Weekly culture with The FLT

Original story date: March 2017

Every Tuesday of the school year, marked by a colorful banner in the Lindsey Wilson College Cranmer Dining Center, you can find the Foreign Language Table (FLT). Dotted with students, interns and professors, The FLT attracts local clubs and the community.

“The overarching goal is to provide a spot where [everyone] can get a little added culture. From my teaching perspective I love for my students to come and practice speaking with native speaking students.” Said LWC Spanish instructor Derek Kotter

The FLT was started about seven years ago by the then current Japanese, French, and Spanish instructors. The event did not become a weekly occurrence until a year later when Kotter arrived at LWC and pushed for the program to grow.

The International Student Program has also become more involved over the past year. This partnership should help both programs grow a new base of excited students when current seniors graduate in May or return to their home country.

“What we want is for the students to get involved so they can see different cultural perspectives. They can learn from other people and hopefully they can foster a more tolerant approach to other people.” Said Assistant Professor of Education, Dr. Gera Nelson.

The FLT provides a space for native English speakers to experience a culture without leaving campus, and foreign students a chance to practice their communication skills and ask questions about our culture.

LWC attracts students from all over the globe for their sports programs, meaning there is always conversation to be had about a faraway place.

“Just to see that there is life beyond Adair county, life beyond Kentucky, and to know or understanding, that doesn’t mean you have to go far. It’s here and we need to celebrate what we have here.” Said Kotter.

At LWC each student has an expected learning outcome they must reach before graduation. One of those is being an engaged local and global citizen. Outside of the classroom The FLT is providing a second opportunity for students to better their education.

“Lindsey Wilson College does a good job in training the students, but Lindsey Wilson also aims to educate the students on global issues, acceptance, differences. They advocate for social justice and for acceptance of all kinds of people. I hope that in the end, people will come interact with the international students and everyone would get out of here thinking, ‘well, they are just like we are, even if they speak a different language’.”