DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET Introduction I n my family, everyone is multilingual. Economic need, personal inter- est, and political misfortune have inspired my family members to learn French, Arabic, Spanish, German, English, and Catalan over the past four generations. My life experiences have shaped my language acquisition and multi- cultural thinking. I was born in French Algeria. My family became refu- gees in Spain during the Algerian War (1954–62), when I was a child. I immigrated to the United States as an adult. My first language is French. My second is Spanish. My third is English. My adult children are bilin- gual in French and English. My Minnesotan grandchildren are, too. I started my teaching career as a French and Spanish instructor. Later I worked as an early childhood teacher, parent educator, and administra- tor in programs serving both U.S.-born and immigrant families. I have also taught college courses and written publications on dual-language learning. As an education consultant, I meet with and survey immigrant families and educators, and I observe, film, and assess classrooms and child care homes. My specialty is the multilingual classroom in which the children are learning English together but speak different languages at home. I cherish watching children learn, and I enjoy training and coaching their teachers. Helping monolingual and bilingual teachers understand their role, discover their strengths, and use their skills effec- tively is always rewarding. 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL u u