Edward Kess: Estonian language teacher in Belgium
My name is Edward Kess and I am an Estonian language teacher at the Second European School in Brussels. I arrived in Brussels in 2015, when Estonia needed to send a new teacher to Belgium for the following dozen years to develop the language skills of Estonian pupils there, spark their interest in reading and foster an appreciation of culture.
There are two European Schools in Brussels attended by Estonian pupils: Brussels II and Brussels IV. While the Estonian section at Brussels IV is growing rapidly, with most subjects taught in Estonian, pupils at Brussels II study in English, French or German, with only their mother tongue classes in Estonian, as they began their schooling before the section was established.
Young people are the same everywhere, with their joys and concerns, and they take pleasure in learning in much the same way. Studying in another language environment can make vocabulary challenging, as everyday language rarely includes words such as “rehepeksumasin” (threshing machine), “ülane” (anemone) or “Ruhnu”, which means that as a teacher one has to devote more time to explaining vocabulary.
Of course, reading is an inexhaustible source of vocabulary. I encourage pupils to read 6–8 books on various subjects in full each year in order to develop their thinking, broaden their horizons and improve their ability to work with texts.
I am also pleased with the work of the Estonian Society in Belgium, which organises theatre performances, films and visits by writers from Estonia in Brussels – all of which add value for Estonian pupils and bring Estonian culture closer to their world.
Working as an Estonian teacher in an international school environment is an invaluable experience. In this mix of cultures, the conscious promotion and preservation of the Estonian language and mindset has an almost magical quality.
The richness of the Estonian language brought together teachers from Estonian schools across Europe in Riga around Mother Tongue Day for spring days, which you can read more about in the article:
Mother Tongue Days in Riga get people moving
