WHERE ARE YOU FROM, MISS?

When I arrived in the UK 20 years ago, I could only dream about teaching. Although I had recently qualified as an English teacher, I was in no way prepared to step into a classroom and use my skills.  The British educational system was completely different to what I knew. Additionally, my qualification had not been fully recognized at that time.

How it all started

Everything changed in 2004 when Poland joined the EU. Suddenly, my teaching license became valid. I quickly embraced this situation, had my diploma authorised and got my first job as a supply teacher.

Problems

Beginnings were not easy. Although I had no problem with behaviour management or the language, my accent raised a few eyebrows. Whenever I started a lesson, I let students ask me a few questions. The first question was always: “Where are you from, Miss?” Initially, I was very conscious of my accent and thought that this would be a massive obstacle. It turned out I was to be pleasantly surprised.

A link

According to the latest school census (January 2018) there are almost a million children in primary schools whose first language is other than English. This means that a great majority of them will first come to contact with English when they start school. This also means that not only will they have to learn the content of the lessons , (maths, science etc) but also acquire a new language. Sometimes, the six hours spent in school will be the only contact they will have with English.

On the job

On that first day, on the way to my very first assignment, I was trying to convince myself that it could actually work. One minute I was elated and the next had serious doubts whether I am suitable and how will my being non-native speaker be perceived by the staff.

As it happened, I found myself not only useful on that day, but I also learnt the true value of my bilingual skills. Several students in my class didn’t speak much English and even though I still couldn’t communicate in their languages, being bilingually competent made it possible for me to connect with those learners and to respond to their needs adequately.

Now

I am now in my 13^th year of a teaching career and I am a happy and confident teacher. I have worked with numerous pupils with a wide range of language and learning needs over the years.

I even assisted an ambulance crew once, during an incident in school, with interpreting in a language I hadn’t even realised, until then, I could understand! Therefore being bilingual and speaking other languages certainly contributed to my ongoing professional development. What I wrongly considered as one of my faults proved to be my greatest asset!

What we need to do

We need to raise the awareness of the benefits resulting from bilingual upbringing and educate the society on this subject. Exposing our brains to another language (any language!) from a very early stage can immensely benefit our future prospects.

How important it is

From a teacher’s perspective, having this extra skillset enhanced my teaching practise tremendously and made me a stronger candidate on a teaching market.

Why is it good?

This is a win-win situation for all parts involved. I can get my message across to my pupils with less effort,  my pupils are more confident and less stressed during lessons, I support other monolingual professionals in schools and also communicate with parents.

How do we encourage candidates entering the teaching profession to learn more languages?

An idea, proposal?

Perhaps, there should be a strong languages offer available for students during their teaching programmes.

How I see it

I have come a long way from that first day, when casting doubt on my teaching abilities I have stepped into the classroom to teach my very first lesson.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with some truly amazing teachers and pupils and with time, have become a mentor to my younger colleagues.

I have turned, what some may consider a flaw, into an effective tool that has been my companion  and today is truly recognised for its value.