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Alex Arzenshek
Mrs. Lester
Adv Grammar/Comp
5 March 2012
Speech
Do you know how learning a second language can put you at a great advantage in school,
in society, and in the career force? As some of you know, I am from Canada; in fact, the French
province called Quebec. When I was younger, my mom always used to read to me in French:
from stop signs to menus and from common children’s books to the TV. She would attempt to
teach me words, phrases, and the language in general. As a child, I caught onto certain phrases
better than others. For example, I always knew ‘go to bed’ or ‘take a nap’ was never a good
thing. I learned some French effortlessly, not painstakingly like some students in a foreign
language class. I learned the same way most of you learned English—through repetition and in
your own environment with your family and in your home, not out of a textbook. Between
reading and understanding two languages, I was able to expand in English in ways my friends at
school could not. Even though I did not learn French like an expert or know how to write or
spell it, I excelled in English grammar, spelling, and reading. Learning a second language
allowed me to succeed in the early elementary grades. How did saying a few words in another
language change my education in such a big way?
Therefore, I decided that for my senior project I was going to investigate the effects of
learning a second language and bilingualism in children. I wanted to know what it did to my
brain, how it helped me, and how it has helped every other child that learned a second language

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in their childhood. So tonight, I am going to tell you about my journey of writing a children’s
book in French and English.
Consequently, the topic of my research paper is the effects of bilingualism in children. I
learned that everything from brain development and intelligence to dexterity and social skills is
altered by simply learning a second language at a young age. My research paper helped me
understand the scientific and psychological effects of bilingualism. A child is at the peak age to
learn a second language. There is nothing but outstanding benefits from learning a second
language.
This project has also allowed me to look into my future and my career possibilities.
Since I am in French Four, and I enjoy the language very much, I thought that exploring a career
in foreign language teaching or writing would correlate perfectly with my senior project. I also
find a child’s brain and its characteristics, that we do not have, to be an amazing thing. So I
decided on a children’s book instead of another type of literature.
I chose this topic because I want to know how bilingual children have such an advantage
in life. Being familiar with more than one language will change your life: your career
opportunities—a higher salary, abilities to travel, and more choices. I wanted to know how and
why bilingualism in children helps them so much. This topic is viewable in every day life, all
through schools, homes, and businesses. We even see it here at Creekview.
My paper and its topic of bilingualism in children directly correlates to my product—a
bilingual children’s book in French and English. The research has allowed me to comprehend
why it is so important to write my book in the most authentic manner. I had to write it as if any
French person could understand it. Or as if a child learning French could use it to help. I did not
know who would read it, who it could possibly inspire, or if it could make a difference for a

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child. Now that you know the details of my research paper and topic of my senior project, I am
going to discuss the process I took in creating my final product, starting with my facilitator.
My project facilitator was my French teacher for four years, Mrs. Katy McManus here
at Creekview High School. She has been my teacher for four years, and she has been a huge
influence in my love for the language. I knew she was the perfect choice. I had to remain very
diligent for the qualities I was looking for though.
I was looking for very strict characteristics in my possible facilitator. In order to produce
the book, I would need someone who was able to help me edit and write in French. I needed help
from someone who has spoken, taught, or lived around the language. I needed an expert in the
language, or my product would simply be riddled with mistakes and not up to professional
standards. Since I go to Creekview and I have taken French for four years, it was fairly easy to
find my facilitator. She was very qualified. I had every day access to her in class and after class.
Thankfully, she agreed to help me with my project.
My facilitator, Mrs. McManus, was very capable to help me. She has a bachelor’s degree
in French from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in teaching French from Georgia
State University. She has traveled to France multiple times while doing study abroad programs.
In these programs, she has also visited numerous countries in Europe. She has also traveled to
Canada. She takes trips almost every year to France with her students, even some here at
Creekview. She knows the country, culture, and language inside out. She has taught French at
colleges, middle schools, such as Teasley and Creekland, high schools, and she is not at
Creekview. Now that I have explained how and why I picked my project facilitator, I am going
to tell you how I created my finished product step by step.

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The steps I took in creating my final product, a bilingual children’s book, were important
because I had to produce a professional and authentic book. The first step after finding my
facilitator was to draft a story line for my book in English. I decided to write about a common
problem faced by all children—a fear of the doctor. I thought this topic would hold a child’s
attention, and they could relate to it.
The second step in the process was one of the most challenging. I had to translate about
eleven paragraphs of English to French. I spent a lot of time with my facilitator during this step
because I had to translate it correctly. I also wanted to make it understandable for children so I
had to keep the concepts and wording very simple. French phrasing and grammar is very
different so translating my story was key to making the product authentic.
Next, since I was writing a children’s book, I wanted it to be creative and decorative.
Therefore, I wanted it to have pictures on every page. Through my facilitator, I was introduced to
my illustrator, Amanda, who is a student of hers. She draws using special software and a tablet
on the computer. She is extremely talented, and I knew I could use her to create the perfect
illustrations. Amanda and I had several meetings together to discuss how I wanted the
illustrations to look and the overall idea of the book. I viewed her sketches and decided I was
going to pay her to illustrate. She created the cover and all illustrations in the book.
Next, I had to search for a publisher. I wanted this book to be as authentic as possible so
it had to be published. This search was probably the hardest part of the project. Finally, I came in
touch with a local business, Yawn’s Books. They are located in downtown Canton, and they
agreed to publish my book for free to help local teenage authors who lived in the community. I
had several meetings with the publisher to understand the complicated process and to know
exactly what I had to do.

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Next, for my book to be published, I had to create what publishers call a layout. I had to
design and set up the book exactly how it was to be printed. In this step, I incorporated both the
English and French story and my illustrations.
I decided the cover, size of the book and pages, and colors, along with many other
intricate details.
I separated the text so it is easy for children or whoever is reading it to them to simply
refer to both languages. They are on the same page and the languages correspond correctly. I
highlighted some common words in both languages so that children can connect the two words
to mean the same thing. I thought this would help them in the process of learning another
language.
Lastly, I turned in my layout to the publisher. We went over the small details of
publishing and ordered the book. Within a week, I received the proof of the book. I was able to
double check everything and to view a copy of what it would look like. Finally, I ordered my
copies, and they were delivered within a couple of weeks from the publisher. *Hand out books to
the judges* Now that I have explained all of the steps I took to create my final product, I am
going to discuss a few challenges I encountered in the process.
I faced some obstacles while creating my product, but I managed to overcome and
complete everything smoothly. One issue I had while creating my book was translating and
editing the French. French and English are two languages that differ from each other in so many
ways. For example, you describe things backwards in French. This process of translating my
English story challenged my knowledge in the French language.
I had to utilize numerous dictionaries, contact a native French speaker, and refer to real
French books. I spent at least two months on this process alone. Fortunately, I did translate my

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story correctly with my facilitator and other sources of help. This was probably the biggest
intellectual challenge I encountered during my project. It challenged everything I thought I knew
about the language and forced me to write as a native speaker.
The second obstacle I faced was finding a book publisher willing to publish a bilingual
children’s book written by an inexperienced teenager. As most of you are familiar with, book
publishers are huge, corporate businesses that take only the best of the best. I contacted
publishers all over Georgia and even outside the state. I spent weeks emailing any sort of
children’s book publisher. They would want thousands of dollars or an agent or manuscript. So I
did get rejected more times than I can count. It seemed like my little project and amateur book
was not worth their business or time. I will not lie; it was very discouraging.
Thankfully, through talking to my friends, I discovered a local book store. Yawn’s Books
in downtown Canton is a locally owned business serving the Canton community. I quickly
emailed them, and they were willing to publish my book. The publishers, Nadine and Farris
Yawn, were so helpful and understanding with my project. They were a huge part of my
success. They even helped other seniors at Cherokee county high schools to complete their
books for their senior project. We had meetings with the publishers and other fellow seniors to
talk about the process of publishing a book. We would meet on a monthly basis to discuss our
progress. I was able to talk to the other seniors doing a similar project as me to get some new
ideas and feedback. The publishers and fellow seniors helped me create my book step by step.
They even took the publishing costs, which can amount to thousands of dollars. I worked with
the publisher for months and sent in my book, only paying about one hundred fifty dollars.
Yawn’s Books not only saved me a huge amount of money, but they also helped me with all the
complicated publishing details. I am very thankful that I was able to find and use them to publish

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my book. Now that you understand some issues I faced while creating my product, I am going to
discuss what I have learned about myself throughout my senior project.
I have learned that I am a hard worker, but I do get discouraged and frustrated easily. I
tend to over plan and over organize to the point where I become very stressed. When something
goes unlike I had planned, I tend to panic.
I have learned to take one step at a time. I have to believe in myself that I will finish and
complete the project. By trusting myself and taking frequent deep breaths I was able to complete
my project within the time allowed. However, I do stay organized, and I am willing to
communicate with people. My work habits have not changed throughout my project. I knew
before, and it is instilled in me now, that I can conquer a project as crucial as this. Because I tend
to stay very organized with the due dates, I kept up with every step of this daunting project.
However, I have a tendency to become overwhelmed. So this project definitely taught me to take
one step at a time.
My business skills were definitely enhanced in this project. I had to communicate with
my facilitator, my illustrator, and my publisher simultaneously. Composing emails became a
daily occurrence in my project, especially while trying to find a publisher. Organizing my time to
be split between all three people was crucial. I had after school meetings and often worked
through lunch to meet my required hours. I needed to make sure my facilitator, illustrator and I
were all aware of what I needed to do. I made numerous phone calls that usually did not turn out
positively with many publishing companies. I had to maintain my composure and business
attitude even if the phone call resulted in bad news. My telephone and email skills were
definitely used more than any other skill during this project.

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Surprisingly, my career goals have nothing to do with French or writing children’s books.
I absolutely love the French language and culture, which is why I chose it as part of my project.
I only incorporated a children’s book into my project because I knew that it would best
display the language.
I would like French to remain as something I enjoy and a hobby in my life. However, I do
not wish to pursue a career in French, but it will always remain a love and hobby in my life.
My post-secondary education plans include me pursing a degree in nursing. I have been
accepted to Berry College and plan to be a part of their dual degree nursing program.
In this program, I will earn two degrees in five years by going to Berry for three years
and Emory University’s School of Nursing for two years. I will receive a bachelor’s degree in
science and a bachelor’s degree in nursing. However, I would love to minor in French since I do
enjoy the language. It has always been a part of my life, and I will continue to keep it as a hobby
even though I am pursuing a degree in nursing and science.
Thank you very much for your time tonight. I appreciate your attention. I hope you
enjoyed my presentation about my senior project. Are there any questions I can answer regarding
my project? Thank you again.