Meet Khala, the Facebook comedian, who is raising her children multilingual. She has mastered the art of language learning and is now teaching her children how to speak French and Spanish. Khala shares her language struggles, her language wins and how she’s been able to use language to connect with others. Khala uses a unique approach to language learning with her children called OPOL as well as combining traditional methods with modern technology such as apps and tandem exchanges for herself. So, if you want to know how this Facebook comedian is raising her children to be multilingual, read on and find out!
BGLL: Thank you so much for sharing your language learning journey with us. Tell us about yourself.
Khala: My name is Khala Lucas and I’m an American-Australian living in Sydney, Australia. I recently received my diploma to be a psychotherapist and my certificate IV in mental health. I'm looking to start my career and from there I’d like to use it as a stepping stone to be a psychologist. I do a bit of blogging, sharing mental health information as well as my personal struggles with BPD, OCD, ADHD, and anxiety.
In the midst of all of that, I love to make people laugh. This has earned me the title of a Facebook comedian.
BGLL: What is your most proud accomplishment?
Khala: My most proud and notable accomplishments would definitely be leaving everything behind and starting my life in Australia. I left with no family or any idea of what I wanted to do for myself except seek better things and leave an environment that wasn’t good for me. My kids and my husband have given me the family I’ve never had. I’m so proud to be starting my own traditions and beginning a whole new generation, hopefully with less generational trauma.
BGLL: What languages do you speak? How did you learn them?
Khala: I was raised to speak English. Every now and then, I’d hear some Spanish or some from a Spanish neighbour and my uncle and Grammy were interested in the language as well. I currently speak French and am learning Spanish. In the past, I used to speak online with different individuals and did language exchanges. I also learn through a similar method as children, listening and repeating. I watch shows, read books, listen to music, and write in the targeted language. I’ve always had a passion for things like literate and the etymology of words. Languages just have come really natural to me.
BGLL: Which one is your favorite?
Khala: My favourite language is French which is what I speak fluently. I love the language and the culture. When I first started speaking it, I knew that was the language I wanted to become fluent in. Maybe I spoke it in my past life, ha 🤣
BGLL: What were some of your language struggles with French and Spanish?
Khala: The hardest struggle was learning to get rid of my fear of perfectionism. I mean, even as a native English speaker, make mistakes and if I never make them, how will I learn how to improve? I also do feel shy at times because I’m the only one that speaks the language so I tend to shy away while everyone is speaking in English. I don’t like being the odd one out.
I am also teaching French and Spanish to my children, which is a work in progress.
BGLL: How has it been raising your children to be multilingual? What techniques do you use?
Khala: I’ve been raising my children to speak French and Spanish. It’s been a bit hard because it requires consistency and I don’t want to make any mistakes with them . I’ve been having them watch a lot of children shows however and they have seen to take interest in a show called Le Petit Ours Brun and another one called Trotro. The use of music and games has also been very useful. There’s a very popular method called OPOL where one parent will speak one language and the other speaks another. I speak 80% of the time to my youngest child in French in hopes of it being her first language. I plan on putting them in an immersion school or hiring an au paid to increase their exposure to the language. I guess I shall see how it goes in the future. xx
BGLL: If you could offer three tips for someone learning another language. What would they be?
Khala: My first tip is to set a schedule. Pick a day or days where you would like to study your targeted language for an hour, two hours or even just a half an hour. I recommend learning basic vocab and grammar but not spending all your time trying to just learn it. You need to hear the language and speak it. This is why I recommend watching shows with subtitles then imitating what you hear. Watch the show over and over again until you know the meaning of the scene and you can recite it.
My second tip would be to be consistent. If you’re not consistent, it can be easy to lose the language. If you miss some days, when you return, go back and review where you left off. Don’t try to cram so much in or you may become overwhelmed.
Lastly, I’d say study topics that you’re interested in in the targeted language. I like psychology so when I’m studying Spanish or German , I’ll look up vocab and videos on that subject. It’s easier to study things you’re actually interested in and use apart from subjects you never really talk about .
BGLL: How can we keep up with you on social (social media)?
Khala: You can follow me on Facebook page: khala.lucas.75 as well as on Instagram: @Khalagessyca
Absolutely love it! Thank you so much mate xx 🤎🤎🤎😍. Cheers to language learning !
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome! <3
DeleteI’ve been following you and it’s nice to see more Dope insight
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely welcome. Thank you so so much for your support!
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