Category: Uncategorized
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The Texture of Home
Why leaving home is about more than the people we miss. Yesterday afternoon, something quite ordinary and yet deeply significant happened, at least if you’re from where I’m from. A Flemish cyclist won Paris-Roubaix. For many people here in the UK, that sentence won’t carry much weight. But back home…
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Part 3: Embed Home Languages in Learning
International Mother Language Day creates an important moment of recognition. But for many multilingual learners, the real question is: Are our languages welcomed in the classroom, or only celebrated on special occasions? Sustaining the impact of International Mother Language Day means moving beyond displays and events, and into everyday teaching…
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Part 2: Turning Your Display into a Living Language Space
International Mother Language Day often leaves behind something visible: a display. A wall of languages, a map, a collection of words — something that reflects the linguistic diversity of the school. But too often, these displays are temporary. They are taken down, replaced, or forgotten once the day has passed.What…
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Part 1: A Multilingual Word of the Week
International Mother Language Day is often a moment of visibility — a day where languages are seen, heard, and celebrated across the school.But the real impact comes from what happens next. How do we ensure that this visibility does not disappear once the day is over?One simple and sustainable way…
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Beyond One Day: 5 Simple Ways to Sustain the Impact of International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day can be a powerful moment of visibility for multilingual pupils and families. But its real value lies in what happens afterwards. When the displays come down and the assemblies finish, the question becomes: How do we keep this work going in a way that is meaningful…
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Two Books, One Story: What a Five-Year-Old Taught Me About World Book Day
This World Book Day, my five-year-old son is taking two copies of the same book to school. One is Zog.The other is Draak Dries, the Dutch version. His plan?Read the Dutch one first and see if his friends notice. Not because he wants to confuse them.Because he is proud. Proud…
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World Book Day: Let’s Celebrate Every Language on the Page
World Book Day is one of the most joyful moments in the school year. Costumes, book tokens, author visits, storytelling, library corners bursting with excitement… It’s a celebration of reading that children remember. But there’s a group of texts that is often missing from the displays, the assemblies and the…
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How to Host a Meaningful International Mother Language Day in Your School
A practical, inclusive guide for busy educators, including a downloadable checklist International Mother Language Day (21 February) is a powerful opportunity for schools to recognise and celebrate the languages spoken by their pupils and families. But many educators tell me the same thing: We want to do something… we’re just…
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What Happens to the Minority Language When Children Go “Home”?
Since coming back from Christmas, Arthur has been speaking so much more Dutch. Not in a dramatic, overnight way. But slowly. Naturally. Almost quietly. And yet, unmistakably. We spent a whole week “back home” surrounded by family, playing board games, watching Flemish TV, sharing meals, and chatting about everyday things.…