Speaking in Different Tongues

CCS student Jamie Miller is doing a field placement at St. Joseph School in Dryden, ON. Program staff Janet Ross asked her about a recent project she organized for her students.

Janet: Why did you think of this idea?

Jamie: I had written the lesson for Pentecost and I wanted to find some way for the students to actually experience it – for everyone to speak a different language, but also understand the words. I knew all the students were taught the Lord’s Prayer. The idea came from a desire to have a tangible experience for the students to connect with the Pentecost story.

Janet: How many different languages did you use?

Jamie: I thought I would be working with five or six different languages. I went from classroom to classroom asking what languages they and their family members speak. There were 22 different languages! Not all are in the video — some kids didn’t practice – LOL, and some students spoke three or four languages but only recorded one. The 22 different languages are connected to nearly 100 different countries.

Janet: What did others think of the idea and what was their experience of it?

Jamie: Some were really keen, some were skeptical. I was excited and many warmed up to that, especially when they engaged with the video. (And especially the teen boys. Of course.) When we recorded, there was a cool leadership piece where kids were going to other classrooms to collect younger kids for the video. It was sweet! Seeing the older kids take pride in their history and culture and language, and also really enjoying being asked to share was meaningful.

Janet: What were you hoping would be the impact?

Jamie: I was really just looking for something that I could attach to the Pentecost lesson – especially for Kindergarten and grade one kids – where visualizing stories is still a little difficult. But the impact was much more than I thought. Leading up to Pentecost, the kindergarten class that did ASL was so enthusiastic. They constantly wanted me to know they were practicing by showing me all the different signs. It was wonderful to see their engagement with it. They were superstars.

Janet: What did you learn from this experience?

Jamie: It made me wonder how often people are asked to share their culture. How often are kids asked genuinely and with curiosity about themselves – and then given a platform to speak. They were so happy and excited to share their language, their culture, their background. This is something I take for granted as my culture and language are dominant, and even though we are in a French immersion school, English is still the dominant language. I’m now more mindful about offering and supporting genuine opportunities for people to share of themselves.