Coffee Chats Kick Off to Support Multilingual Learners

Educators and representatives from community organizations gathered on Jan. 25 for the first-ever Coffee Chat hosted by the Multilingual Memphis Regional Network (MMRN). The inaugural meeting was held at Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Bert Bornblum Library on the Macon Cove Campus. MMRN is dedicated to enhancing support for second-language learners across the Mid-South through collaboration and shared expertise.

The Multilingual Memphis Regional Network was co-founded by Joshua Nave, Southwest’s Title III project activities director, and Darlene May Walker, dual language immersion program optional coordinator at Treadwell International Community School. This initiative grew out of the successful Multilingual Memphis Regional Conference held at Southwest on April 13, 2024, which brought together educators and advocates to address the needs of multilingual learners.

Participants included ESL and world language teachers, professors, instructional coordinators, and community advocates from institutions such as Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Rhodes College, and the University of Memphis. Discussions highlighted effective teaching strategies, professional development, family engagement, and holistic approaches to supporting multilingual students.

The Coffee Chats will now be held quarterly to continue fostering collaboration. The next event will be hosted by the University of Memphis Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program. For more information, visit the Multilingual Memphis Regional Network site.