Informed by transformative bilingual education theories and my own practice in drama and arts-based pedagogies, I believe that the multilingual classroom must be a place where joy and creativity thrive. Whether through mask-making or Process Drama, I have seen students laugh and play with one another when their perspectives and linguistic repertoires were valued and respected. Educational environments that suppress, undermine, and devalue the creativity and knowledge funds so plentiful in multilingual students lack joy. I seek to transform oppressive, deficit-based structures not only through challenging my students to be change-agents in their own lives, but also by fostering environments where joy and play manifest in creative, community-focused work that honors cultural and linguistic diversity.
Working to transform learning for multilingual learners requires thoughtful and critically informed action. My work will never be finished. I will always continue to grow and learn alongside my students. I will always strive to center learning as a lifelong process. I will always seek to provide opportunities for students to express their full selves and full communicative repertoires through meaningful and contextual social interactions. I will always promote collaboration and creativity in ways that challenge students to think beyond the “now” and to imagine the possible through experiences of joy, play, and wonder.
Jenna Nilson 