Margaret Truss Study Abroad Bursary Fund

I applied for the Margaret Truss Bursary Fund after reading about it in one of ALL’s newsletters. I never imagined I would actually receive it, but I can safely say it was the best CPD I have ever done! We have just introduced Italian at my school in Manchester, and as it grows, I felt like I needed more confidence to deliver it to the level required, as some of the school’s top linguists choose it as a second foreign language.

Upon arrival at Lucca Italian School I was taken for a brief conversation with one of the teachers in order to assess my level, then was put into a class. My class consisted of 3 people, me, a German man who comes each year for the Lucca Summer Festival and an American student who was spending 6 months in Lucca to learn Italian. Our teacher, Giulia, was enthusiastic and full of ideas, which I scribbled down as we went along, so I could remember them for my own teaching, not only of Italian, but French and Spanish too.

Classes started at 9.15, so I drove down to Lucca from Bagni di Lucca, where I was staying, and enjoyed a stroll around the walls before lessons. Lessons were intense but very enjoyable, and as well as learning lots of Italian language, I learned a lot about the city of Lucca and the surrounding area.

Each day was a different topic focus and grammar often popped up along the way. My aim was to increase my confidence and my vocabulary and I have definitely done both. One day we learned If clauses with the Imperfect Subjunctive in the context of literary characters and modern technology, for example, if Juliet had had Tinder, would she have wanted Romeo? If the Very Hungry Caterpillar had had Deliveroo, what would he have ordered? It was an innovative and fun way to practise a tricky grammatical structure! Another day we spent discussing crime and punishment, and it was very interesting to hear the different views of the various nationalities in the class on how harsh punishments should be!

I spent break time in the shaded garden at the school chatting to my classmates, but at lunch I went back up on the walls with a picnic lunch and a book to seek some respite from the 40 degree heat.

After lunch I had an individual lesson with Agnese, who is a brilliant teacher. With her, I was able to concentrate on subjects I chose, areas I found particularly tricky or was interested in. We tackled the huge topics of object pronouns and prepositions and after an hour on each I came away feeling very confident in my usage of them and also my ability to explain them to a class of Year 9s. I also have a long list of films, series and books that I am excited to explore.

I am very grateful to ALL and the Margaret Truss Bursary fund for giving me the opportunity to study at Lucca Italian School, as it has made a huge difference to my confidence already. I have used my Italian out here on my holiday much more than in previous years, have received compliments from strangers about how well I speak it and am looking forward to sharing this knowledge with my Year 9 and 10 classes and when we start back in September. Grazie Mille ALL!

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to be awarded a Margaret Truss Study Abroad Bursary by ALL. I used the money to help fund a two-week stay in Paris, where I volunteered with Utopia 56, a French-based humanitarian association that provides urgent care and advice to displaced and homeless people in France, regardless of their legal or administrative status. Started in 2015 in the Calais Jungle, Utopia 56 aims to mobilise civilians, while advocating to enforce basic human rights. The association now has eight branches in France, including Paris, Calais and Toulouse.

Utopia 56 identifies the gaps in the support provided by the state and other organisations, and adapts its approach to current needs. I carried out a wide variety of volunteering tasks, such as distributing food and clothing, accompanying women and families to emergency accommodation for the night, and helping at the association’s temporary accommodation location.

Utopia 56 aids unaccompanied minors who have arrived in France but have had their request for minor status rejected. The association supports them with administrative advice throughout the long process of appealing this decision, which can often take a year and leave them living in the street and unable to access education or healthcare. They also organise biweekly French lessons for the young people and it was rewarding to use my language teaching skills in this context. The students were very motivated and ranged from new speakers of French, to fluent speakers from Francophone countries who were perfecting their writing skills.

The volunteering requirements are very flexible, with no minimum commitment, which allowed me to plan my time in a way that also enabled me to rest, which was important for a teacher during the school holidays! The ethos of Utopia 56 is very supportive and encourages volunteers to look after themselves, as the work can be physically and emotionally draining.

I volunteered most days, but some shifts were only a few hours, so I also had time to explore Paris. My highlights were: the sunset from Parc de Belleville, the incredible cherry blossom in Sceaux and visiting exhibitions in La Villette. Paris is amazing for free cultural events!

Through spending time volunteering with Utopia 56, I interacted every day with other French speaking volunteers, as well as many migrants from French speaking countries. This really improved my spoken fluency and confidence. The experience widened my vocabulary and knowledge relating to migration, asylum seeking and the refugee crisis, as well as enabling me to use my language skills to help those in need. All in all, it was wonderful to be part of such a project, and the impact did not stop there. Back in London I shared my experience with my pupils. I showed them an interview with Josué (link below) an 8-year-old boy who explains how Utopia 56 has been so important for his family. In class, we discussed migration, homelessness and the refugee crisis. These are challenging topics to approach with children, but they showed sensitivity, awareness and empathy, which was another great outcome from my Margaret Truss experience.

Click here to view in Languages Today, Issue 51.