Why should we dedicate an entire school day to International Language Day?

 

On October 21, VRG staff and students spent an entire school day learning about new languages, learning about the cultures that correspond to those languages, and how to actually communicate.  Different members of our staff who speak different languages, as well as guests were invited to lead workshops open to everyone.

The day began with a keynote speaker, Ingvar Dahlström.  He highlighted “The importance of language” relating both to further studies, but also the future workplace. Languages highlighted during this day:  Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, German, English, French, Arabic, and Russian.  Morning activities included:  karaoke in a foreign language, art interpretation, graffiti art, cooking, dancing, writing Japanese and Chinese characters, student presentations, and more.

Students were served an Italian buffet for lunch.  In the afternoon, we all participated in a Zumba class with Jorge Mix.  This was followed by international sports’ activities:  line dancing, cricket, and darts.  The day ended with an inspiring concert performed by Kilema, from the group Soul of Madagascar.

Why should we dedicate an entire school day to International Language Day? It was a day filled with different opportunities to learn something new about another language than our own.  It was a day filled with opportunities to learn about a culture different from our own.  It was a day filled with “out of the classroom” learning activities.  It was a stress-free day where kids and adults could learn together “for the fun of it”.  Perhaps the most important reason, we should dedicate an entire school day to this event is that the skills of multilingualism and multiculturalism are and will continue to be essential skills in our completely connected world.

Thanks Joanna and our foreign language teaching staff, who worked so hard with the logistics of this day, your work is really appreciated!