For Multilingual Learners Specialist, Andrea Ewert, Language is just the beginning of her job.
Ewert works at Wando and Lucy Beckham High Schools. As Ewert teaches English to students who come from around the world, most of whom are just beginning in English. The other aspect of her job is supporting teachers and helping them make accommodations for these students.
In addition to her job as the Multilingual Learners Specialist, she started the Multilingual Learners Art Show, which took place on May 1 at Lucy Beckham High School.
“I’ve been doing ESL (English as a Second Language) for 17 years, and it was an idea I got 11 years ago, and I design these art projects that help them explore their creativity and release that,” Ewert said. “It ends up being a beautiful story for others to see how much they have contributed to our community.”
Ewert began her ESL career at a French International School in Dallas, Texas, seven years ago, and it was so successful in making students and families feel welcomed that after she finished her master’s, she was inspired to continue the Multilingual Learners Art Show.
“So I went to my director once I got the job in the high school and I had written a paper on the idea of it and what’s behind it… And all the benefits that come from it,” Ewert said.
Last year, her director approved, and she was able to make a budget to get all the supplies that were needed.
“Early on in my career, I could see them learning English, and they are also acculturated and some of them are in culture shock. A lot of them come from countries they can’t return to or have been separated from families,” Ewert said.
A lot of these students are having trouble finding their identities, which can impact their learning and self-esteem.
“As a teacher, that is huge,” Ewert said. “If you walk in the door of a school and your self-esteem is low, you’re not gonna’ be as motivated, or you feel like you can’t do it, it is going to affect your ability to learn.
Ana Suarez Duque, a participant from Ecuador, was nervous about moving and felt sad to leave everything behind. However, the art show changed that..
“The project made me feel a mix of happy and nostalgic. It was like a trip around my childhood places I used to visit a lot.” Duque said.
Dafina Citaku, another participant, originally from Sweden, had a similar experience.
“It made me feel connected between two different cultures, so I could see what I had in Sweden and what I have here,” Citaku said.
This project not only helped her to feel better about moving, but also highlighted her culture from Sweden and helped implement that into her daily life as a new American.
By starting this art show, Ewert saw this as a way to make students feel more included, share their stories, which inspire others, and also be a way for them to connect back to their home countries.
Ewert has a couple of local students interview each of the participants and create bios for them. This was a way for them to make friends and become more exposed to English.
Many of her students were appreciative of the project in their new home.
“They are now living in America, but they’re from another place,” Ewert said. “So it is just so neat to hear how students have combined both cultures.”
