Raising bilingual children these days is nothing new, and here on Okinawa there are many families with children who are daily exposed to more than one language. But having the ability to speak, hear, and understand a language is not the same as being literate in a language and for many parents of bilingual children, this is a major problem. A problem however, that has fortunately been recognized and addressed by Charlotte Murasaki, founder of the not-for-profit organization known as the Saturday Literacy Community Program, or SLCP.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Charlotte and discussing with her the significance of establishing a literacy program on Okinawa for parents with kids who are bilingual. It’s a topic of great interest to me, as my oldest child has spent the past ten years learning both English and Japanese, and let me say, the road has not been an easy one. For those of you who are considering Japanese schooling for your child/ren, I think it’s important that you understand what the consequences of such a decision might be.
Children who are learning more than one language are burdened with extra hours of study and they are often resentful of this. During her elementary years in Japanese schools (from kindergarten through fourth grade), Chantal was home-schooled in English for one to two hours, three or four evenings a week. In her fifth grade year, she went to school in New Zealand, and from sixth grade she entered the American school system when we moved to California. In an effort to maintain her Japanese language ability, Chantal was tutored in New Zealand by a Japanese lady, and in California she attended a Japanese school on Friday nights for two hours.
Currently she is a sophomore at Kadena High School, about to begin Japanese IV, and she also has private Japanese lessons once a week. Chantal has often expressed resentment at the extra workload placed upon her and we have spent many hours over the past few years disputing the need for her to continue learning both languages, but hard work and feelings aside, I’m hopeful that in the years to come the sacrifice will pay off and she will be able to appreciate what I believe is a great gift.
But getting back to the reason for this post, let me move on to the details of my interview and share what was started by Charlotte Murasaki (with the help of her friend Michelle Higaonna), and what is now being accomplished by the small group of parents that make up the SLCP:
1. What type of organization is SLCP?
It is a not-for-profit English literacy program for families living in Okinawa with English/Japanese speaking bilingual children, who are enrolled in the Japanese elementary school system. It is not a school or “juku.” It is a parent-led community program that supports the efforts of families who are developing their children’s English language skills at home.
Children entering SLCP should be:
Ages 3 to 4.5 (for the Pre-K), and 4.5 to 9 for the main program
If of school age, attending a Japanese school
Able to speak English
Parents should be:
Willing to learn with their children at least 15 minutes a day/ 5 days a week
Willing to volunteer their time at least 3 Saturdays per 3-month term
Particulars:
Children come to program on Saturday mornings (8:50 -11:30am) for mentored, self-paced learning sessions
Fees are Y5000 per first and Y300 per subsequent child per term (9 sessions), plus textbooks fees
English lending library available for members
Children will be assessed for their applicability to the program
Michelle Higaonna and other SLCP volunteers work with the children
2. What is your role within the organization?
SLCP Founder. With the help of my friend, Michelle Higaonna, we are working towards the program being self-sufficient.
Charlotte (gesturing with peace sign) and other SLCP members
3. How many hours a week do you devote to your job?
About 8 hours…..(building the website at the moment)
Charlotte anticipates the website being completed by the end of August
4. How many members do you currently have?
We have 22 children in the program, and about 35 volunteers (mainly parents and some from the community). Children in the program are currently aged between 3 and 11. Some are Japanese dominant, others are English dominant bilinguals. Some of the children’s parents are both Japanese; some have one Japanese and one non-Japanese parent; some kid’s parents are both non-Japanese. The non-Japanese parents mainly hail from New Zealand, Canada, the U.K., and USA.
5. What prompted you to start SLCP?
As a result of my own upbringing and experiences traveling the world, the importance of native, heritage, and second language use has always been important to me. As a result I have dedicated the last 18 years in Modern Foreign Language, ESL and EFL learning on all levels of the education system, and am now doing a Doctorate in Education, specializing in the education of bilingual/multilingual children.
My friend Michelle, an American, is married to an Okinawan man. They have two children. They go to a Japanese school, so she had been teaching them how to read and write English at home. She had made some progress with her son, but her first grade daughter was already ‘rejecting’ English both in a spoken and written form.
She knew my background and I offered to tutor her daughter but refused payment. I felt it wrong to charge for something that rightfully belonged to this little girl. After a slow and hesitant start, her confidence grew as she learned to read and write in English.She transformed from being linguistically ‘ashamed’ to being linguistically assertive - bathing in the light of her newfound bilinguality. Biliteracy fulfilled her bilinguality.
The experience of tutoring Michelle’s daughter impressed upon me the direction of this tide which could so easily be changed. Many families start but give up because they underestimate at the outset what this really entails. Without support and guidance, it can be a very challenging experience for both parent and child. Subsequently, most give up. What if we created an organization that changed that?
Hence the birth of SLCP.
6. What do you hope to achieve?
Seeing families succeed in developing their children’s Japanese and English language skills. As a result of being Japanese/English bilingual and biliterate, these children will be able to live, learn, and one day work in any English or Japanese-using environment. The world will be their oyster. These children will grow, and following the example of their parents, go on to help their own communities.
For further information about SLCP, including term dates and materials used, you may contact Charlotte at email address: SLCPJapan@gmail.com, or by phone: 090-6865-4610
Incidentally, since writing this post, Chantal has acquired a new appreciation for her bilingualism. Not as a result of this post, but as a result of an encounter she had with a Japanese policeman who commended her for her relative proficiency in Japanese, and who told her that many great job opportunities exist for people like her, who are able to speak a second language. Isn’t it funny how kids are often quick to disregard the views of their parents, yet quick to change their minds when those same views are conveyed to them by someone they perceive as having some significance or authority. Still, I’m just grateful that she is beginning to understand how her ability to speak two languages may stand to serve her well in her adult years. And I'm grateful too for people like Charlotte and Michelle who take the initiative to help others in their efforts to achieve what is often very difficult when acted upon alone.
UPDATED TO ADD:
I apologize for this insert but it has been brought to my attention that the above post may not clearly convey that SLCP is an organization that focuses specifically on English literacy. SLCP appreciates the desire of those parents who wish to gift their children with bilingual/multilingual abilities, but their goal has little to do with helping you to teach your child a second language. On the contrary, their primary focus is on helping you to preserve for your child, a language that their birthright entitles them to. And for the members of SLCP, English is the language they wish to preserve. So,if you have a child who speaks both Japanese and English, but who attends a Japanese school and is therefore more proficient in Japanese, then SLCP is more than willing to help you in your efforts to incorporate English into your child's regular study program.
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