Reply from worried parent to deputy director Leene Soekov

Dear Ms Soekov,

Your answer is not only very worrying but it also shows the lack of awareness about SWALS in general. Their history, language competences, many injustices they go trough in European School in particularly in secondary cycle. It is very difficult to expect humanity and fairness from the teachers if the only time you remember SWALS is when you segregate and never when you should include them in activities (like for instance L1 trips).

After 10 years in this school trying to educate about this very unfortunate status, the pluses and many minuses I am almost certain you don’t really know what I am taking about. Because if you did, I am convinced, you would not let this kind of things happen, seeing them simply as inhuman and unnecessary. (I was hoping your past experience would make my job as a SWALS representative easier and not so stressful as in the past.) I fear you and some of your teachers have very little idea about the SWALS abilities, their needs and also very little interest about their constant struggle to prove themselves worthy and equal to their peers. This kind of treatment leaves emotional scars and parents are the ones who have to deal with it…

You do know SWALS follow maths in L1 and not in L2, right? In fact all the subjects are followed in L1 of the section (with the exception of human science from S3 onwards).

I again urge you to rectify this mistake and include SWALS pupils as equally competent in this study. There are many non native speakers in the classes who are not SWALS but in your argument more capable, which simply doesn’t make sense. The fact that this is a Luxembourgish study where there are many nationalities speaking FR, DE or EN is actually an argument to include the SWALS and not the other way around.

Thank you in advance for reading my message and for considering a change in your perception of our children.

Kind regards