Twenty pupils, nineteen languages

I had a class where almost nobody raised their hand. It was not defiance. They were afraid of sounding wrong.

”They had never been quiet for lack of words. Only because the words were in the wrong language.”

We tried one thing: everyone told a story from home, in whatever language they wanted. Then we translated it together, word by word, helping each other.

After three weeks the silence was gone. The same children who had not dared read aloud stood in front of the class correcting how I pronounced their names.

It is not a method I invented. I borrowed it from a colleague who borrowed it from someone else. Pass it on.

Published 2024 — Ett projekt av Läsfrämjarinstitutet