*Welcome! You belong AND you are already enough. Thanks for the photo from high school teacher, Dr. Nicole Wilson Steffes.
Every August, I feel the nervous excitement of the first days of school. I anticipate meeting and learning from a new group of students. This nervous excitement is not just for teachers, but for Multilingual Learners stepping into classrooms where English may not yet feel like home. With our current climate, it can add extra tension. I remember talking to a student from Afghanistan a couple of years after he had been in my class. He commented on how happy he was to hear Farsi in an example I shared and was thrilled when I brought dates as a treat for the class. These small gestures showed him: You belong here.
As you prepare for a new year, here’s a quick checklist to help center belonging for Multilingual Learners from day one:
🌍 Learn and use names correctly. A name carries identity. Take time to practice and model its correct pronunciation. I have a post on this.
🌍 Represent languages and cultures visually. Signs, books, and labels in MLs’ home languages send a clear message: Your culture matters.
🌍 Build collaboration into routines. Use group work structures where every student has a role, so Multilingual Learners can contribute fully from the start.
🌍 Connect with families in sustainable ways.
Send a beginning-of-year survey (translated if possible) to learn family goals and communication preferences. You can do an extended Home Language Survey—check out my post!
Use tech tools like TalkingPoints, Remind, or ClassDojo to send group updates in families’ languages.
Share monthly newsletters or group messages so families feel included without overwhelming your schedule.
Save individual phone calls for key celebrations or concerns—one call can build lasting trust.
🌍 Affirm strengths. Highlight resilience, problem-solving, and creativity that Multilingual Learners bring with them.
These small, intentional steps do more than create a welcoming space open the door to thriving academically and socially.
As the year begins, ask yourself:
What’s one way you can signal belonging this week?
What have you done that works? Please put it in the comments so we can all learn from it.
Because when Multilingual Learners feel seen and valued, the whole classroom community grows stronger.
Please “like” and “share.”