When Roots Meet New Soil

Finding Ourselves in New Soil

When I first read The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, I was moved by how a single fig tree could symbolize belonging, loss, and adaptation.

“To be uprooted is to be displaced not only from the soil that held you but also from the language, the smells, the sounds, the very air that gave you life.” - Elif Shafak (2021)

This idea resembles to the experience of multilingual learners (MLs) in international schools. Much like the transplanted tree, they arrive in a new environment - full of opportunity, yet foreign to their roots. Their sense of identity, language, and belonging must all adjust to this new “soil.”

The Roots of Identity

Identity, as Triandafyllidou (1998) defines, is a sense of self and belonging within a group. For multilingual learners, identity stretches between worlds - the one they’ve come from and the one they’re trying to grow into.

Their languages are not just tools of communication; they are the fibers of their roots. When those languages are unseen or undervalued in school, students can feel as though part of their root system has been cut off.

In this way, multilingual education isn’t just about acquiring English, it’s about helping students rebuild their sense of identity in a new linguistic and cultural environment.

Lessons from Ecology: Growth Depends on the Soil

Ecologists tell us that trees experience transplant shock when moved to new soil. Their roots lose contact with familiar nutrients and microorganisms, making adaptation slow and uncertain (Struve, 2009). Some species recover faster; others need years before they begin to thrive again.

This process mirrors what happens to students who join English-medium classrooms. Their success depends less on the tree itself, and more on the quality of the soil around it - how welcoming, supportive, and nourishing the environment is.

Just as transplanting a bit of the original soil helps a tree adapt, allowing learners to bring their home language, culture, and experiences into the classroom helps them take root again. Practices like translanguaging and culturally responsive teaching act as the nutrients that reconnect them to their identity while helping them grow.

Language, Belonging, and Emotional Growth

Language learning transforms who we are. It opens new worlds, but also challenges how we see ourselves. Research shows that when learners’ linguistic and cultural identities are affirmed in class, their confidence and engagement flourish (Stille & Prasad, 2015; Cummins et al., 2012).

Without this affirmation, learning feels like survival - doing what’s required without the joy of discovery. Just like a plant in poor soil, the learner may remain alive but unable to bloom.

Schools as Ecosystems

Every classroom is its own ecosystem. When it’s diverse, multilingual, and inclusive, all learners benefit.Jon Nordmeyer (2023) reminds us that equity in international schools means “shifting from testing to teaching” - seeing multilingualism as an asset rather than a deficit. Schools that recognise every language as a source of knowledge create the kind of rich, supportive soil that allows learners to thrive.

Around the world, schools are finding creative ways to affirm students’ linguistic roots. At Chung Nam Samsung Academy in Korea, students study English through the IB curriculum while continuing to learn Korean literature (Birdsall, 2021). In Singapore, international schools collaborate with local educators to offer home-language programmes and multilingual storytelling events (Spiro & Crisfield, 2019).

These schools embody what the LEAVES Approach stands for - growth through affirmation, not assimilation.

The LEAVES Approach: A Framework for Nurturing Growth

The LEAVES Approach provides teachers with a practical framework to create these nurturing environments:

Language – Recognise and value every language students bring.

Exposure – Provide meaningful, comprehensible input drawing on full linguistic repertoire.

Acquisition – Let language develop naturally through use.

Validation – Affirm every learner’s individual, cultural and linguistic identity.

Engagement – Inspire curiosity and participation through relevance and relatability to real-life.

Scaffolding – Offer structured support so learners can reach new levels confidently.

These six principles work together to ensure multilingual learners not only adapt to new soil, but grow stronger because of it.

Affirming, Not Assimilating

The journey of a transplanted tree teaches us patience, empathy, and the importance of nurturing what already exists. Growth doesn’t mean losing our roots - it means expanding them into new soil.

For multilingual learners, belonging begins when their roots are seen, their voices heard, and their identities affirmed.

Because whether in nature or education, growth begins beneath the surface.

Further Reading & Research

• Cummins, J., Early, M. & Stille, S. (2012). Teaching for Transfer in Multilingual Classrooms. University of Toronto Press.

• García, O. & Li Wei (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Nordmeyer, J. (2023). “Equity for Multilingual Learners in International Schools.” Teachers College Record, 125(4).

• Struve, D. (2009). “Tree Establishment and Transplant Survival.” Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 35(1).

• Wu, J. & Forbes, K. (2022). “Conceptualising Multilingual Identity in School Contexts.” International Journal of Multilingualism, 19(3).