Heritage Languages in Schools: A Resource We Still Don’t Fully Use

A debate during the Brussels Week of Multilingualism explores how family languages influence children’s well-being, identity, and academic success.

On February 14, BicuKids had a booth at the closing event of the Brussels Week of Multilingualism, held at the Palais de la Bourse in Brussels. It was a very special opportunity to present our project and meet many people who work for multilingualism from a place of respect, curiosity, and admiration for the linguistic diversity that defines this city.

I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude for that opportunity and for the conversations that emerged throughout the day.

That same day, I also attended one of the debates on the program.

It took me a little while to feel ready to write about it, but I hope these reflections may be of interest and benefit to many bicultural families living similar realities.

The panel’s topic was as simple as it was profound:

What place should family languages have in school?

The panel brought together Esli Struys (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Charlotte Zwemmer (Sint-Guido-Instituut Anderlecht), and was moderated by Laurence Mettewie (Université de Namur). The conversation combined academic research with practical educational experience, which made the debate especially interesting.

For me, it was a deeply revealing conversation. The studies and statistics shared by the panelists highlighted something many bicultural families have sensed for a long time: the relationship between language, learning, and identity is far more complex than it is sometimes presented in public debate.

What Happens When the Family Language Is Abandoned?

One of the most interesting points of the debate was the analysis of what happens when migrant parents stop speaking their native language with their children in an effort to use only the school language.

Several studies presented during the panel show that this can have negative consequences:

• it may affect the acquisition of the mother’s or father’s language
• it may reduce the quality of interactions between parents and children
• it may influence academic performance and cognitive development
• and it may weaken the transmission of family cultural capital

The reason is simple: when parents speak in a language they are less comfortable in, conversations become more limited and part of the richness of language is lost.

That is why many specialists recommend that parents speak with their children in the language they know best.

I understand this very well on a personal level. Emotional expression and the freedom to share one’s thoughts are not the same in a language you do not fully master or in which your vocabulary is limited.

A strong family language does not compete with the school language: it strengthens it.

Heritage Languages, Well-Being, and Academic Success

During the debate, another very important point was emphasized: valuing heritage languages can improve students’ well-being and self-esteem.

And that well-being has real consequences: students who feel recognized in their linguistic identity often develop greater motivation and stronger academic outcomes.

In other words, recognizing family languages is not only a cultural issue. It can also be a smart educational decision.

A Naturally Multilingual City

Library expert and thoughtful observer of Brussels’ social reality Patrick Vanhoucke, who also attended the debate, later shared an interesting reflection.

According to him, multilingualism in Brussels does not need to be artificially promoted, because it already exists in the everyday life of the city.

What is needed is to recognize it and take care of it.

What stayed with me from his LinkedIn reflection captures, for me, the spirit of the debate very well: the real challenge is not to eliminate linguistic diversity, but to learn to value it with intelligence, strategy, and empathy.

Multilingualism as an Educational Tool

The debate also presented pedagogical approaches that seek to make the most of linguistic diversity in the classroom.

Among them, flexible plurilingual pedagogy (García & Flores, 2012) stood out. It proposes using students’ full linguistic repertoire as a learning resource.

Some of the strategies mentioned were:

Co-languaging
Integrating several languages into learning materials or into the learning environment.

Translanguaging
Allowing students to use all the languages they know to understand and express ideas.

Preview – View – Review
Introducing content in one language, working through it in another, and then revisiting it again.

Flexible plurilingual literacy
Incorporating different languages into reading and writing activities.

Contrastive analysis
Comparing how words and sentences are formed in different languages.

All of these approaches are built on the same core idea: multilingual students should not have to leave their languages at the classroom door.

A Personal Reflection

As a bicultural mother, this debate gave me a great deal to think about.

My personal conclusion is that when one language is spoken at home and education takes place only in another, there is a structural disadvantage. Not because multilingualism is a problem, but because one of the languages becomes structurally invisible within the school system.

Ideally, both languages should be able to fully develop.

I hope my son feels whole and fully himself in every language he speaks. I hope vocabulary and eloquence in both languages are not seen as incompatible.

I hope children can grow up with a high level of proficiency in the two languages that are part of their lives. Not only because that enriches their personal development, but because it also enriches society and the community.

Everything Begins with Small Gestures

This is what I ask of all teachers and of everyone in a position to educate children during their school years.

Sometimes we think that major changes depend only on educational policy or institutional decisions.

But very often, everything begins with simple gestures.

With curiosity.

With recognizing something as obvious as this: that some children at school speak another language at home.

Recognizing that reality is the first step toward valuing it.

It means looking at diversity with open eyes.

Biculturalism: Not a Challenge, but a Superpower

At BicuKids, we believe this deeply.

Growing up between two languages, two cultures, and two worlds is not a problem that needs to be solved.

It is a source of richness.
It is an opportunity.

And if we learn how to nurture it well, it can become something very powerful.

Because being bicultural is not a challenge.

It is a superpower.

Now it’s your turn to share your thoughts.

How can we help schools see it that way too?
What experiences have you had with home languages and school?

Share your perspective with us.