Planning a lesson about festivals with 5th graders, I wasn’t sure how to help them see beyond just learning English or the names and vocabulary of festivals. As a bird lover, I saw a chance to talk about how festivals can harm birds and other animals. I kept my language as simple as possible despite this deep topic, unsure how they would respond given language barriers and their current perspectives. To my surprise, the students engaged deeply, having thoughtful discussions and sharing amazing ideas on how some common celebrating practices inevitably harms animals and their habitats. Visiting each group, I saw how much they understood and cared about animals and develop creative solutions. By the end, I felt proud and inspired—it was far more meaningful than I imagined! Now I see how language teaching goes beyond its traditional meaning and creates spaces for students to think critically, question their perspectives, and develop empathy, which further supports their language learning experience.

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