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GETTING TO KNOW¡
Each month we feature an Eton family in our monthly
Eton News.
Share
your story with us! |
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| Fashion
Guru's and their Moms |
 During
the wait with the CCTV crew, I met neighbors,
friends, carpoolers, and shopping buddies Jennifer
Sanford and Sarah Chichester who share one more
important aspect¡ªtheir daughters Mackenzie and
Tivoli are inseparable friends at Pinnacle Plaza.
Jennifer, who was a Montessori child herself,
and Sarah, who once ran a preschool in Hong
Kong, both described their girls as ¡°thriving
in the Montessori environment.¡± Their teacher
popped into the waiting room and added that
the pair really are ¡°girly girls.¡± Montessori
children are known for advanced levels of concentration
- and concentrate they do on their nails and
hairstyles, laugh the mothers. To top it off,
Mackenzie learned to ride a bike while wearing
a frilly dress and pearls! But like Maria Montessori
said, ¡°Any child who is self-sufficient, who
can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself,
reflects in his joy and sense of achievement
the image of human dignity, which is derived
from a sense of independence.¡± Kudos to Mackenzie
and Tivoli for expressing their fashionable
dignity! |
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| Joint
Venture |
 The
Lee family is an inter-cultural family with
a Western mom and a Chinese dad. Daughter Lily
Lee, who attends Eton¡¯s Palm Springs Campus,
is jokingly called by the couple their ¡°joint
venture.¡±
Mother Kim Lee is confident in Eton¡¯s bilingual
program. She wants her daughter to achieve the
deep respect Chinese put in education, love
of family, and respect for tradition, coupled
with the Western pedagogy that facilitates self-confident,
even daring, students.
¡°Our little joint venture is incredibly independent¡±
says Mrs. Lee ¨C ¡°she can rollerblade, use chopsticks,
and pick out her own clothes. And we¡¯ve even
added pages to her passport to accommodate all
the countries she¡¯s visited.¡±
Lily is remarkably bilingual, too. In fact,
she will ask adults if they would prefer to
speak Chinese or English before commencing a
chat! |
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| Craft
Machine |
How much of
the alphabet did you know when you were 4years
old?
Elizabeth Sauer, of Global Trade Mansion's
Kindergarten Class, has been writing her full
name for months now. Her mom, Kris Sauer, calls
her a "craft machine" because she
makes letter and number crafts daily -- many
featuring pink flowers.
Born in Minnesota, USA, Elizabeth is among the
native English speakers in the class, but being
among the remarkable group of preschoolers,
who achieve fluency in a second language, is
fluent in both English and Chinese. At home,
however, Elizabeth refuses to speak Chinese
to her mom. "Children have their rules,
and for Elizabeth, she can only accept me speaking
English." Well Elizabeth, you are right,
and like most bilingual children, you experience
systematic exposure to your dominant language
from your mom, while you acquire the second
language component through your learning environment.
Elizabeth has blossomed in the Montessori environment
both artistically and linguistically. Her mom
admits though, at first she was hesitant of
the Montessori setting, but that changed when
she witnessed her daughter gaining independence
and true love of learning. |
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