Terri Marlow, OWLA Public Relations & Advocacy Chair
Bear with me a moment before reading one idea that answers the “HOW?”
Consider the power of an image. Does this graphic remind you of Ohio’s Wright brothers and their journey to realize an uncertain goal? What personal qualities does the image represent? Creativity? Struggle? Determination? Resilience? Daring? Perseverance? And eventual success? Isn’t it interesting that most of these qualities reflect the personal traits and transferable skills that college admissions officers and employers list as highly desirable in candidates?
Equally interesting is the scientifically proven fact that these characteristics are a natural “byproduct” of second-language learning (L²L). Leveraging this connection, we can make an important point to legislators, educators, and officials who make educational policy decisions: incorporating L²L as an essential element in the K–12 curriculum is an efficient and cost-effective way to help our students acquire the skills they will need in the 21st century — skills that will provide them a lifetime of benefits.
And now, one answer to the “HOW?” — BE VISIBLE!
Ohio world language teachers probably already utilize local school and community media to publicize their class and club activities and promote their programs: field trips, guest speakers, holiday celebrations, connections to the target culture, community activities, awards, the Seal of Biliteracy, etc. All of these are opportunities to put the RELEVANCE and VALUE of language learning in the public eye, emphasizing the advantages of being bilingual and the benefits of working to become bilingual.
Maintaining that visibility may prompt questions from people outside our usual circle and help to bring about a conversation about our state and national need for interculturally competent citizens. And… the best way to meet that need is to give our young people the opportunity to learn a second language as early as possible in their school careers. Consider this image:
It may facilitate our attempt to keep L²L in the public eye. If we make it part of our email signature, then everyone we send a message to, whether school-related or not, will notice the graphic. Hopefully, it will spark curiosity and, at the very least, put the value of being able to use another language in the readers’ minds.
In future articles, we will explore specific reasons why being a state with a large number of bilingual citizens will support Ohio and its workforce — in education, business, healthcare, finance, commerce, and beyond. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, add this image to your email signature and see if it prompts a question or two that any world language teacher would be delighted to answer.