"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. "
William Butler Yeats
LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
Children today are born into a global world. The neighborhoods they grow up in are no longer exclusively defined by the parameters of their town and family but are affected by the multiplicities of ethnicities that stretch across the globe. To address this issue, the Children’s Studio has increasingly embraced exposing students to a wide variety of languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Gallic, and Sign) and cultural traditions. It is not our aim to teach foreign languages per se but rather to accustom our students to the sounds and silences of languages other than English and to understand that people communicate with one another using many languages other than the one spoken in their home. This goal is partially accomplished through the use of music, song, dance, and direct instruction. The entire school celebrates a variety of ethnic holidays. These celebrations tend to focus on the rituals and traditional foods of the holiday’s country of origin.
The Children’s Studio didn’t just prepare our child for kindergarten. Of course, she learned all of the usual things, beginning math and reading skills etc., etc. but she also learned about compassing, responsibility, beauty, table manners, leadership, and so much more. They focused on the total child. It was a great place for her.
Allen C.