read to our students.

So mostly, for example, when we read a story, we will ask the Spanish teacher to read the same story, but in Spanish, and we have the English teacher to read the story in English, not the same day, sometimes the same day, sometimes the day after, to help the kids making the connection between all the language. It’s all about connection between vocabulary.

So like that, they heard there in French, in English, or Spanish. It’s also, so this is through books, but it’s also some songs. So, you know, like the wheels on the bus go round and round, but we have it in French, “Les roues de l’autobus tournent, tournent, tournent.” So, and it’s also a lot of songs like that, we just have them in French. So like that, the kids, they’re like, “Oh, I know what you’re talking about.” So it’s, it’s become natural to them to hear French. So those are kind of some strategies.

Use the books, songs, conversation. We play. Also we play a lot, and when we play, we use a specific vocabulary, and then the English teacher can come in and play use the same vocabulary. So it’s also about co-teaching time. Co-teaching it’s essential, even like in elementary side, we do more of co-teaching time to have those kids see the connection between French and English, to also work on grammar, grammatical structure. Like, this is the difference between English and French.

We also use some method, like used to read French method called Nara News to help. Mostly like, when you have a story, first you introduce the vocabulary, so the kids know all the vocabulary of the story, and then you read the story. So like that. When they listen to the story, they already thought, “Oh, yeah, I know that what you’re talking about”.

It’s the same for like, vocabulary session. When we’re really focusing on vocabulary, we do a lot of different game, memory games, a lot of games around the same words. And at the end of the session, like sessions. So it’s like, after maybe 10 sessions, you have, like a game. You put the kids in circle, and they have to guess which word we’re talking about, and they jump from each other, from each other. It’s really funny, until the last player is a winner. And we noticed after those 10 sessions how fast they learn vocabulary.

So it’s just some method that we use to help them pick up the vocabulary, to help them being more easy in a bilingual setting. And routine also is a key and consistency. Routine. Consistency. It’s something that we obviously do a lot.

Winston Benjamin 28:01 So again, this is selfish of me, because I think your answer would help me support my teachers who are working with kids from different cultures as they engage in our schools for families who speak only one of the school language at home, so they only speak English, not French, right?

What are some simple ways that they can support their child’s bilingual journey, and that definitely will benefit me, because, how can I get my families who don’t speak English to support their kids English journey, right? Bilingual journey. So what would you recommend to parents who are supporting their kids bilingual journey who don’t speak the school language?

Sophie Ricouard 28:45 So mostly, I would say it’s to create opportunities for their child to have that to hear that second language. So how do I create opportunities for my child to to listen to the second language at home? This is my first thing.

So for example, parents can have audio books, songs, some when they are old enough to look at video. You know, we encourage them to watch a show, maybe. But in French, instead of English. It’s easy now to switch languages, right? For a given you can do Spanish, German. It’s like, you can change the audio, and parents can join the movie night, because you can put the caption, it’s okay. So this is how to integrate, you know, family around that.

The other thing that we have, it’s also obviously we encourage parents, if they want to French. It’s also important for children to understand that their parents choose to offer, choose to offer to their children a bilingual education. It means something for them. They really believe. Into the benefits of a bilingual education, or they have French history, or something you know, in their family, or they went to France, and they love that country so much that they want to travel, and they need parents need to share also why the kids need to understand and to have understand the motivation of the parents, because the children sometimes are like, “Why am I in a French school? You don’t speak French,” and it’s like, “How can I support my my my child?”.

It’s like, for us, it’s important that there is that relationship: parents, school and children, because we’re here for you to learn in a French environment, to learn all the skills that you will learn, and we want to support you no matter what. At school, we offer like French homework. We offer parents class in French. We offer different stuff.

And the other thing that I like to tell parents, like, play date, go play French family with others. Play date is a really good thing. I always did play date with my kids, you know, invite the non-French speaker at home. And I was like, always speak French to them. So, like, I encourage them to speak French, because English is coming back really fast, even at a play date. So.

Paul Beckermann 31:27 I’m going to have you look ahead a little bit, look into the future. How do you see bilingual education evolving? You know, are there emerging trends or research that’s coming out that excites you about the future of early childhood language learning?

Sophie Ricouard 31:43 I don’t know how I see the bilingual education evolving. I really feel that we are right now at a level where I know it works. I truly believe into our program. I feel like the three years of immersion, French immersion, really help the kids, you know, like with becoming bilingual and switching in kindergarten with six hours of English.

You add the six hours of English and then you you add up the English, and it’s becoming 50/50, bilingual. Really shows that the kids after the full program will truly deliver the school bilingual, even tri-language. Now, you know, the thing is, with education, for me, the bilingual education communication, have the time to express yourself, have the time to have those, those moments where you can enhance your language acquisition.

So that’s why we do early we do shows on December shows and June shows where kids are either they’re singing in French or either having a theater play in French or, you know, express express themselves in in French. Because I really feel like we need to keep what we have right now with communication.

When I was in New York City, it was truly 50/50. It was truly a bilingual program where I was working with an American teacher. We did another associate. And for example, on Monday, it was only French. Tuesday it was English. Wednesday was French. Thursday was English. Friday was French. And so mostly I was leading on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and she was leading those other two days. So I started my my teaching in the US that way.

And when I I saw that, I’m like, this works so perfectly. You know? It’s perfect, like the bilingual education that way works perfectly. Then I moved to the to California, and it was mostly an immersion school with a little bit of English to help the children to connect and make this connection.

And if I compare with the two different program, I truly feel like for me, the way evolves in our school, like the you add up the English part, it’s the best way, because the kids are become stronger in their basics and foundation. And then when it’s time to be ready for your bilingual, they have that 50/50, you know, they have most like they have the English to build on and build on and build on.

So that’s why the evolving, I don’t know what will be the next level. Maybe we have, like the robotics lab right now we have STEAM, so I would say to have that as a tool to help the kids, you know, be less shy, maybe because they have their little robot in their hands, and they can speak, you know, like to what the robot is doing, and it’s just give you. You don’t have that communication.

It’s mostly you express what what the robot is doing. So you’re not taking you as a person involved in the conversation. It’s about this little B bot or B bot or. Robot that moving, and you just explain that in French, because I see that it helps the kids, you know, sometimes, who are shy and doesn’t want to express themselves, to be in the environment where it’s different. Nature. Also, I would say nature is a great place to have bilingual education.

You go to nature and you just have a time of your life with the kids who are playing in the mud and the and the sticks and rocks, and they count, and they do different, different experience. They can draw with a stick in the mud. They can it will still be a great bilingual education.

But the evolving, I’m scared about the evolving. I’m scared. I think I’m scared because of everything going AI, about the fact that I don’t, I don’t, I don’t want, actually, to see the bilingual education evolve, because I’m scared that the AI will take over, and that you will think that with the AI. You won’t need any more teacher to teach you French. You won’t need any more person to communicate with.

Paul Beckermann 36:09 You want to keep that human connection going.

Sophie Ricouard 36:12 Definitely, that’s why I’m scared with that word evolve, because for me, learning a language, it’s all about social connection and emotional connection with the person you you work with.

So every teacher who start working with a little 18-months-old, two years old, three years old, whatever age you need. That connection, that emotional connection, that social connection, it gives you the motivation to learn, to give you the, you want to speak with that person, you want to connect with that person.

Do I want a bilingual education evolving through a robot or through a computer? No, I want to keep that human and social aspect and emotional.

Winston Benjamin 36:56 I love that. I think that is one of the truest things that we are all teachers are afraid of losing the human connection in our work. There’s a couple of things that you’re mentioned that were like little tools, and this is time for one question in our show.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 37:13 Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What’s in the toolkit? Check it out. What’s in your toolkit? What are what’s your toolkit?

Winston Benjamin 37:21 What’s your tool that you’re trying to think about using in the future? What would you add to your repertoire? Paul, what’s in your toolkit today?

Paul Beckermann 37:34 Well, I am not a multi-language expert, but what I was hearing is the benefit of sharing different stories and learning about different people and their cultures and their backgrounds.

Not every student has the opportunity to go to a multilingual school, but since the pandemic, almost everybody has access to some kind of video conferencing software, so you can bring guests in from other places with other languages to talk about, you know, their worlds through some of that conferencing software.

And I think, you know, it’s kind of like having a virtual classroom guest or a virtual visit. And I think that’s something that that folks can explore if they don’t have access to it, you know, firsthand in their classroom.

Winston Benjamin 38:22 I love it. I love it, because you took what I was thinking and you made it into digital. I was thinking like Sophie, the human connection. I’m saying, bringing the parents or the community members into the schools to help tell those stories.

Like I know we can reach out other people outside, but sometimes it’s nice to have that human from down the street. Sophie, what would you like to add as a tool for our teachers to think about as they work with bilingual education?

Sophie Ricouard 38:50 Yeah, so my my first thing is, like, connect with your students. This is the first thing. It’s like, you have to find that connection, even if you speak French, and it takes, sometimes, some kids, it’s like natural right right away, and sometimes it takes time.

So I just that, I just say your toolkit is to be patient, keep your smile and your love kindness, and be nurturing with our little ones, to make sure that they’re in this they feel like, you know, safe and secure space where they feel free to speak and repeat your little French word. There will be that.

And I love, I love bilingual stories. So when you have a story in French and same in English and the same in Spanish, it’s, I love to see that. And yep, there is a lot of tools, I think, that I share with you today.

Winston Benjamin 39:45 Yes, you did. Yes, you did.

Paul Beckermann 39:48 Filling up our toolkit. That’s good. That’s good. All right, so we’re going to funnel it down now, and we’re going to go to our one thing. It’s time for that one thing. Wow.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 40:00 Time for that one thing. That one thing. All right.

Paul Beckermann 40:08 One thing time. Final takeaway for the day, Winston, what’s what are you thinking about?

Winston Benjamin 40:11 So I’m going to quote something Sophie said, and then I’m going to extend it into my teaching world.

So for our parents, if you are trying to support your students in bilingual ed or learning other language other than English, and those students who are trying to learn English as well, give your students opportunities to engage with the language being spoken at school outside of school.

Second, to teachers, take opportunities to engage with student languages outside of school. Go somewhere, listen, engage, so you understand the cultural expectations that their parents are coming with, so that you can make better connections with those parents so to support their kids. So I love that dude, that two roads right in and out.

Paul Beckermann 41:04 And I’m thinking about just the tremendous benefit that this can give to students. You know, Sophie talked about some of the long-term benefits, the way that the brain actually intertwines with the two languages.

It’s not like two halves and separated thing. They get to develop their brains in different ways, and then, of course, that interpersonal connection is always there as well. Sophie, what do you like to add, leave? What would you like to leave? Our listeners with a final thought today?

Sophie Ricouard 41:36 Yes, I’m a director now, but I was a teacher, and I would say teachers, don’t forget that you are the model of your students, that each of little ones that you’re going to work with, you’re going to leave a mark on them.

I have the chance to see some of my students. They’re like more than more than 20, 20 years, 22 years. And I will already remember one of mine who started school and say, “Oh, you, you’re going to go far,” and to leave that little he was doesn’t, he didn’t understand French at all. He learned French with me, and he always called me “Madame Sophie”.

So I would say, don’t forget that teacher, that you’re so important for your students. You live, you don’t you’re not in unnoticed. You know, they will come back to you one day and remind you of a story that you will totally forget, because it means 20 years ago, but you’re like, “You remember, I remember when you read that story, I was so happy about it,” or “I liked that story so much that I had my mom to buy it”.

So don’t forget that, teachers, you’re the best with what you do. And I know sometimes it’s hard if we have long days, but be patient and keep your smile and your love, and be kind and nurture for all their students.

Paul Beckermann 43:05 That’s awesome. And you know what? I can tell that you are making a mark as well. Sophie, thank you for making a mark with our listeners today as well and joining us. We really are very grateful that you joined us today. Thank you so much.

Sophie Ricouard 43:17 Thank you. Was my pleasure.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 43:21 Thanks for listening to Unpacking Education. We.

Winston Benjamin 43:24 Invite you to visit us at avidopenaccess.org where you can discover resources to support student agency and academic tenacity to create a classroom for future-ready learners. We’ll.

Paul Beckermann 43:37 Be back here next Wednesday for a fresh episode of Unpacking Education.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 43:42 And remember, go forth and be awesome.

Winston Benjamin 43:45 Thank you for all you do.

Paul Beckermann 43:47 You make a difference.