The Multilingual Mindset

The Multilingual Mindset 

I speak from a place that is closest to me, as I am fortunate to have dearest to my heart an English Learning, Emergent Bilingual, Spanish speaking child.  The opportunity to raise a child with these gifts affords me also the opportunity for inquiry into language and learning, and overall human development, that is a unique gift.  I have come to realize that I have the unique role of being able to reflect on our parenting journey as a leader of others who may not have the same privilege of voice.

What I have come to know is that, as a parent and a person, I need to see the long term goal and the big picture-as anything I believe to be an absolute truth about the nature of my own child is likely to change. Recently I have noticed that he has hit another milestone in life and has entered into a new phase of his "becoming".  Phases are usually temporary and from them emerge characteristics of his personality that will stay with him while others that he "tried on" he will choose to leave behind.  I have given a lot of thought to the phases kids go through as they grow, and most of all my response to his development has been such a learning experience. At each new phase, my response to his new quirks and habits, reveal my beliefs and perception of them as either short term or permanent long term-this has been a real awakening.  My mindset-impacts who he will become!

This reflection might be helpful when thinking about our Multilingual Mindsets.  A Multilingual Mindset, much like parenting, requires the courage to "see the bigger picture" and to deeply reflect on the balance we place on short and long term goals families have for their children as we lead.   A Multilingual Mindset will require from us the courage to challenge a monolingual mindset when working with families and emergent bilingual students.  This will mean that we actively reflect and challenge views that emergent bilinguals are two monolinguals (this often causes us to compare emergent bilinguals to monolingual students)- and in place of this, we must embrace with our whole being the perspective and premise that emergent bilinguals bring ALL of their language to being alive, to their learning, and that their languages are interwoven and strengthen each other when we strengthen both.  A Multilingual Mindset requires us to think long term as our learners "try on" their different identities as emergent bilinguals-and as they go through phases towards lifelong Biliteracy.  What I know about a multilingual mindset, a lesson I have learned through parenting, is that we must keep the bigger picture of the child and the long term "life" outcomes in mind.  It is the courageous and the deep challenge of this work.