Multilingual Mainers promotes the study of world languages and cultures and multilingualism in schools. The program provides support for teachers, students, parents and community members. Our direct service is a learning partnership between Bowdoin College undergraduates and early elementary classrooms in Maine. Through professional development conversations, ongoing classroom visits, and lunchtime reading programs, the program ignites a passion and enthusiasm for a lifetime of language learning. The curriculum promotes critical-thinking skills and provides age-appropriate tools to combat xenophobia, racism and intolerance.
At Kate Furbish Elementary (Brunswick) all PreK-2 students participate in lunchtime learning. Select classrooms also participate in weekly partnerships to build language proficiency and intercultural competence through sustained engagement with world languages and cultures.
This program was established by Associate Professor of Romance Languages Margaret Boyle in fall 2017.