Becoming a global citizen through bilingual education
As I engage in child care everyday, I am reminded of the necessity of global thinking which also needs to be nurtured from an early age. Through living with people from different countries and interacting with them in multiple languages, children can naturally learn how to think globally.
At Education Link, bilingual education not only focuses on learning of English and Japanese, but also children’s interaction with various thinking and cultures through living in multiple languages as a language reflects its culture and ways of thinking.
Consequently, children find their ways to carry out naturally as they accept others who they are even if they find that others have different thoughts. This communication skill is what children in the future are going to need and is becoming more global. At Education Link, through the bilingual program, we aim for children to obtain this global communication skill.
In the past, incorrect pronunciation of English used to have a negative image, but we see a widening acceptance of English with various accents today. Politicians and news anchors who speak with accents of their own languages are more accepted in the world. Some even say accents are beautiful nowadays. The more you know about other countries, the more you find the goodness of your own country. Then, you can eventually respect other countries sincerely. Today’s globalized world has not just started yesterday. We have come a long way to come to this point with efforts of many people in the world.
I believe learning of multiple languages while nurturing bilingual thinking is making of efforts to mutually understand and helps lead to the world peace.
The bilingual education at Education Link can be best described as “a place where children live and learn English and Japanese.” You might see a difference from what used to be the standard of bilingual education, which only focuses on teaching English and Japanese. Through the bilingual programs at Education Link which children experience with their body and mind, we offer the highest aesthetic sentiment education.
I hope all children feel happy and satisfied with themselves and find something to live their lives for one day.
Mikie Stapleton
