Jiyun and Ireh, a story about being bilingual

Ireh started school at Westburn last week.  His family comes from South Korea.  He has a little brother, Ethan.  They have made such a great start to school.  I am so proud of them.   I know that they made such a great start to school because of Jiyun Heo.   Jiyun is one of our Cultural Ambassadors.   When I told her about the boys, she wanted to help and to get to know them.   Jiyun, who is fluent in Korean and in English met the boys and spent time with Ireh in his classroom.   According to Mrs O, she was incredibly helpful and supportive to Ireh.   During story writing time in Room 9,  Ireh wrote a story in Korean.   Jiyun sat down with him.  They read the story together in Korean.  Jiyun translated his story into English.  She made sure her writing was neat and well spaced out and Ireh copied it.  This was his first time writing in English.   Everybody was so proud, especially Ireh. Thank you Jiyun.  Keep up the great work!                      

My ELA (English Language Learning Asssistants) team and I have been discussing the importance of being bilingual.    At the last count, there are nearly 200 children at school who speak another language at home.    All children have the capacity to be bilingual, even those who come from a house where only 1 language is spoken.   Early exposure to different languages can  create interest in learning another language and discovering a new culture.     A student that I worked with a few years ago told me that " being bilingual is like having two dictionaries in your brain that are always growing and easily accessible".   

We are lucky at Westburn to have bilingual students who are able to assist new families, greet visitors, help with younger students and help promote their culture at school.  In the senior school, children can become Cultural Ambassadors.   The children complete the same application as a student council member or a house leader.  Cultural Ambassadors must be able to speak their first language fluently.   They must be able to work with younger children as well as with adults.   They must be flexible and good at problem solving in two languages .  They are such an asset to our school.

Currently, we have three cultural ambassadors at Westburn.   Karen Huang, Year 8,  Syahindah Mohammad Shah,  Year 7 and Jiyun Heo, Year 7.   They meet together with the school council as well as provide support to the teachers and the children when the need arises.    The Cultural Ambassador role at Westburn is a new leadership role.   Karen, Syahindah and Jiyun are looking for new challenges to take up in their roles.