Sarah Eqab

Multilingual/Multicultural Education

I am a product of two languages. I grew up in a home where these languages were not only spoken but represented a part of two cultures. English, the language of my mother, was the communicative and functional language. It got me what I wanted, a pointless conversation, and a way to e press myself to those around me. !rabic, the language of my father, was the emotional and practical language. "his was the one I used to e press how I felt, communicate with distant relatives, and stay identified to a culture that I was merely partially part of. #rowing up in the $nited States with another language can be a gift and a curse. Some children flourish being bilingual and some seem to think of it as a burden. !t times, I was embarrassed that I spoke !rabic, because it was not a common language people heard of at the time. I never spoke it in public and was forced to communicate at home with my father in that language. %or most of my middle and high school years, I attended an Islamic school at where !rabic and English were both taught. "he more I began to learn about !rabic, the more I began to actually love it. %urthermore, e ploring the !rabic language was the biggest motivation behind my decision to move to &ordan after graduation and attend a university there. In &ordan, I was considered an asset on the university campus. 'ot because of my love of !rabic but, ironically, for my knowledge of the English language. Students and faculty alike would marvel at how I could talk fluently and fluidly in English. !t the same time, they were shocked that someone who spoke !rabic similar to themselves could also speak English so differently than themselves. "his e perience led me to the love of languages that I still carry with me today. !fter graduating from college, I knew without a moment(s hesitation what I wanted to do with my life and that was to pursue a career in languages. I immediately packed my bags and headed back to 'orthern )irginia and attended #eorge Mason $niversity to complete my Master(s degree in *inguistics. Simultaneously, I worked to obtain my teaching license in order to teach at the public school level. +ith e periences at all different levels and a combination of teaching English and !rabic, I have been able to pursue my career in languages. My passion has changed over the years and branched out in different directions. I do en,oy teaching languages but have reali-ed that I also en,oy educating other teachers about the science of language learning as well. !dditionally, I have began questioning the methodology used to teach students of languages at different levels and deciding the merits and downfalls of these methods. %urthermore, I have been challenged with the influ of !merican.born and raised students who are still being coded as ES/* students after many years of either direct English language instruction or bilingual instruction. My goal as a teacher has always been to give my students the tools to succeed in becoming independent learners. 0et, throughout the years I am seeing more and more students enter my doorway with little or no assistance in this direction. My goals in completing a 1h2 in Education are to e plore the methodologies of language learning in the public school sector and e amine what models of instruction are successful at different levels of instruction as well as to research the methods of assessments of language learners, specifically that of ES/* students. +ith this research I want to e plore the reality of these long.time language learners 3born and raised in an English speaking country but

Sarah Eqab

Multilingual/Multicultural Education

still not a native speaker4 and what teachers are doing wrong and right in teaching these students English. I want to e amine precisely what linguistic areas are underdeveloped in these children. !dditionally, I want to research what other educational factors are influencing their ability to achieve fluency in English. I believe that these children are going to dominate our ES/* population in the future and we are letting them down by not finding more effective ways of addressing their language needs at critical times in their development. 1erhaps I am biased in choosing #eorge Mason as the college of choice for continuing my education. I have had only wonderful e periences in the past within two different colleges at #eorge Mason5 the 6ollege of 7umanities and the 6ollege of Educational 2evelopment. 8oth e periences, that of my studying for my Master(s degree in *inguistics and completing classes for my teaching license in ES/*, were challenging, rigorous, and helped to prepare me for the career that I have today. It only seems natural to continue my educational ,ourney at the same institute that molded me into the teacher I am today. !t the beginning, I mentioned that I am product of two languages and discussed how these two languages have helped me to develop and influence the person I am today. ! language should be a part of you and I no longer think of my bilingualism as a challenge but as a gift. I have glasses that I can use to see parts of two cultures, two worlds. !ll individuals should have the opportunity of being able to identify with their languages9 moreover, possess a tool to use in understanding the world around them.