On my third visit to BJM, I was placed in one of my favorite places, the Craft Room. Even though sweet Mrs. Sarah wasn’t there, I was able to get to know a few of the other regular volunteers. There weren’t many children that afternoon and those who were there were quite preoccupied by their crafts and games. While monitoring the students play and conversation, we struck up a conversation of our own, curiously and im not sure how, about accents and languages. One of the teachers began by sharing her travels and how much she had learned about other cultures and how incorrect a lot of her preconceptions were. The other teacher chimed in and spoke of the different cultures she grew up around living in NYC. We then began chatting on different languages, accents, and issues concerning such, specifically Spanish. I myself shared that Spanish was my native tongue and that I had been raised in Puerto Rico and struggled growing up in the United States.

Though the conversation was mostly mild and well humored, it took a few serious turns– though not more significant than the rest, the most relevant to academia and young minds was the concept of multilingualism in the home and at school, especially in a country like the United States where so many cultures intermingle. It’s of great importance that students properly learn multiple languages, if not in the home than early during their educational careers. Not only is it quite beneficial during later years of schooling, it is also helpful in better  interacting and connecting with others, especially those of different cultures. What’s more, it is humbling and revealing, making it more accessible to better understand people.

This is a reminder of how crucial teaching languages and nourishing such learning is essential in the education sector– a call to action in reforming the structure of academia in the public sector and devoting to the development of young minds and young hearts.