Introducing our new language assistants

By Ms Michele Sharp, Head of Languages

The Radford Languages Department hosts Language Assistants in the Secondary School each year. Language Assistants are sourced through our contacts with overseas universities or sister schools and are university students/recent graduates with an interest in pursuing a career in education. They are a fabulous resource for the Languages Department as they contextualise learning for our students and support teachers with developing authentic language-teaching materials. Assistants live with Radford families during their stay, which gives them the opportunity to improve their English language skills and learn about everyday life in Australia. We are always very grateful to families who support this program by hosting an assistant for a term.

This program is a wonderful cultural and educational exchange, and our students are enjoying demonstrating their language skills to Ayumi and Manon. A big thank you to Ayumi and Manon for their work so far.

Ayumi and Manon also volunteer at the Homework Hub on Wednesdays. I encourage students to make use of this time to do a little extra speaking practice or gain assistance with any concepts they find challenging. Students should speak to their classroom teacher to arrange a booking.

Getting to know Miss Ayumi Oka

Hello, my name is Ayumi, a Japanese assistant from Osaka, Japan. I've only been in Australia for three weeks now, but I've already had many new and exciting experiences. I'll be here until December. The reason why I wanted to become an assistant is because I’d like to study Japanese education in Australia, to study English, and also, I wanted to experience living in Australia.

I would like to talk about my school life and what I have felt since I came to Australia. I work as a Japanese assistant at Radford. I participate in Japanese classes to practice conversation with students and play Japanese games together. It's so fun in class. The students are very nice and helpful. They talked to me outside of class and one student even gave me a croissant! I help the Japanese teachers and their classes are interesting and fun. All students enjoy their classes, and some say that Japanese is their favourite of all the subjects. I’m glad to hear that, and I feel happy to be able to help them study Japanese.

I’m surprised at the difference between the education systems in Japan and Australia. Even in just three weeks, I notice a lot of differences. For example, the contents of the class. In Japanese schools, especially in language classes, the students don't have much time to speak using the grammar and idioms they’ve learned, because they have to learn more vocabulary and grammar to pass the language test. I think it's important to take the time to do that. In Australia, there are many opportunities for students to use the grammar and vocabulary they’ve studied, such as conversation, presentation, and making manga (comics). They also learn about the culture of the language, which I think is great. I would like to continue to learn more about Australian education and culture.

I live in a household where a Radford Year 11 and 8 Japanese student live. On weekends, I bake bread, watch Australian movies, go to the farm, and shop with my host family. They teach me English, Canberra lifestyle, and even Australian jokes! Everything is a new experience for me, so it's fun. This is my first time in Australia and before I came, I was nervous about living abroad. However, everyone is very kind and always helps me.

It's only been three weeks since I've been here, so I haven't travelled around Australia yet, but I hope to do so with Manon (the French Assistant) soon. My host family, teachers and students have given me many recommendations in Australia, and even recommendations for great Japanese restaurants. During the next holiday, Manon and I are going to the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Please let me know if you have any recommendations. I want to travel more and have wonderful experiences. I appreciate the people who gave me such a valuable opportunity, and everyone involved with me. I look forward to enjoying my life here even more.

Getting to know Miss Manon Tusseau

Hello everyone, I'm Manon, the new 2024 French assistant. I came to Radford to assist the two excellent French teachers, and to help the students practice their French.

I arrived in Australia on 16 April and was lucky enough to be able to discover the city of Sydney, as well as its iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, Luna Park, Harbour Bridge, Taronga Zoo and the famous Manly and Bondi beaches. Not only that, but I also spent an afternoon in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, where I discovered bird species that we don't have in France, such as Ibises and Cockatoos, which are very noisy.

This incredible opportunity was made possible by my former English teacher, Mrs Bouteiller. She suggested I come to Australia, to work at Radford as a French language assistant. This was made possible thanks to the Radford team. I'd like to thank Mrs Bouteiller and the teaching and administrative staff at Radford for helping me organise this experience.

It's been some weeks since I arrived at Radford, and what I've noticed is that the students have a thirst for learning. It's a real pleasure to talk to and help the students, who are very curious, motivated and enthusiastic. I'm extremely proud to be able to introduce them to French culture. What's more, I really enjoy chatting with the students in French class. If students would like to practice their French, the Assistants are now helping at the Homework Hub. The Homework hub takes place every Wednesday, so don't hesitate to come and chat with me and find out more about the French language.

As far as Radford is concerned, I was amazed by the size of the school and found that students have a wide range of subjects, options and extracurricular activities. I think this is a great advantage for the students, they can choose options that relate to their passions and can perfect it at school. Working at Radford allows me to improve my English through constant exposure to the language. But more than that, this experience has introduced me to the world of education, and more specifically to Australian education. I'm not only discovering Australian education, but also Australian culture by learning about Australian history, art, different sports, and Australian specialities.

I realise that living in another country brings me a lot of personal enrichment, and I'm sure that I'll come back from this experience having acquired unique skills. Finally, I'll be able to travel around Australia on weekends and vacations. This allows me to visit Australia's beautiful landscapes.