On Monday, October 17, 2005, two of my fellow Rockville High School students and I attended the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers (CT COLT) Fall Conference "Learning Languages: Never Too Early, Never Too Late". The three students (Kevin Leonardi, grade 12, and Jason Peterson, grade 11) and I (Mara Dauphin, grade 10) were asked by Mrs. Jaya Vijayasekar, the World Language Coordinator for Vernon Public Schools, to present a workshop at this major teacher conference. The title of our workshop was "Learning and Teaching World Languages: Never Too Early." We presented Vernon's unique system of inviting high school students to teach a world language to elementary school students.
Once we arrived at the conference, we went to a presentation called "Connecting to Other Disciplines in the Year of Languages," presented by Mrs. Linda Hahn, the Vernon Public Schools music coordinator, Mrs. Vijayasekar, and Mrs. Pezzella, MSS music teacher. This workshop was about the integration of world languages into the district's music curricula. There were a lot of great examples of songs; it was very informative, and it provided an excellent model for our ensuing presentation.
While presenting in front of a room of teachers was a slightly daunting prospect, the teacher audience seemed very receptive and welcoming. They asked many questions and seemed interested in instituting such a program in their districts. We got a very positive response, and it was, overall, a very gratifying experience.
At the same time, Mrs. Denise Neumaier (French teacher at RHS) and Mrs. Lenora Rice (Spanish teacher at VCMS) presented Vernon's "Taste of Languages" celebration to a group of interested in implementing a similar program. The response to all of our presentations was enthusiastic, and we have since received emails congratulating the Vernon contingent on our informative workshops and creative ideas.
Mara Dauphin
Rockville High School
