Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - August 21, 2017
How We Pronounce Students Names and Why It Matters
by Jennifer Gonzalez
Samira Fejzić was used to people saying her name wrong, especially in school. “Through the years, as roll would be called, I would wait for that awkward pause—this is how I knew I was next. I accepted this ritual.”
Fejzić (FAY-zich), whose family left Bosnia in the early nineties and moved to the U.S. in 1999, experienced this ritual for ten years, and she understood that people in her new town weren’t used to names like hers, despite the fact that the area’s Bosnian population had grown massive in recent years.
“It never hurt me until high school graduation,” she recalls. “This was a big day for me. My grandparents from Bosnia came just to watch me get my diploma and of course, my name was butchered.”
If you’re in a position to say lots of student names—in your classroom, over the P.A. system, or especially at awards ceremonies and graduations—no one will be surprised if you mess up a couple of them. But this year, maybe you can do better. If you make the commitment now to get them all right, if you resolve this time to honor your students with clear, beautiful pronunciation of their full, given names, that, my friend, will be the loveliest surprise of all.
My Name, My Identity Pledge
What does your name mean to you? We receive our names from beloved family members or special people who are close to our family. We may be named after a family member, a saint, or a positive personality characteristic. Our name may recall an event, tell where the stars were at our birth, or state an aspiration of our future.
Since each of us is unique, so is our name. Because our name is tied to our identity, we would not wish to have our names changed or mispronounced. When our name is changed or unintentionally mispronounced, it is a misrepresentation of who we are -- because our name represents our identity.
As our world becomes increasingly connected, cross-cultural communication increases. We interact with more people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, many with different languages and ethnicities. Having the ability to effectively communicate with others who are different from ourselves opens up possibilities for deeper understanding and friendship based on mutual respect. It is also an essential skill in the 21st century.
School is a community, which prepares our students to succeed in the global world. To be an effective member of this global world, we can model respect for each other in the school community by learning about each other’s stories, our unique names, and their proper pronunciations.
Objectives
- Bring awareness to the importance of respecting one’s name and identity in schools as measured by the number of community members making a pledge to pronounce students’ names correctly
- Build a respectful and caring culture in school communities that values diversity as measured by my name stories posted on social media
TAKE THE PLEDGE TO KNOW AND PRONOUNCE STUDENTS' NAMES CORRECTLY
Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education 2017 Conference - Registration Extended
The extended deadline for registration is August 25th. If you would like to attend, the office of Language and Cultural Services will provide funds for registration, mileage, and toll. If you would like to register to attend, please submit a completed registration form and PS10 to the office of Language and Cultural Services at the Enrollment Center by August 25th.
OABE is also accepting proposal submissions and nominations for OABE board officers.
Please email Laura Grisso with any related questions.
Registration open: Transformed Educator's Literacy Conference
Title III English learner funds are available to pay registration and substitute teachers for this conference. Interested attendees should send a completed PS10 and registration form to Laura Grisso by Friday, August 25th.
TransAct Updates
On July 1, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) took affect and replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB). You now have access to over 100 legally reviewed forms in the 21 compliance categories in English and Spanish, the additional languages will be posted as translations are completed, target date by December 2017. Examples of new folders: Foster Care, Homeless Education, Title III, School and Family Engagement, 21st Century, Teacher and Paraprofessional Qualifications, etc.
The GenEd Collection now has a new folder called “English Development Program Notices,” which added more Title III/EL specific forms and notices to the collection.
You can review a list of form titles included in the GenEd Document Catalog and ESEA (ESSA) Document Catalog to find the forms needed to support effective and quality communication with your students and parents with limited English proficiency.
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Language & Cultural Services Events
August 14 - September 9:
English Language Development
August 29, 8:30am - WIDA Screener Training
August 31, 8:30am - KWAPT Training
August 31, 12:30pm - KWAPT Training
September 5, 8:30am - KWAPT Training
September 5, 12:30pm - KWAPT Training
September 7, 8:30am - WIDA Screener Training
September 9, 9:00am - Super Strategies Saturday: Using EL data to guide classroom assignments (Stipend paid)
Dual Language and Language Immersion
New events coming soon!
Indian Education
New events coming soon!
World Languages
New events coming soon!