The WHY of Languages teaching

You’ve probably heard someone at some stage talk about the importance of knowing your ‘why’. Maybe you follow Simon Sinek or have read articles about being connected to your purpose. Maybe that stuff makes you roll your eyes a bit.

Languages Roadshow is a purpose-driven business, so I’ve always found it easy to identify my ‘why’. The ‘about us’ page on the website is full of it. We exist to support Languages teachers. We want to see more kids studying Languages through to Year 12. These are good and noble ideas so I thought that was it. Simple. Done. Purpose identified – tick that off the business to-do list.

Everything I do at Languages Roadshow is line with these ideas but running an events-based business during covid has taken its toll and some days I haven’t felt as connected to my purpose as I perhaps should. I’ve been so worried about trying to get courses NESA registered or trying to sell tickets so the business can stay afloat (so that I can continue to try and achieve that ‘why’). I find myself becoming completely caught up in the demands of my inbox and trying to keep track of my diary. The busyness of running a business is all-consuming.

Teaching is much the same.

 We don’t get into teaching because we are in love with writing reports or dealing with demanding emails from parents. We don’t get into teaching because we have a passion for administrative tasks. We all have many whys as teachers but we don’t always have time to reflect on those ideals.

In the last few weeks I have been able to reflect on my why. This is because I’ve been talking less and listening more. In the early days of Languages Roadshow our face-to-face programs were packed full and there was a lot of talking from me and other presenters. I can see now that I was trying to establish myself as credible and knowledgeable and to prove that I was able to put on an impressive show. did do all of those things, but in the end, when teachers come to PD, you don’t just want to be talked at. You want time to talk with the person next to you, you want time to discuss the ideas that are being presented.

The last couple of events I’ve run have been all about that – me talking less and leaving more space for the people I love so much, Languages Roadshow customers, to talk more.

Two weeks ago we ran our first Cuppa in the Caravan event – an online teacher meet up where we discussed Year 7/8 Languages programs. Hearing other teachers talk about their passion for what they do reminded me how completely not alone I am in this Languages teaching profession. Since moving to regional NSW and starting my own business, I don’t have the benefit of a staff room or regular face to face networking anymore. Hearing teachers from all over Australia saying how grateful they were for the opportunity to connect through our online event allowed me to feel reinvigorated about my own ‘why’. My customers are amazing, passionate educators and I am downright fortunate to be able to support these people, even in a really small way.

Last Friday, we ran our first ever CLIL Workshop Day in Brisbane. This was a small event of just 9 teachers and the sales pitch for the day was that you would actually be given time and space to work on CLIL units and lessons, rather than being talked at all day. I stayed true to this and it was beautiful to see teachers completely ‘in the zone’ working on ideas that I know will actually make it into their classrooms.

Prior to the event on Friday, when I’d been feeling a bit disconnected, I’d I wondered if the problems we face as Languages teachers aren’t actually as unique as we think. Maybe all specialist teachers feel like we do? Is our subject really any more valuable than others? I’ve questioned whether getting more kids to study Languages through to Year 12 is actually going to make a difference to Australian society. Not very uplifting, I know.

I think I’ve been facing some of these demons because it’s been so hard to exist as an events business over the last couple of years. I’ve questioned at times if I should keep going.

Whenever I connect with teachers face to face or online I am of course reaffirmed to continue. In fact, anytime I connect with other Languages teachers I am like I am a soft drink bottle that’s been shaken up by an overenthusiastic Year 3 kid. I am fizzing with new ideas and motivation, and I know my team feel the same.

On Friday we talked indirectly about our ‘why’ as Languages teachers. Many of the teachers talked about their language teaching being the last connection to their family’s heritage and how special it is for them to not only keep that linguistic heritage alive for themselves, but to ignite that interest in other people. Teachers told stories about how they are trying to leverage Languages at their schools as a way of helping kids from non-English speaking backgrounds start to see their own multilingualism as an asset rather than a deficit. Teachers shared deeply personal stories of their own recent tragedies and how their commitment to making a difference to Languages education was what was keeping them going right now.

I felt privileged to hear all of those stories.

On my drive home from Brisbane that night I recorded a voice memo trying to bring all of this together and what I came to was that Languages has the power to make Australia a better place. It has the power to make us better people. Languages has the power to make our society more inclusive. There is SO much heart in the Languages classroom and it can mean so much to so many different people.

Allowing kids to learn about themselves and those around them through language and culture will never be able to be fully automatised, computerised or dealt with by Google. In an age where what our kids are arguably struggling with most is building human to human connection, we have a massive role to play.

Yes, I still care deeply about seeing more students studying Languages through to Year 12. That matters – a lot. But I realise there’s so much more to that measure – our why as Languages teachers runs deep in our souls and runs much deeper than enrolments.

To wrap up, I keep thinking about something really cool a South Australian Languages teacher said on our first Cuppa in the Caravan call. She works in a regional high school and when asked what she does for a living, she tells people, “I teach kids the way to the airport.”

She said this with great love and zero disrespect to her country town. She just knows the power of the Languages class.