CAREL
CAREL
Centre d'Apprentissages et de Ressourcespour une Éducation aux Langues
Centre d'Apprentissages et de Ressourcespour une Éducation aux Langues
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Ofelia Garcia Interview by Jeremy Sanders 
English Instructor at the CAREL Where are you from and what do you do ? I am a professor at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York (CUNY), located across the street from the Empire State Building. My research mainly focuses on multilingualism in schools. I have also taught at Columbia University and began my career as a public school teacher. I am a New Yorker, having moved there from Cuba when I was 11 years old.
When did you first work with multilingual education? When I started teaching, I taught English as a Second Language (ESL). I had a mostly Spanish speaking class and it just didn’t make sense to use English only. I experimented and was in an alternative school where I was supported as I tried new methods. This school was in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, which is now a very gentrified area, though it was not such a nice place when I taught there. You know, think about the scenes from “West Side Story” and why they call it Hell’s Kitchen.
What made you move toward academia and away from being a classroom teacher ? I always wanted to do intellectually stimulating work. I started taking literature classes, and then moved into sociolinguistics. When I was a graduate student there were no university courses in my area (multilingualism), so I had to combine existing courses and develop theories using ideas from many different fields. Doing a postdoc with Joshua Fishman in the sociology of languages was very important to my development.
How does your background as a classroom teacher influence your research ? I started out as a teacher and it is, and always has been, a big part of who I am. I don’t do research so that it stays in my head. I want it to have a social implication. I want it to help us understand how we learn.
This is not your first time working with the ESPE of the University of Strasbourg. How has it been to collaborate with the ESPE ? It has been a wonderful experience. There is a powerful impact for all of us: students, faculty and myself. Being here makes me aware of French scholars and their research. Collaborating with Professors Christine Hélot and Andrea Young has shown me their exciting work. It provides me with a different perspective and makes me aware of a whole new range of scholarship and different ways of doing things in a very plurilingual and pluricultural context.
What strikes you when you come to Strasbourg? Has anything changed ? The Centre d'Apprentissage et de Ressources pour une Education aux Langues (CAREL) at the Ecole Supérieure du Professorat et de l'Education Académie de Strasbourg (ESPE) is a very special place. It is one of the only language centers I know where you can see multiple languages on display, from the signs in different languages to the language of the month to photos from different cultures. I have noticed an increased cohesiveness among doctoral students in multilingualism. They are a very supportive and international group. My partnership with Andrea and Christine has blossomed over the past ten years since I first met Christine at a conference in Argentina. Some of her students have even come to research in New York and I appreciate our strong partnership.
How can your research be applied in Alsace ? Bilingual education programs are rigid and static in New York City and perhaps also in Alsace. They are too compartmentalized and do not take a child’s entire language repertoire into account. I think in both places we could see bilingualism as a bigger idea. One must be part of the system in order to see what needs to change in it. This month I will meet with students, give lectures, visit classrooms to see what is happening in schools, and attend meetings with Christine and Andrea’s research group. It will be a busy and fascinating month!
Finally, you have arrived just in time for beautiful springtime weather. What do you hope to visit during your month long visiting professorship ? I really hope to return to the Musée Unterlinden to see the Retable d’Issenheim. Last time I was in Alsace the exhibit was being restored so I couldn’t see it! I never tire of seeing the Cathedral at night. It’s just a magical city. I love being able to walk everywhere. It doesn’t take hours to commute like in New York City. I enjoy being able to leave my house fifteen minutes before a meeting, instead of planning far in advance like in any big city.
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