TEEN TALK: Friendship, pizza and improved English

Walking into The Richmond Beach Library close to 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, one tends to observe the standard things you would see in a library. 

Folks are reading quietly amongst thousands of books, people tapping at computer keyboards, a librarian helping a patron find a book, students whispering and giggling while others seriously study.  

However, in a conference room nearby, something special happens every Wednesday. 

Something very special happens.  Teen Talk.

Teen Talk is an intentional community of youngsters who gather to have fun and conversation with an emphasis on using English to better their speaking, writing and comprehension. Spread over two hours, games and pizza help the teenagers overcome their shyness and sharpen their English language skills.  Teen Talk has been in operation since January, 2011.  It is in cooperation with ESL classes and Talk Time for Adults which has been in existence for a decade at the library.

Aarene (sounds like Erin) Storms a librarian at Richmond Beach Library spear-headed this project.  Two of the teens in the program William (also known as Willie) and Lisa Beidle, who live with Storms, are involved in Teen Talk.  The program was inspired by Willie who at one time had trouble communicating in English to a girl in school who he wanted to ask out on a date. Soon after that, Storms helped launch Teen Talk.

“I noticed at home, their (William and Lisa) English is much better.  Even when they text on their cell phones now, their English is better," Storms said.

According to a fact sheet from Richmond Beach Library, "Shoreline School District officials estimate that their middle school students speak more than 26 languages at home in addition to English.  At high schools, even more 'home' languages are spoken.”

There are two certified, teen leaders in the group. William Beidle and Stuart Le attended a library sponsored training session in December 2010.  These leaders are entrusted with:

• Making sure all the kids (some from Korea, China, Vietnam to name a few places) in attendance use English when speaking.
• Leading discussion and activities.
• Helping everyone make friends and have equal air time in conversation.

William Beidle, 18, is a junior at Everett High School.  He believes he will attend Shoreline Community College where he hopes to attain his degree to become a dental hygienist.  Willie is part of the International Study Club in school and enjoys horseback riding.  Born in North Carolina, he has spent most of his life in South Korea.  He has lived in the U.S. for the last 2 ½ years.

Stuart Le, 17, attends Shorewood High School where he is a junior and plays violin in the symphony orchestra.  He is a member of S.Y.A. (Shoreline Youth Ambassadors), an organization under the direction of the city of Shoreline that strives to understand teens and their opinions to make Shoreline more teen friendly.  Le believes that Teen Talk also introduces immigrants and foreigners to American culture.

Some of the participants in the group were Lisa Beidle, 16, who attends Everett High School; Dominic Jung, 17; and Johanna Shim, 16, of Shorewood High School. Eun-Seo “Pearl” Park, 14, Sohee Kim, 14, and Seyoung “Julia” Kwon, 13, who go to Einstein Middle School.

Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Patch reached out to Heidi Di Virgilio, English Language Learners and social studies teacher at Einstein Middle School for her opinion about Teen Talk.  

“I think that Teen Talk offers students the opportunity to practice English in a safe, supportive environment; any ESL--English as a Second Language--speaker but particularly teens--can be self-conscious about the social risks of speaking before a class of English native-speaking peers, so this is another opportunity outside of ELL class to practice speaking and listening in English," she said. "Practice is everything in language acquisition, and school can only offer so many periods a day of ELL in which they can practice.  I'm so glad students have Teen Talk. Aarene Storms works as a partner with us in Shoreline education and she is a fantastic supporter of ELL students; she always makes sure they are included in library events and encourages them to read books in both their heritage languages and English.”

Registration for Teen Talk is not required.  The program is free and open to all teens who want to practice speaking and listening in English. 

“There are no assignments, no tests and no grades, just conversational practice with peers," according the Teen Talk flier.