“We are a family, not biological family, but a family united by language.”
Do we need data to love our family?
We can read much research about how a family unit – no matter how it may be constituted – is of critical importance to human well-being.
But if we do not experience it, it provides little or no help to us personally.
Data on the critical need for good food for humans does no good to us if we do not eat of it. We become weak, individually and collectively. We become ill.
The is no lack of research about, evidence for, and reports, books, and charts on the profound human benefits of both language learning itself and bi- and multi-lingualism, be it through heritage or formal instruction.
There is no lack of charts, reports, graphs, and surveys that specify the need for and lack of language and associated cultural skills for companies and industries, organizations and national security, human services and child development.
Yet despite all that, the United States, in particular, chooses over and over again to view language learning as unnecessary at best, and actively disruptive at worst, with the tag of “elitism” appended in the extraordinarily ironic and destructive way to the most natural, most essential human skill.
Many of my podcast guests have pointed out the benefits and needs. In the resource sections of their bios and resources on this website they have provided proofs and pathways of all kinds. There is no lack of evidence.
But for a moment I invite you to sit quietly with your thoughts, your experiences, your perspectives, your values. After you have done this for a bit, step back mentally, as it were, and explore the language you used to name and define these most important aspects of your identity. Where did your words come from to do this exercise? Who spoke into your life that help to develop and shape these expressions of your own paths and perspectives? Your language came from somewhere and someone. Reflect on those givers of the building blocks of your identity.
Now think about who you live with, work with, play with, are comfortable with. Imagine a conversation with a selection of such people in your life and activities. What language do you use together to share ideas, feel comfortable together, build trust, provide emotional safety? What language elements and styles define you as being together in a unique social grouping. How can you tell who’s in, and who’s out, through language?
In this podcast , Terri Marlow addresses both segments of the power and necessity of language: the practical (which has dominated our societal discussions for the past two centuries and more) and the social-emotional aspects which cannot be easily quantified and analyzed (and thus has, during the same period, been considered unworthy of serious-minded moderns).
In a world where humans are going to have to claim new “territory” in which to be human amidst increasing digital and AI activity, the “family of language” is a good place to start. Language is “good for you” and for the global community. But if that isn’t “moving the needle,” maybe it’s time to say: the human family needs to talk to one another, heart to heart. And that’s through language.
It’s all we really have, and it’s enough. We need that food. We need that family.
Join the family.
Enjoy the podcast.
Terri Marlow’s bio and resources
Enrique is tles.
Click to Listen
Want to hear more? Access previous episodes, and get to know the wonderful people I talk with through the It’s About Language page, or by clicking on the Podcast tab above. You can also find this week’s episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
As a certified Gallup Strengths coach, I can provide you or your organization personalized coaching to discover and build on your strengths.
I provide workshops, presentations, and talks that inspire and engage through powerful language insights, and I pair those insights with practical applications for the lives of educators, learners, businesses, and faith-centered organizations. I’d love to share ideas with your organization or group, and develop an event tailored to your objectives.
Click here to start a conversation.
Transcript
Norah Jones:
I think about advocacy, I think about my friend Terri Marlow, and I’m excited to be able to chat with Terri today, to share Terri with you today, because advocacy is how she lives and breathes and, as I’ve said in conversations with her here even before we started, how she starts even before breakfast. You’re just a natural advocate for life, my dear friend. Welcome, Terri.
Terri Marlow:
Thank you very much. It’s exciting to be here. It’s a little nerve wracking, but exciting as well.
Norah Jones:
That’s great. I just love it because it’s so much fun. And because of the humility, I think, of language professionals overall, to share, we know means to share what we have learned and gathered so that others may profit. So thanks for doing that ahead of time here. And let folks know who you are, where you live and what your background and where you live has meant. to you as a professional in the education field and specifically in language education.
Terri Marlow:
Well, that’s a big question. Well, I live in a very small town in Southeast Ohio. I live about two miles from the Ohio River in Marietta, which is the first organized settlement, non-native settlement outside of the Northwest territory. So we are very historic town, which since I have graduated from my high school teaching career, I’ve had more time to experience. I volunteer at an historic house museum and I’ve learned. many, many, many interesting things about this community. But my teaching career was in West Virginia, across the river. So I have this dual situation and I work with Ohio advocacy as well, but of course my heart is in West Virginia. And when I first came here and began teaching, well my first year of teaching was in a very rural area in Calhoun County. And it was, I couldn’t have had a better first experience. The teachers were so supportive and helpful and made me feel comfortable because I was all alone. I had no family, I had no one there. And they made it work. And the kids, of course, it’s always the kids that you like the most, students, I should say. So then I went to grad school, got my master’s, I came back and found a position in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where I had never intended to return to, but that was fate. And again, I was in, it’s a very large school, it was a very large school at the time, and I was in a wonderful department. That is, we had Latin, French, and Spanish, and a dynamic department chair who was very involved with ATCFL and with our state organization and she was like the mentor that everyone hopes they have. And then my colleagues were wonderful. And so I just slowly got drawn in. I went to join the organization, started going to meetings, started taking advantage of the opportunities that were there for me and got to meet other people. And it just grew and expanded. And then my husband, who’s also a Spanish teacher, joined us and he taught in Ohio. Then he came over to West Virginia. So then we were, I guess, sort of like a family, not biological family, but you know, united by language and then expanding with other Spanish teachers and other language teachers. And we just have this really wonderful network of supportive people. And I’m not sure that that answers your full question, but… I think language teachers everywhere understand what it is to be part of a community that values language that understands. You don’t even have to talk about it. You just know that this French teacher understands where you’re coming from.
Norah Jones:
And that where you’re coming from, we’re got to tap on a little bit here because my audience includes people that are in the language education field, but also those that are in businesses, organizations that may or may not be focused on language, folks that have family or community members that are just considering what language might mean. So provide a little bit of an insight into what it is that language professionals, just for language lovers. Just know. What do they just know, Terri?
Terri Marlow:
We know that having that exposure to another way of seeing things, another way of expressing things, just makes the world richer. It makes living more interesting, that you can say to a colleague in French, bonjour, ça va, and be understood. But it’s also a wider connection to the world, really. And in… in this society that is so, so global, so connected, just having that skill is remarkable and very appreciated by everyone who knows what it is to try to connect. If you have just those few words, hello, my name is, how are you? Just those basic things. At the House Museum where I work, we have history camp every summer, and I’ve been able to do a little segment on language. And kids just love it. I mean they just think it’s so neat to be able to connect and then and if I see them in town They’ll say ça va. Well, the last lesson was French. So that’s why they say ça va but any language it is just It’s just having that additional spice That that enlivens and enriches your life and If you are fluent if you have reached that level, I mean that that is just, it’s a gift. It’s a gift. And I say to people I know, my sister has friends who are, they live in Ohio, but they are of Mexican origin, descent, and they are working to make sure that their children are bilingual, which is not easy. You could, it’s easier because both of them speak Spanish, but I, when I see them, we talk about how they’re doing and, and they, talk about how difficult it is. And then when kids get to be a certain age, they don’t want to be different from their peers. But we talk about how that language is a gift. It is a gift into another world, another way of seeing things. And it’s also for these children, it’s a connection to their heritage, their grandma, their tios and tio, tia, abuelos, all down the line and all that history. And that’s a gift, which… I wish more children, I wish all children had access to, even if you have heritage or not, just having a connection to another lifestyle, another, just another perspective makes your life richer and it also makes your brain smarter. We know that for a fact. You know, language teachers always do that. We always told our kids, well, you know, because you’re taking language, you’re smarter. You’re just smart. But now we know. I mean, there’s more gray matter. There’s more white matter. among bilinguals than there are in monolinguals. Just because, I mean, your brain’s a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it’s going to be. And languages, I’m not saying that language is the only thing that does that, but it certainly is a nice fun way to exercise that brain and acquire some skills along the way.
Norah Jones:
It sure is. Language
Terri Marlow:
Again, I get carried away.
Norah Jones:
Can be, I know, heck of a lot of fun. Let’s go to something that was an interesting insight. So let’s probe that just a moment. You were speaking about something that is a fairly common phenomenon, namely a child that’s growing up in what can be a bilingual household, gets to a certain age where their identity, I’m going to go ahead and throw that word in the middle, where their identity is something strong importance to them. They’re developing it, they’re defining it. And sometimes they’re trying to put boundaries around it. And sometimes not speaking, in this case, the dominant language, English, means that they’re feeling like they’re not fitting in by using an additional language, where in fact you’ve just redefined it as a gift.
Terri Marlow:
Mm-hmm.
Norah Jones:
How is it that, since this is a pretty wide phenomenon, how do we go about helping those who are able to or are developing the ability to speak a second or a third language to understand where their identity lies if they feel like maybe they’re not just cleaving to the major language. How do you and those you work with help them to redefine what those are to go to a gift stance?
Terri Marlow:
Well, in my case here in Southeast Ohio, we do not have a lot of diversity. So I’ve not had to deal with that. I’ve had several families that have a Hispanic heritage, but not that many. But I, and not being a parent myself, I understand being a parent is very, very tricky sometimes, but I think you just have to. look upon it and make sure that you vocalize the fact that they are so fortunate. They are so fortunate that they have a second language, a second heritage, because it makes their lives richer. And point that out. I mean, not in a preachy teachy way, but in a showing the value. Say when it’s Easter time, you know, do cascarones, well, it’s all over this. Many areas of the Hispanic world, but I learned about it from Carmen Lamas-Garza, her bilingual books. She has a story about, called Cascarones. So if I were, you know, a Mexican, this family, I’m sure they do, do cascarones at Easter time and invite their friends so that the friends get to be involved in it. So that the children understand that this is a value and that their friends value that. the being able to share, like to share empanadas or my brother-in-law is from Cairo by the way and he makes wonderful, wonderful Arab food that we enjoy and we value that and we’ve always valued that heritage with my nieces and they are very proud to be they don’t speak Arabic because their mother didn’t speak Arabic and their father didn’t push it, but they value that heritage. So I think that’s it. It’s putting value on it. You know, for many years, children who were growing up in bilingual households there, and they would go to school and have to learn English and become part of the mainstream, it was always looked on their bilingualism as being a problem. Well, we need to stop looking at it as a problem. It’s not a problem. It’s a benefit. And now that we’re seeing dual language schools and how well those children do in dual language immersion settings, if we put that value on that and let these children know that, yeah, you’re pretty special. Not everybody has the opportunity that you have. And just let them know. And then, let them be there. If they want to use English, I have another… distant relations who the parents speak the Spanish, speak Spanish to the children and the children speak to them in English, but they don’t stop speaking. The kids are teenagers now. So it’s like a bi-lingual household. The kids mainly speak English. Now when their grandparents come, they will use Spanish a little bit, but the parents don’t give up. They just keep it at it. Eventually, you know, you get through that stage and you realize, oh, thank you. Thank you, mom and dad. to value.
Norah Jones:
You have a lot of advocacy aspects in there, and you have been and continue to be very active with the national advocacy organization, JNCL-NCLIS. And what are some of the key things that you advocate for with through that organization, through local work? Because one of the things that you state in your biography is that promoting language learning for… every student in the United States, every student deserves the opportunity to acquire a second language and beyond. So what are some of the key things that you’re like, this is how we reach this goal of opportunity for all young people?
Terri Marlow:
Well, it’s, you know, we have, we are dealing with this national mindset that English is enough. And traditionally, even though we are a very multicultural, multilingual nation, we don’t value that as a society. So we’re dealing with that, that mindset of people saying, well, I don’t need to worry about language. But if you start. letting people know and I think the most important advocacy work happens at the local level. So every language teacher and when we have our conferences every session we give we talk about here’s what you can do in your classroom, in your school, in your community, outreach, just talking about the value. Teachers have shared things that they’ve done like this was from someone from Central States. They go to a basketball game and they will hand out a little candy, some kind of like a little sucker or something, with a little line that says, hola, or if it’s a festival like Feliz Cinco de Mayo maybe, or Feliz whatever. But I think it’s such a tiny little thing. But we aren’t aware in this country. of languages. We don’t even think about it. We have English, you know, we’re surrounded by English. But if you start with those little things, and I’m saying in your school, I mean, we teachers, language teachers need to convince our colleagues. What we do is of great value. Yes, we have a lot of fun, but shouldn’t all learning be fun? I mean, it doesn’t all have to be. So we’re at times there are people from the serious STEM area that might say, oh, you know, they might use the word fluff when they talk about a language course. Learning language is extremely serious. But the best way you learn is if you’re having fun. If you’re learning vocabulary by singing a song. If you’re playing a game to practice, I don’t know. giving commands, learning how to give commands by doing some kind of game or whatever it is, it doesn’t have to be so somber and serious and lecture and take these notes. You can have a lot of fun and learn at the same time. And that is a value. And so when we work with social studies teachers, for example, with math teachers, I recently helped my state coordinator, she gave a presentation at a math conference. about the value of world languages as relates to math, learning math. I think that’s another thing. We just need to find little niches where we who know about the value of language can get a word in edgewise and then start promoting it. So I think local is the most opportunity. Lots of communities have multicultural events. So you know, talk to your Chamber of Commerce, find out who the chair of that company, of that activity is, take your kids there. I have a colleague from Venezuela who does a little dance, well, for Hispanic American or Hispanic Week in September 15 to October 15. She does a big activity and her dancers dance and the community comes and they have, they make tacos and it’s just those little… life experiences, life events that helps people understand, wow, this is pretty neat. I’d like my child to get involved in it. And then if you can talk about the cognitive benefits, the academic benefits, the career benefits, if you can get that out, you know, make that connection with that little sucker or the taco day at your school, and then keep feeding. into that because the research that we have, it’s not just, you know, anecdotal. We have scientific proof that bilinguals are children, and not just natural bilinguals in the home, but people who learn a second language. They acquire more gray matter, they acquire more white matter. They are better, their listing skills are better. If you list all of those skills, and not all at once, you have to know your audience and focus on what will be most meaningful to them. But you can start to make a connection. And that’s what I’m trying to do here in my area is just create these waves of language awareness, awareness of the benefits, awareness of being bilingual by culture in the 21st century, which… is a no-brainer. I mean, we’re global. At any given moment, you can connect with someone on the other side of the world. Wouldn’t it be neat if you could connect at least for a minute in that language and say, I won’t say what I would like to in Chinese because I might goof it up. I don’t want to do that. But, but you know, once you learn like you could connect, make a real connection and then develop that. And of course, I’m not saying that we don’t. Look at the state level. Look at our state legislatures. Look at our state Board of Education. Look at one field that I’m really super excited about is community and technical colleges. You know, for years, they’ve kind of been on their own. I mean, well, languages had that elitist idea behind it. Oh, it’s only for college prep. You know what? College people, I mean, community and technical colleges, by studying language, they can acquire some really, really, the idea of interculturality and how businesses, I’ve been reading about interculturality lately in the context of language learning. But as I’m researching and I’m going out online and finding out, well, this site is all, it’s a business site, it’s related to business, yet businesses are talking about the need for people with intercultural skills. And I just read like a six page article about how project managers need these intercultural skills, which does include language. I mean, it doesn’t always have to, but language is a big, big benefit. But that cultural bit that goes with cultural bit, cultural, enormous bit that goes with language learning. They need those skills to be able to work with people because a team is now global. You might have a member in Venezuela, another one in Brazil, another one in South Africa. So you’ve got this team of international people working together. And if you’re going into it with your, this American idea, we have a way of, we’re very to the point, very get it done, get it. And that doesn’t always go over well. Having that ability to say, my way isn’t the only way. I may be the project manager, but I need to be sensitive to person A in Brazil, and person B in South Africa, and make sure that I’m incorporating everyone and including everyone. And those skills, well, another thing I’m big on is looking into exactly what it is about language learning that people at community colleges would benefit from. So I came across this site it talks about soft skills that people are businesses, employers are looking for people that have not so much the hard skill like the technical ability like with Google. Google in 2017 there was a famous article about a survey that Google did, do you remember that? It’s really interesting. They were trying to see who were the most productive people on their team. And they expected it to be those super smart people in the STEM areas. And it turned out that none of those STEM areas were the most important.
Norah Jones:
Mmm.
Terri Marlow:
I pulled that article up. It says, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM expertise was last.
Norah Jones:
Wow.
Terri Marlow:
And six out of the seven other characteristics are what language develops. Communicating and listening well. Bilinguals have to listen well. Active listening. Insight into others, including those whose values and points of view are different. Having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues. A good critical thinker, problem solver, and able to make connections across complex ideas. That’s a language learner. That’s what language learning does. So that’s my newest connection, realizing that I can connect with community college people as well. And it just so happens that the chancellor of community college is married to a Spanish teacher. So that helps. I don’t know. I get carried away. But. It’s if everyone understood how beneficial. Just not just learning a language. Yes, if you learn a language you learn that’s a very valuable skill In today’s global society. Absolutely But in addition you’re developing all these soft skills that are going to be valuable in whatever career that you go into And then in addition to that that cultural bit that interculturality the ability to say My way isn’t the only way I’m going to be open to other possibilities. And just as important, being able to say… I am going to withhold judgment. That’s not my viewpoint. I don’t agree with that, but I’m willing to wait and see how this develops because maybe, you know, maybe I’m not right. Maybe there is another way. Just being aware that there are more than one way to deal with things I think is of great value, especially today when there’s so much divisiveness in our world. If we could see what connects us before we, maybe that would help us, you know, iron out these differences. I know, Pollyanna.
Norah Jones:
Beautiful. It’s the desire of all folks that search for peace and for connection between human beings across all of human history. And to just tap on that a tiny bit, while I believe that it is getting better because of some advocacy work and because of the nature of multiculturalism as a fact growing. in this country, that I speak here of the United States, as well as around the world, as humans are able to move more, as they have been able to do, that potentially there’s a little bit of a lessening of the sense of elitism in the nature of language. But what you have just described, Terri, is the exact opposite of elitism. The welcome of additional viewpoints, the waiting until they’re heard. How is it then, I’m turning again to when you speak, including what you’ve just said, but when you also in front of those who legislate, what courses will be taken, what areas of study will be funded, be it locally, state, nationally, how is that vision of you may feel historically like it has been elite, but on the contrary, it’s not only not elite, it is essential for all children, including those that have been kept out, speaking of elitism, kept out of language classes historically. Address some of that, the inclusion.
Terri Marlow:
You know, that is what I noticed at the ACTFL Conference this year. There was such an emphasis on being more inclusive. There were so many sessions about, well, in particularly, you know, welcoming all students into your classroom, meeting all students where they are. It was really a, not that we haven’t always done that, but it seemed to be even greater. Well, because of the issues on gender, binary, and non-binary. of those issues that we’re dealing with, people were standing up and saying, we need to do a better job. Here’s how we can do it. So that was very interesting. Well, as far as including more people in being able, having the opportunity to take language, we connected with our guidance counselors. We also speak at the guidance counselor conference. through our world language coordinator, we’re sending materials to guidance counselors along with the scientific research. We have made an infographic that explains why college recruiters look for people with language skills. And we have a second one that talks about why languages are important for everyone, college career workforce and military. And that is aimed at the community college, the technical. aspect because there are nine skills that this is on the from the US Department of Education. There are nine specific skills that the expectation is that community and technical colleges will address will develop in their students and eight of those nine skills come from language learning. So it’s a matter of making people aware. making an infographic, sending it to all these people in the community college area in your school, sending them to the business department and the culinary department. And just, again, it’s finding those niches, getting the information, making it succinct, brief, but making an impact, and then getting it into people’s mind and talking to people. And you’ll talk to 10 people. And nine of them won’t get back to you, have nothing to say to you, don’t want to be bothered, but one person will. And that one person maybe will connect, you know, that’s, you can’t let the fact that this is kind of an uphill battle, you can’t let it stop you. You just have to keep working. And we are seeing change. I mean, Secretary Cardona is speaking, he talks about the value of bilingualism, multilingualism actually. when he testifies before Congress, he lets people be aware of the value behind what we’re trying to do. And I, you know, that’s a big step for us. That’s a wonderful opportunity because before it was, it was, oh yes, language is nice, but it’s not STEM. Well. We need a different acronym and it needs to have an L in it or a WL in it because languages are such a skill in itself, but also those additional benefits that it brings with them. And I’ve kind of lost track of my of your questions, but.
Norah Jones:
You have indeed followed it. I’m going to take you to something that’s related for just a moment, and then I want to return to resources after this particular moment. You have been engaged over your career with a variety of levels of educational connections, including Spanish in this case. And we’re talking about here in this conversation about including all students in language education. So I’d like you, Terri, with your skillset and with your empathy to step back for a moment and address, we’ve got the two ends of the spectrum, how we get students to be able to understand that language is a human phenomenon that they can enter into, no matter their background or potential learning skillset.
Norah Jones:
And then we’ve got the folks that are at an advanced level and where their vision can go because of their advanced work. Talk to us about that spectrum of learning and how we make sure that all on that spectrum work.
Terri Marlow:
Well, you know, in a way, and of course, it all depends on when kids get started. You know, if if you get kids started at elementary school, they’re going to be great. They’re going to be fine as they progress. But let’s talk about kids that maybe don’t get started until the eighth grade or the ninth grade. They’re really at the same point. You know, some have better reading ability, and so that helps with language. But they’re really at the same level. And you have all kinds of personalities in that class. So you, you know, what I really like about the proficiency movement is when we move from grading to assessment, that was such a big change that aided what we’re talking about. Because when we assess students, we give credit to what they can do. We don’t care what they cannot do. The emphasis is on what they can do. So I think that sets, that kind of narrows the range a bit because someone that maybe doesn’t have a high vocabulary or some other skill that helps them with language can be more quiet and reserved and where another person could be more outgoing and able to, so they might both be assessed at the same level, even though one maybe have a higher IQ or higher. GPA, whatever. But I think language kind of narrows it and the fact that we’re able, the way we treat everyone in the class and the community that we develop, you have to have a community if you hope to make progress in language acquisition. So you build that community and you try to get away from those stereotypes of, oh, he’s the brain, he’s the, you know, AP’s in AP this, AP that. You’re never going to get away from that completely but don’t emphasize it and then giving credit and then and having everybody help everybody else. I don’t know… building community, assessing, giving value… those are some ideas I’m sure it’s not the total answer but trying to take away that disparity and just appreciating the student for what he is and what he brings to class and valuing him or her no matter what skill he has. And I wasn’t always the best at that. I think teachers need to have a sabbatical. I think if you could take six months off. step back and be able to, because you get so engrossed in what you’re doing, it’s a treadmill and you’re working so hard. And as I have had this time to reflect, I was just at the very, very, I was ending my career when proficiency was moving in. But what a, I think that has made a big difference. And if we work on that, and I said that once too, a teacher who was in one of the AP classes, and my specialty was more pre-AP, which I loved. But she was saying, and I can’t do this, and they can’t do that, and I just don’t know what to do. And I said, well, what can they do? And if you what about if you just give value to what they can do? And she got this big smile on her face and said, Oh, yeah, like, and it just was transformative for her at that moment. And it’s she would have known it for herself had she had time to step back and look at the situation. But anyway.
Norah Jones:
talk about pre-AP. Why does it have your heart? What is the difference between pre-AP and AP?
Terri Marlow:
Well, AP has expectations and there’s a certain curriculum or an idea that you, and it’s wonderful, I’m fully in. But pre-AP starts at level one. It starts with getting involved with the language and as I said, creating that community. It’s a developmental thing. And so to see those first year students develop into these bilingual speakers, by the end of Spanish 2, they’re getting… some skills and then to see them go on to three. And then when you convince them that yes, they can do AP, that’s the exciting part, to see the development and knowing what AP is expecting, which is nothing, it’s wonderful, I agree with everything with that program, but knowing where that is and then seeing how you can help them get there and then watching them get there, that’s the exciting part. having it happen and and having them feel and boy when they get their grades when the scores come in and they share them they’re very excited that’s wonderful but knowing just for me just having them say yes I’m going to take I’m going to do AP or maybe I’m not but I am going to keep up with Spanish I’m going to keep going can I be your assistant next year I really can’t take another AP class but you know that that idea. So you’re always you set your expectations high and then you help them get there and it’s a challenge for you as well as for them.
Norah Jones:
Talk about community. You have mentioned the word many different times. Community inside the classroom, and you also are very strongly committed to community within the world language profession. Speak about why community is so important in those areas, please.
Terri Marlow:
Well, especially most majority of my career was it at the high school level. And at that age level, kids don’t want to be many kids don’t want to be, have, be called it, have their, have attention focused on them. They, you know, they’re very sensitive. They don’t want to be wrong. And we all know the way you’ve learned best in language is by making mistakes and then correcting them, but no one wants to do that. So you create. the situations so that it becomes not something they think about or worry about. So it’s like you’re building a team. We always worked with teams and the teams changed from time to time or we worked in pairs or we did, I had what was called a Circulo de Amigos and we would all, everyone would stand around the class and we shared different things. They were different activities. But I mean, silly little things it could be. You know, when we, I can’t think of anything specifically, but like vocab, okay, the lesson on cascarones. So it started with this 20 questions guessing game about what was in this little caja, and there was an egg in the caja, but they had to figure it out. So by standing in a circle, and then they would make their suggestion, and then they got to sit down. It just, anything that… makes you feel that you’re part of a group, that you’re in this together. And what I, the material that I have might help my team figure it out. And I tried to stay away from competition. I don’t like competition. It has to, I like it to be more, we’re all in this together and we, when one of us wins, we all win. And the same thing in with the professional organizations. You know that collegial feeling when you are at an actual keynote speaker opening session or in your little state session and you make that connection and you know That these people are your people that you are you’re accomplishing something together That’s it’s very rewarding very very exciting and you know at least in our state the pandemic and the interruptions that the pandemic caused really took a, have taken an impact on our, on our organizations. So we’re working to bring that, that back. This is a crucial year for us and it’s so important because you know, something I learned at AP and I forget the gentleman who it’s a quote, he talked about resultative motivation. And I, when I read that, I results, But basically it means success builds success. And that’s what you do for your students. They’re got to want to continue if they feel successful. But you’ve gotta make sure, you’ve gotta do your job to make sure they are successful. Well, it’s the same thing with any community organization. You have to… Be open, be inviting, be inclusive. not have any prejudgment, oh, I can do this better than so and so. No, we can all contribute something and working together to produce something positive and effective. And it could be something very small, like getting 10 more people at the conference or whatever it might be. That just tiny differences, you know, they all add up. And that’s what we have to work for, I think.
Norah Jones:
I certainly do. And one of the things that I really appreciate is that on my website, that you are providing some ideas for those that are listening that are engaged with, or know those that can be engaged with, the language learning or teaching enterprise to find connections and to find resources. And you actually… referred to a resource, an infographic resource, that can be accessed, correct, through these resources as well, things that are that summation of ideas that you exhorted folks to do to make it something quick and understandable. It’s a lot of resources
Terri Marlow:
Oh.
Norah Jones:
that folks can access to be able to bring that story for themselves.
Terri Marlow:
Well, the ones we’ve made are not professional. There, there is one really excellent resource. Uh, it was put out by the MLA several years ago. It’s and it’s accessible, uh, just Google benefits of language learning MLA. And it, it talks about, or it shows, it demonstrates how, um, language is beneficial from youth, young, young children through old age. And it’s just very brief and it also has all the Links to the resources to the scientific research so that one’s Readily available and I’m willing to share the ones that I’ve made up, but they’re not I wouldn’t say they’re as I Might get a C plus in a graphic design course,
Norah Jones:
Hahaha
Terri Marlow:
but but again again, it’s the basic information in a nutshell. So I can, if someone’s interested, oh, there’s another site, someone else who I met because I am a liaison for the National Museum of Language. So I met a new liaison just recently. She works at the Delaware Department of Education, and she’s developed these ideas for showing the connection between world languages and community and technical schools. If you go to, oh, let me see. If you were to Google languages as career skills, Delaware Department of Education, she has a whole set of professionally done infographics. But I mean, if people are interested, I’m willing to share. Maybe you could give my… email and they could contact me if they’re interested.
Norah Jones:
Well, whatever it is that you have provided for the website, therein that will be shared. So thank
Terri Marlow:
All right,
Norah Jones:
you very
Terri Marlow:
all right.
Norah Jones:
much in advance. So that’d be great. Now, Terri, we have had an opportunity to experience your insights. And typical of you, you’ve provided a variety of directions to go to learn more and to ponder more. As we pull things together here, I’m got to ask you to take just one last opportunity to either… repeat something that’s important that you’ve already said, or to provide an invitation or warning or exhortation or insight. Here for the audience before we finish, what do you not want this podcast to end without people hearing from you?
Terri Marlow:
Oh my goodness. I think I just think we need to if we’re going to change the mindset that English is enough and I really I think that’s that’s the biggest obstacle that that faces us is people don’t value language. I mean not that they disvalue but they just don’t think about it. So every opportunity you have when you’re talking with your. your friends at the coffee, having coffee together, when you’re talking, when you meet someone from business, just every opportunity that you have to talk about the beauty of language, the value of language learning, the many benefits that accompany language learning, that when you’re learning language, you’re not just learning the language, the target language. You’re learning these soft skills, you’re acquiring career skills, you’re acquiring… cultural competency and the need for interculturality, I think, if we could become more sensitive to other other ways of doing things and and that ability to withhold judgment before we we say oh that’s silly oh that’s just you know that’s not very that’s not what we do that’s not how we do it well people do things differently for a reason so that’s what’s exciting that’s what’s you know beauty diversity is beautiful let’s appreciate it which isn’t exactly and answer that question specifically, but language does open you up to other possibilities. And I think that’s the beauty of it. In addition to of course, being able to speak a second language. And I plan on being in Spain in September and I’m looking forward to being part of a community that’s different from the one I’m in on a regular basis. And I can do that. because I have those language skills. And hopefully I’ve learned a little bit about withholding judgment and enjoying the diversity.
Norah Jones:
Beautifully said. Terri, thank you so much. Appreciate everything you’ve shared today.
Terri Marlow:
Well, you’re welcome. It’s just, you know, I’m no expert on anything, but if we can all do a little bit to promote languages and language learning, then go for it. Adelante.