I’ve just returned from presenting Language of the Heart at Uppert Mount Gravatt State School. Today is a student-free day and I was part of the teachers’ professional training.
Teachers are usually more switched on than the general population and keep up with new trends in education and educational technology, so I wasn’t sure how familiar they were with the acquisition of multiple languages. Besides, Upper Mount Gravatt students come from nearly every country on Earth.
As it turns out, this school has its own share of multicultural challenges and the teachers were very excited to discover the link between academic achievement and speaking several languages. But what excited them even more was the connection between speaking another language at home with the parents.
The Upper Mount Gravatt parents find it difficult to influence their kids’ values and direct their morals in English, because they can’t express themselves well enough to convey complex and/or emotional ideas. The teachers found a good explanation for what goes on in their classes and for why parents shy away from being involved at school.
I was very happy to be able to provide some relief to a challenging situation and help parents and teachers come together for the benefit of the kids.
The teachers agreed in the end that Language of the Heart should be attended by many of the parents at the school and I was thrilled to be able to make a difference with my presentation.
Here’s what one person said about Language of the Heart today:
I have totally changed the way I think about parents speaking in their language to their kids
Lisa Conroy, Teacher