At Nayland College, we have students from all over the globe. Whether they are international students undergoing an exchange programme, or former refugee and migrant students who have made Nelson their home, our ESOL programme offers a safe and welcoming environment for students to engage in their learning with additional language support.
Mrs Shellee Hall joined our teaching team as Head of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) in 2020, bringing with her 30 years of experience working with ESOL students and families. Having run successful programmes across secondary and primary schools in Auckland, Mrs Hall set about establishing a similar programme here at Nayland College. By working collaboratively with feeder schools in the Stoke-Tāhunanui Kāhui Ako, Nayland College is able to employ Bilingual Learning Assistants to help our students understand their learning, and to similarly support students and whānau in the primary schools.
Just this week, we were delighted to employ four new Bilingual Learning Assistants, taking our team up to eight staff, who are able to offer language and translation support in Spanish, Filipino, Urdu, Khumi, Kayah, Vietnamese and Chin Hakka. As well as supporting students to understand their assessment tasks, our Bilingual Learning Assistants are also available to attend parent-teacher interviews to help with translation. (Please email shellee.hall@nayland.school.nz if you would like support in the upcoming subject teacher interviews on Tuesday 7 May).
Ruth Tui Huai is one of our recent recruits and also a former Nayland College ESOL student. Ruth arrived in Nelson from Myanmar when she was 11 years old. She says the ESOL programme helped her gain a lot more confidence in writing and speaking English to others. Now she has the opportunity to give back and support our Burmese students at Nayland and in the primary schools.
When asked what she is most looking forward to in her new role, Ruth explained that she really wants to help others, as she understands first hand how tough it is to be in school with limited language ability. For many children from Myanmar, they do not even speak or understand the main Burmese language. Ruth speaks a specific dialect that has been missing in our translation team, so those students will now have someone who can relate to them and help them learn English to make sense of their other classes.
At the start of the year Mrs Hall, organised a gathering for all the students and their families to get together. As well as the usual kiwi BBQ, families brought food from their own countries, which was both a risk and a delight to try – some more spicier than others! Overall it was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and there were plenty of smiles and full tummies all around.
Across the course of this term, each ESOL student has shared a presentation about their family and their home country. Students put together powerpoint shows that included their flags, traditional dances and food, photos of their family and more. Some students also shared why they came to New Zealand, which in the case of a few of our former refugee students, were harrowing stories to hear. Teachers were invited to come along to the lunchtime presentations and it was a privilege to hear the stories and get to know some of our ESOL students a little better.
There are 75 students involved in the ESOL programme at Nayland College and Mrs Hall runs a drop-in homework centre at lunchtimes on Tuesdays and Thursdays (although students come every day), supported by volunteer students who help ESOL students understand their homework questions. Year 13 student Amelie Luton has been volunteering over the past couple of years and says, “Building relationships with them is amazing, getting to know them.”
Her favourite thing is seeing them grow. She says, “Watching their confidence grow is heartwarming. I feel like a proud mum watching them all grow,” she laughs. “I feel like a big sister.”
When asked what drives her to work with ESOL students, Mrs Hall replied, “Because I hope that I make a difference to their education everyday.”
She added, “I can go on a world trip without leaving New Zealand. They are awesome students, from the ones who have come out of a refugee camp right through to the migrant or international. So I never leave New Zealand but I know so much about them and their lives. Before they even get to me in Year 9, I often already know their family or their background, and then have them for five years at Nayland, so I know them well.”
From all of us at Nayland College, we want to thank our ESOL students for being brave enough to share your stories with us, and for bringing the beauty of your culture to enrich ours. And a massive thank you to David Gomez for taking such wonderful photos at the BBQ!
By Sarah Gwyn
