The Heart, Mind, and Soul Of a Multilingual Society

Abstract

This paper was presented in a plenary session of the 2010 International Conference on Teacher Education (ICTED). It argues that language is central to an individual’s and community’s identity, dignity, and creativity and presents a vision of education in which nurturing and maintenance of mother languages is front and center. This vision involves the heart (students), mind (educators), and soul (community) of a multilingual society—elements that are fundamental in the preservation of its linguistic and cultural identities. This means educating all students to live in a multilingual and multiethnic global city, that colleges and universities bring the mother languages present in their communities to their classrooms, and that community members are fully engaged in the creation of a peaceful and vibrant community that recognizes and celebrates its linguistic and cultural richness.