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Working Together to Raise Global Children
The world as we know it is changing, and we must adapt to succeed. As Indians, we must see to it that our children develop the flexible qualities of character and mind necessary to handle the challenges that globalization poses. To become global citizens, they must learn how to communicate and interact with people around the world. We must raise global children.
Most receptive age for learning languages
Research indicates that children are most receptive to learning about other cultures between the ages of five to twelve, when ethnocentrism and stereotypical thinking tend to increase dramatically. So it’s not enough for our schools to produce individuals who can read, write, and do math and science. As parents and educators, we need to work together at the grass roots level to create change.
First, as parents, we must teach our children what it means to be a global citizen and how to more effectively communicate and interact with other people around the world. Raising global children does not have to cost much money, nor does it require hundreds of hours of free time. The single most important part of raising global children is to instill in them the right attitude. Traits such as curiosity, empathy, compassion and flexibility cannot be bought, they must be taught. To be sure, travel, ethnic restaurants and cross-cultural museum exhibits can enhance a child’s global mindedness. The treasure trove of books, music, movies, magazines and maps are also available at the library.
Getting involved with your child in learning foreign language.
Secondly, parents must get involved with their child’s school and show interest in what their child is learning. Whatever classes your school has available for foreign language , global studies, world history, geography, and related topics are well worth supporting, as they instill global awareness right along with the ABCs and 1-2-3s. Introduce yourself to your child’s foreign language studies, and ask how you can help them. And be sincerely interested in the topics yourself. When your first grader comes home to talk about the festivals in Japan, listen to him and get involved in further discussion and exploration of the topic. When your sixth grader tells you something China, remove the atlas and start practicing for the competition.
Not just another course, an asset in addition.
It’s important to recognize, however, that with the Common Core academic standards now being implemented in the vast majority of states, teachers are already beset with changing how and what they teach. It’s very important, therefore, to clarify that learning and thinking with a global perspective does not mean adding another course to already heavy student loads, but rather introducing them to global issues and concepts within and throughout the subjects already being taught.
To those who say we can’t afford the “luxury” of foreign language and global education, I say that we can’t afford not to educate our children with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. Addressing these issues starts with involved parents. We must come together to help our teachers and schools incorporate global education.
Schedule
Languages offered
Introducing Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German and English.
