SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hi, welcome to another episode of the Linguistic Justice Project. My name is Tania Flores Segundo, and I'm excited to do another um podcast episode. And in this episode, we're gonna talk about um preschool students in a multilingual classroom. Uh and I have a wonderful guest here, Carla Moberg. And if you can tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do and how you support multilingual preschool students.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Yeah, hi. Thank you for having me. Um, this is my first time doing a podcast, and I'm so happy to be here. Um, this is gonna be my third year doing preschool, but um in all I've been in the school um teaching and helping probably about seven plus years now, and um uh yeah, I just recently got married, so that's why my name changed. It was Carla Hernandez Ortiz, but now it's Carla Moberg. I'm getting used to that, and then um yeah, I'm just happy to be here, and then if I can answer any questions, that'd be awesome.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Why did you decide to become a preschool teacher? This is just me out of curiosity.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Uh it was I wasn't looking for it, it was like it just landed on me, and I was um essentially applying for a second grade position, but then they offered me the pre-K because it was open. And then I um I was like, okay, well, you know, sounds great. I I was kind of familiar with it because I did my um uh my teaching hours in kinder, so it was kind of similar, but it has other aspects of like nap time. Um, they play and learn with a lot of toys, and uh you can also put your uh artistic um side into the teaching, so that's why I like it. And um essentially I want to retire as a college um art teacher so that it kind of goes with what I want to end up with doing eventually. So, and just doing it these two years, it's been so much fun because essentially you're just playing with them, and then with that, you're teaching them so many things that you don't even notice if you have kids at home, but you're teaching them so much.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

I have a one-year-old, so yes, I yes, I get that. It's fun to play with kids and they're learning a long time a long plane. Um, and did you always know that you wanted to work more with multilingual learners, or is that something that just happened to be the job and you just took it?

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Um I think it was just part of me growing up in here too, because I I came to the United States when I was 15. And so learning English within a year, it just like blew my mind, and I was like, oh my god, if I can do it, I can probably teach it, you know. So then it was, I don't know, it was kind of the weight of how it's the teaching works in here, and so I was just interested in like if I if I grow with my Spanish and my English at the same time, then that is something that I want to keep teaching somebody, you know? And so I did that with my son too.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

So and uh for the interview, um, I what the first question that I have for you is how do you see multilingual preschoolers building language at age three to five, and what early signs show you that they're developing strong foundations, multilingual foundations?

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Um the signs I would say, I mean, they the ones that don't know Spanish are very willing to learn, and they because we every day, every day is repetition. So then every day we say the abecedario in Spanish and the sounds first, and then we learn the names, like at the last three months or so, and then um they'll start saying them or singing the song without even thinking. So that's the first sign, I think. Um, and then um when we play, that's another sign because they try to talk to those that don't speak English, and they try their best to like either blend some English with Spanish or they ask us to be like the mediators and help them, and they'll be like, How do you say this again in Spanish? Or you know, like that. Um, or we will be like the ones that be like, okay, well, this is how we ask, this is how we say please in Spanish, you know, or something. And then um, but if we always prompt them to say it, so we don't just give them the English fast way, you know, because they obviously they know that from home. But if they don't know how to say por favor, you know, we say try it, you try it, you say it, you know, and then they try it, and then that's the whole day, basically. Because if we go in line, they say it, if the if we go to eat, they say it, like all the basics of please, thank you, excuse me, all of that we try and say them at least, I don't know, a couple of times a day.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Both in Spanish for the uh kids that are learning in Spanish and in English for the kids that are learning English. The same, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

So it's both ways, yeah. And it's every day. So at the end of the day, I go home and I'm like, oh my god, my brain is done. But it's fun to see them that they um they want to learn and they want to practice it.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

And um the next question is what early literacy behaviors do multilingual preschoolers show that adults sometimes overlook or misinterpret? With that question, I mean like when sometimes we as adults we might not realize that they're learning uh language, but they are learning language, or sometimes adults misinterpret the way that you know they're learning uh language. Oftentimes I've spoken to parents where they and they shared to me that they don't want to confuse their kids, they don't want to talk to them in English or Spanish. That I'm we know as the read the there's a lot of research that says that kids will not get confused. However, there are parents out there that are a little bit scared, like les hablo en español, les hablo en inglés, no quiero confundirlos, y al final um they just stick to um English because they think that that's a language that they're going to succeed in the most and leaving behind their mother language. What do you think about those things?

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Um, I think I get that question a lot with mainly my English uh natives. They say, What do you think I should do next so they don't lose their Spanish for the ones that are leaving for kinda, right? Or they say, What else can I do so my kid keeps going with English or Spanish? And then um I say, just keep reading them in the language that you are comfortable with. And I give them some resources of other apps and stuff that could read to them in in English or Spanish, and then they say, Really? That really is gonna keep their English or their Spanish going. I'm like, Yeah, because I mean, I'm I I did that with my son again, so I kept my Spanish at home, even though he wanted to speak English. I was like, you can speak English at school and with your friends that don't speak um, you know, Spanish, maybe, but you can also teach them because you're still learning with me. And so, because like I said, there's like um there's letters in the Spanish alphabet and then English alphabet that they cross. So then whatever language you're actually teaching your kids, it will benefit at the end because they will interlap at some point. So um essentially kids get bilingual by the age of 11 or 12, supposedly. But nowadays it's probably less than that. I would say it's by the end of fifth grade, they already know so much or sixth grade, you know. So um I would say just keep uh reading to them in the language that you are um native of, and um essentially they will get it.

unknown 9:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Thank you. Yes, it's hard, it's hard to uh stick to one language. I have a teenager too, and it's hard. Um, and I have a baby too, so I have to balance, you know, like cuanto English hablo, cuanto español, or vamos para acá, or it's uncooled. Um, tratamos de hablar lo más que podemos in español, but it's still um a little difficult because cierto is a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Uh we do so we have two different curriculums. Um, one for uh math and one for like creative learning. The creative learning has like uh a full thing to do for the full day, but it's it's too much for pre-K. So I pick and choose what I'm teaching for like five minutes at most, because a lot of kids don't have that uh stamina to be sitting for more than five minutes. So they're they need to move, they need to do something else, right? So then I put that into play mode, so then I would have like uh rolling uh dice, and then they can count dots, and then they play in the mat, you know, trying to find or um start in the starting point and try to see who gets to the finish line first, and so like that kind of stuff, or I would do memory games with letters, colors, shapes, um basically anything you can think of. Um that and then also sorting so many things. There's so many things for sorting dinosaurs, bears, um color uh like woods, palitos así que están pintados, and um and they just have lots of fun with that. Then at some point they don't want to stop, and we're like, we gotta go to the next thing because we're gonna be late. And you know, and then playing outside, we also like try to be like, oh, so you know, how how are we able to scream outside, but we're not able to scream inside, you know, that's another thing too, and also in pre-K, we are supposed to teach them um how to behave, like how to learn to behave in a classroom setting so that when they go to kinder, it's easier for them to understand that, oh, this is quiet time, you know. Oh, this is how we behave, this is how we say, excuse me, I'm sorry, or like those kinds of things. Um just in case, if I see any like um, let's say we did that for a whole year and the kid still doesn't get it, then there's a point of concern, you know, for the parents to look into, or maybe take him to a doctor and maybe, you know, do some other investigation of why he's not getting it or she's not getting it, right? So um, and I've had those parents to tell me, like, oh, do you think my son or my daughter has autism because you know he's not he's not getting it or she's not getting it? Like not to kick or push or punch at another kid, you know. And then um I'd be like, Well, I'm not a doctor, so I would probably you know encourage you to um either wait out that he or she is um still growing, you know, maturing to that age, or um go and talk to a doctor because I don't know. I mean, we can't diagnose that actually, so it's hard for me to say, yeah, he has autism or she has autism, and but I I would never say that, you know, it's not it's not my part to do, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Yeah, it's um thank you for sharing that. Um, and do you think that um what per what percentage is that they are kids playing in English and in Spanish, or is that is that not even is that not even counted? Are kids just playing um in the in the classroom um in both languages, kind of like you using their translanguaging skills, or how does that look like?

SPEAKER_01 14:09

Um, yeah, I think they do play in both languages for sure. Um I feel like the most shy are the ones that only speak Spanish because they feel sometimes intimidated, but the other ones that are speaking English, and they either choose to try and play with them or they move away and they go play by themselves or with somebody else that they know they speak Spanish. Um, but most of the time we try to like encourage them to play with them, you know, even though they don't speak the same language, because eventually they will find a way to talk to each other, uh, either with just like signals or you know, or like using their minimum English or the minimum Spanish, and at least that gets them to practice either language with each other. And so I don't know that works for them, you know, and for me, so that that way I can also expand that language for them.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Or the next question, what specific teacher moves do you use to help multilingual preschoolers connect the language that they speak to? Oh, I already asked you that question. What? Okay, um can you talk a little bit about the common misconceptions about multilingual preschoolers language and literacy development and how you respond? I think we talked a little bit about that earlier, about the misconception that solamente hablas en español or solamente hablas en inglés. Um is there anything else you want to share about that or another misconception?

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Uh I think another misconception, a big one I've heard a lot, even with my colleagues that are like, but you guys are just playing, you know, what is there to learn in preschool, you know, and stuff. And they're just like saying, Oh, it's just it's just useful child care, basically, you know. And yeah, I mean, some parents might see it as a childcare thing, but eventually by the end of May, they're so happy they learn how to how to write their names, they're so proud of that. And they they learn how to do some craft stuff that they can do at home, you know, not just here. And then um, I I get parents telling me like on conferences, they're like, oh my god, we've seen such a growth on our kids, you know. They help us now with some stuff at this at home, or they're like saying more, excuse me, or thank yous or whatever. And then um, but essentially we we we teach them because it's not just me, I have two assistants too that help me. And so there's uh you know plenty of adults that help with that, little things that we just tend to over not think about them, you know, and then it's such little things, but it they make a big difference because if they learn it now, and then they're much better off to go to kinder and first career and be like, Oh yeah, we're supposed to say, you know, excuse me, please, and thank yous, and all of that common stuff that a lot of times is like not so common anymore. Yeah, so um, I think that's the biggest misconception that think that we're just playing and not really learning, but we are learning.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Yeah, that is a big I I've heard that misconception as well about how uh yeah, preschool, yeah. The same thing actually, you just explain it. Um, for the next question, can you share a moment when a multilingual preschooler demonstrator demonstrated literacy or language understanding in a way that surprised you?

SPEAKER_01 18:00

Um, yeah, I mean, this last year I had uh two twin brothers, they looked identical, so it was so hard for me to um actually tell them apart, but I did eventually. And then um they would like ask me questions in Spanish, or they would be like more willing to ask me, how do you say this other word, or how do you sound this word, so I can write it down in my card? Because they would be so cute to write cards for their grandma, for their mom, and stuff like that. So those little things, like nobody sometimes teaches them how to do a card, like as simple as that, right? Just fold it, do some uh stamps with hearts or whatever, dinosaurs, and then write out, I love you, grandma, right? It's just so simple, but it yet it teaches them, oh, I start with a capital, oh I it has sounds, you know, it ends with the period and stuff like that. So I think that's what surprised me the most because um I knew they knew a lot, but I wasn't I wasn't thinking that they were so ready already for writing a full sentence. Like if I sounded those sounds out, they could write it. And I was like, oh my god, you know, this is the very minimum basics for them to start learning how to read, how to write, and I'm being part of it, you know. And that was why I mean, I guess that's ultimately why I teach, because then I get those moments and I my cup gets full. I just I don't know, sometimes it gets me emotional.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Yeah, I I yeah, I I bet and you're right. I really like how you said how it is the the smallest, the smallest things that we might think of these small things as simple, but for them, it could be a huge, very huge uh learning moment for them, just like you describe. That is true. Yeah, I had another uh question in my head, but then uh you were talking and I didn't want to bend to pick up my pen to write down the question real quick that I forgot. Sorry, but uh in my uh following questions in the classroom, what does the classroom look like and feel like when it truly supports early literacy? Like, how do you know that you know it's supporting, it's working, and it's building their development at the same time, their multilingual development?

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Yeah. Um, so when I do the curriculum, it tells me like what kind of toys to put out. But by now I know, you know, it's just the repetitive cycle. So I would put accordingly to what the curriculum is telling me to do. So if I'm learning if we're learning about numbers, then I would put a lot of things that they can count, whether it's uh bears, cars, um, but I will also mix it with something fun. So it not all has to be like specific to curriculum, but it has to be somewhat attached to it. So like if we're doing trees, I would put like um, I would buy some uh like um leaves and stuff so they can you know try to make trees on the dramatic play area or in the kitchen, we would try to put like vegetables and stuff like that that they can play and think about you know what they can eat at home and stuff like that. Um, and if it was winter time, it it would be like all things about teas and like soups and stuff like that, or a lot a lot of manipulatives, a lot of like yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

Yeah, touch, talk, and learn and play.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

It brings a lot of conversations from home too. They'll be like, Oh, but my mom doesn't do this, or be like, Oh yeah, we eat a lot of soups in wintertime, you know.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Yeah, yeah, kids do share a lot. Even my little one, she's one, but she's very, very chatty, and she talks about like what I what we did and her owes, especially. I got this oui, and she likes to uh tell stories um in English and Spanish or mixing it up in the same sentence. So it's yeah, it's true. A lot of things remind them of things, and then that leads to another thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Yeah, I and then you can never stop them talking. Okay, thank you so much. Let's share an alalam and you know, we gotta go line up or something.

SPEAKER_00 22:41

One I came back to the question that I was gonna ask you. Um you you mentioned that uh some of those kids that are their first language is Spanish, sometimes they kind of like uh like go go to go apart a little bit, um, and play with kids who also speak Spanish a little bit more than with the other kids that might have both languages or maybe more English. Then if that's the case, then how do how do we build the self self-confidence of those students who are also multilingual students and they you know the self-confidence to interact, talk, and feel confident with making mistakes, even at the young age, you know?

SPEAKER_01 23:20

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, when that happens, I usually go and like play with them or my assistants, you know. Um one of my assistants is really good at like talking it out just with you know, you and the student. If there was a conflict, we talk it out. If they don't feel like confident to play with other kids that don't speak their language, we also talk it out. So then we say, it's okay, you know, it's okay not to um know the language, but you can still like you know start saying it, or we or I could be like, oh, do you wanna do you want me to play with you and him, you know? And then I could be the model also of how to say like certain things, and then the kid will actually start saying it too. So then um that teaches the student also that oh, if my teacher can say it, then maybe I can you know push my limits and say it too, even though I'm not saying it right, you know, because uh that's another thing. I also tell them I don't want perfect, I want you to try your best, that's all I want, right? And so I don't push them to be like, oh, you know, the letter has to be exactly on the ring lone, you know. Yeah, uh-huh, because me dicen, oh, pero se salió de la línea, maestra, no? And le digo, está bien, no quiero perfecto, quiero que me enseñes tu mejor producto de tu trabajo, le digo, no, so I just want your best, le digo.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Yeah, that's important. Sending that message to the papas también para que los apoyen in casa.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

Right, it's it's three year olds, it's five year olds, they they shouldn't know what perfection is yet. Like, no, it's too, it's too much to ask for them.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

That's true. Um, and for the last question that I have here for you is after sharing so much, what do you believe what do you what do you believe schools should do to value and empower multilingual preschoolers from the very first day of school? Which is happening soon.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

Yeah. Um, I think the hardest thing is uh the first two weeks, the three weeks, uh the the students that never been to any childcare or any type of school, they have the hardest times because it's the um detachment from their parents. They cry a lot, they don't know what to do with those feelings, and so we essentially we essentially seem like we don't care, but we do care, but we have to keep moving, you know, because if we stop and like baby them a lot, it's it's not gonna help them, if that makes sense. Not that we don't love them, but as a teacher, we also have boundaries, you know. We're not um we're not supposed to like hug them a lot and like I don't know, just for like, you know, those trainings that we have. And then um, I know my assistants do it a little more than I do, but um I just try to keep moving so they know that this is this is a place to learn and to be loved, but in a different way, if that makes sense. Um, so I feel like that's the hardest thing. And I feel like parents sometimes because I did it too. I mean, I'm also I I'm I'm one of those parents to blame because when my son went to pre-K and he went to like Catholic school, oh my god, I think I cry so much in the parking lot and not in front of him, but you know, and I stayed in the parking lot the first day or the two first days because I couldn't leave him alone, you know. Like I was like, that's my baby, and I was like, what happened if he needs to? So I have some of those parents, and I do try to like, you know, reassure them that está bien, su be va estar bien, you know, but if they think that they're not ready, you know, they can also pull them away and wait another year. If they're too little, you know, like if they come at three years old, they might be a little too little. But if they think that their kid is ready to be here, then I'm all for it. But they also have to be strong, you know, and not like because the sentimiento les pas on lose, you know, like si yo les stoy mostrando que oh my god, you know, then he feels it or she feels it, you know, and it's harder for us to like calm them down and you know, or be like, you can sit down, you know, in the chair or in the comfy chairs and then read a book or look at some book, but then the parents linger into the parking lot and then they're like, Okay, bye.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

That doesn't help me. I get it, and I mean, yeah, you had similar experience.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

So I guess helping them a little more with that, that would help for parents, you know, and that will help us.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

Well, reassuring the kids and reassuring the families that everything's gonna be okay as the first step to um make to start their multilingual process, then is yeah, is that yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Um, is there anything else you want to share about anything that you've learned uh through your experience about multilingual preschoolers advice or any anything foreclosing?

SPEAKER_01 29:32

Um I don't know. I think if you're thinking, whoever is listening to this, I guess, if you're thinking of becoming a teacher, I would say it's a great career. If you're willing to um to learn with the kids, to learn with the parents, and if you're willing to change, because there's a lot of changes within the career, right? Flexibility, yeah. So, and then um willing to learn from other adults, you know, it's also a it could be um curveball if you're not used to it, but it could be a great thing too, because you learn so much stuff from other coworkers, from other colleagues, and then if you take that input as a um um creative criticism, you know, and not as a oh, you're doing this wrong, you know, then it's great because then you're learning. I mean, I think of myself that I'm still learning, I'm not I'm not like I'm done learning, like this is it. No, there's always other paths to learn more things and to be more full of knowledge because you have all these other colleagues that know they are probably 20 years already in the career, and you're like, oh wow, you know, you know so much. What else can I learn from you?

SPEAKER_00 30:58

That's true, yeah. Being being open-minded to the new learning that others might give you by interactions or just watching them. That's true. Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for um this uh podcast. Um I had fun talking to you. I uh that's it. Thank you so much, and continue watching this or watching or listening for this podcast, the linguistic justice project. Thank you so much, Carla. Um, have a good have a good day. Thank you. Bye.