According to the United States Census Bureau, only 20% of Americans are able speak a language other than English—far fewer than the 56% of EU citizens who report speaking more than one language at home. Considering these statistics, the Lycée Français considers itself quite lucky to boast our uniquely multilingual student population. That is why on September 26, in honor of the European Day of Languages, our Chinese, German, Italian and Spanish classes went all out, with excursions to museums, multi-sensory meals, and even a bilingual theatrical production.
Teachers from our World Languages team shared these short reports from the day:
Mandarin Chinese
Under the direction of teachers Susan Wei and Maxime Venturin, the Lycée’s Mandarin classes celebrated Language Day with a field trip to the Museum of Chinese in America. Students enjoyed a dim sum lunch at Jing Fong Restaurant before participating in a 75-minute signature tour of Chinatown, which offered “diverse perspectives on the living history of Chinese Americans,” and gave students opportunities to contemplate what forces have shaped the Chinese-American cultural landscape. Throughout Chinatown, the Chinese signs, characters on the shops’ plates, authentic languages, food and historical artifacts brought the language to life.
German
Teacher Laurine Kleitz took her German classes on a field trip to the East Village to discover “Little Germany.” Students first ate a typical German dish at a famous German Biergarten. Their German guide then took them on a walking tour through the neighborhood, sharing stories of German immigrant life in New York in the 1800s. Students discovered the many remnants of German life in this neighborhood, through its historic buildings and architecture, and by learning about the difficult living conditions new arrivals to the United States faced.
Italian
With teachers Sonia Rocca and Sébastien Callegari, the Italian program celebrated the European Day of Languages with a field trip to Eataly, the famed Italian marketplace in the Flatiron district. Students experienced an authentic culinary and linguistic immersion thanks to Chef Leonardo Palazzo, who demonstrated in Italian how to prepare a three-course Italian lunch composed of caprese di bufala, cavatelli al pesto trapanese and gelato con biscotti. In addition to enjoying an exquisite chef-prepared lunch, the students also carved out their own cavatelli and took them home to cook for a later meal.
Spanish
In the Spanish department, Vaitea Grand worked with our Cultural Center to bring to the Lycée a theatrical production of La Gringa—written by Carmen Rivera and directed by René Buch— performed by a troupe from the Repertorio español. The play examines the complexity of growing up with multiple cultural identities, as many of our students do. As The New York Times has written: “La Gringa is the story of a young woman from New York who goes to Puerto Rico in search of her extended family. When she finds them, the complicated misperceptions that develop on all sides unfold in comic dialogue that arouses constant shouts of laughter and bursts of applause.” The experience was delightful and everyone, including the teachers, had fun!
About the Author :
Vaitea Grand was raised in French Polynesia in a multilingual environment. He went to college in Toulouse, France and completed his master’s degree in Iberian Studies at the French institute of Madrid. He then passed the French National Education competitive exams, and taught Spanish in high school, middle school, as well as Spanish literature at the Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne-Nouvelle. In 2013, Vaitea joined the Awty International School of Houston where he taught Spanish and French and also became certified as a soccer coach. He joined the Lycée in 2016 as a Spanish teacher, head of the World Languages Department and he is now coaching the Varsity boys soccer team.