International friendships

Having friends visit from across the world is an incredibly exciting thing.  Kids from Spain might never have tried peanut better or bagels - but it turns out they love them!  They speak five languages - fluently! Different and the same - middle school kids are middle school kids.

We are so fortunate to have a partnership with St. Peter's School in Barcelona.  One year they send a dozen students to us to stay with our families and the next year we send students to them.  We get to exchange teachers, too.

Our students revel in visiting a school with a beautiful dining hall and scrumptious prepared food. They walk everywhere in Barcelona - to La Sagrada Familia and other Gaudi sites and they buy fruit and churros at the outdoor market.  They can't believe that dinner starts after 9 PM!

St. Peter's students are amazed at sledding in the snow at Parker, our iconic yellow school buses, and dressing up on Halloween.  Being at a school with woodsy trails and a pond is incredible.  A campfire with roasted marshmallows on a stick and s'mores  - Wow!

Together they go to classes and museums, they sing, create poems and art works - go bowling - and revel in being kids.

From the first year we made new friends from Spain, the entire student body at Parker became more motivated to master the Spanish language.  We ended up extending Spanish to our Preschool and added another session of Spanish to the 4-5 weekly schedule.  For one week a year, everyone plays and works together, getting to know new families and customs and practicing another language. Then it's time to leave.

This week went by so fast - and next year, our turn to visit in Spain, will be here before we know it.

Bilingual education in Pre K at Parker

Being bilingual is a useful skill in a global world.  It benefits the brain, too, in ways we are just beginning to understand.  In the article Could Bilingual Education Mold Kids' Brains to Better Resist Distraction? the author explores some of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism. 

Last year at Parker we piloted a program of integrated Spanish in our preschool classes.  Spanish teacher, Erin Wallace, spent time several days a week speaking only in Spanish to our three and four-year-olds.  The program was so successful that this year we have hired Rosalba Santander, a native of Mexico and parent of two Parker alumni, to be the Spanish speaking assistant in the preschool every day.  She also is an assistant in K-1 Spanish class on Tuesday and Thursday.

Students (and teachers, too) are charmed by Rosalba's kind and gentle manner.  The little ones love to interact with her.  They seem to clearly understand what she says, and are beginning to answer in Spanish. 

Here is what Erin wrote about Integrated Spanish at Parker:

Based on research about how children acquire a second language, our Pre-K program provides:

• Exposure to the language on a regular basis by known caregivers through a diverse variety of resources (books, songs, assembly, multiple speakers, modeling of other teachers/students learning)

• Daily life integration through play in the language, negotiating play/feelings during class time, signs in the classroom, seeing the older students speak, quick conversations in the hall (“Hola, Erin!”)

• Narration of activities such as cooking with the students, preparing for walks (put on your shoes, asking for help), while walking in the woods (pointing out objects, singing in Spanish, talking about the weather and what we find) 

• Cultural integration is found in story choice, song choice, music class, talking about holidays/weather/people in Spanish speaking countries, crafts (Pinatas are a good example)

• Parental support (many of our parents seek resources to read with students and use internet games and travel to pique interest)    

As a result of their experience in preschool, kindergarten students have developed vocabulary and grammar and are eager to speak Spanish.  They are excited to meet and sing with our Spanish visitors from St. Peter's School in October.  No doubt, we will uncover other benefits, as the research continues.

Here is a link to Erin's blog about Spanish classes at Parker: http://www.parker-spanish.blogspot.com/