The Best Superpower You Can Give Your Child

Language U Teacher: (pretends to shake in the pretend cold) Brrrr! Oh no!!  Il fait froid! It’s cold!! Je porte mon écharpe? Am I wearing my scarf?
5-year-old Student: No, you’re not wearing your écharpe. And not your manteau (coat). That must make you sad and cold. 
Teacher: Oh, should I put them on?
Student: Yes. If you're sad and cold, I’m cold and sad.

Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand another’s feelings.  As humans, empathy is the super power that builds compassion for others. In a way, empathy is like x-ray vision. Empathy exposes the true meanings of conversations, allowing us to read between the lines, and to hear and to understand beyond what was said. This super power also helps us at work to relate to others, as the ultimate team member, and it also helps us to rise and become a strong leader. In times of crisis, empathy compels us to help others and to make a difference. It is the one attribute that all heroes, and world-changers have in common.  Knowing that, it makes sense that more and more parents want to bestow empathy unto their children.

“[Infants and children] learn this vital skill from parents, caregivers, friends, and role models. If [kids] lose that opportunity to learn emotional literacy during childhood, it has negative, long term impacts,” says Mary Gordon, founder and president of Roots of Empathy.  Yet in an increasingly-digital world, children are less and less likely to be out and about honing in on their empathy skills.  So what is one way children can learn empathy from anywhere? 

Researchers now believe that learning a second language can increase our capacity for empathy and understanding. Being that language is the ultimate connection between humans, it is no wonder that speaking another’s language helps us become more compassionate beings.  Learning a language is a humbling and difficult process that exemplifies determination and a strong will to communicate and to be heard.  The art of learning a second language symbolizes respect and equality.  And even just practicing a second language from a young age can build a foundation of confidence, problem-solving skills, and an increased IQ and EQ, which is everything your little superhero needs.  So next time you find your child in a selfish situation, we recommend a conversation about empathy and a free-trial language class-- on us!

References:

Empathy: The Language of Emotion

How Learning a Language Makes You More Empathetic

Empathy: What is is, Why it matters and How you can Improve

Can Learning Another Language Boost Empathy?

Advocating for our Preschoolers: A lesson in helping them find their words and voices

“You can’t teach them Spanish,” he said with a condescending smile and a slight chuckle.
I felt my face begin to burn red and my forehead crease. I was missing something obvious.
“You know, these kids don’t even use words yet.” He sounded a bit annoyed that he had to address this. 

How embarrassing. I did my research for this school and I didn’t even realize.  It must be a school for children with specific special needs. Where did it say that? I wanted to bury myself in a hole for being so insensitive, but before I could inquire further, I just felt myself automatically apologize.

“I’m sorry. My mistake.”

That happened in our first year of business, maybe even within the first couple of months. It turns out that that man was the preschool’s family pastor and director. The director! He was the preschool’s appointed leader and problem-solver, there to help families safely navigate through their children’s earliest years and their first experiences with education. That preschool was not a preschool for children with special needs. The preschool director just didn’t know what his students were capable of learning.

How could he so blatantly disregard his students’ language milestones? I still ask myself this. Even nine-month-old babies wave to others when their parents ask. And between the ages of 2 and 3, children undergo a huge jump in language skills, going from 50 to 200 words and stringing together sentences. You’d probably understand about 75% of what this age group is saying to you, but they fully comprehend everything you say.  This is why it is such a crucial time for learning a second language and why I especially feel I must advocate for this group of little ones. Because there is nothing like watching our three through Pre K students realize on day one that we are there to have fun in order to learn. 

But I will say, our two-year-old classes are some of my favorites, because the progress is so real. Take our 2-year-old Chinese classes. These toddlers have 20-minute classes, once a week. On day one, we teach them our hello song complete with a backing track, a live guitar and tambourine. It’s like a mini concert. The children all hold shakers, but their faces are completely blank yet somehow judgmental. This is a far cry from our older preschool classes. They are more than happy to sing and dance with us the moment they walk through the door. But with the two’s, it’s different. And in that first class, to onlookers, it appears that we have bombed. It’s not until a month into class when all of a sudden our two-year-olds’ confidence soars. They join the elder classes by greeting us with “Nǐ hǎo” and they love to dance and shake their shakers. By the end of the year, that burst of language occurs and they use Chinese phrases and they sing our songs, which are all in Mandarin. Our two-year-old students that advance to older classes are more confident in their Mandarin than our students who start later in life. This might seem obvious, since our two-year-old students have had more exposure to the language, but the important takeaway is that two-year-olds are mighty capable of learning a second language. So what does that say about the rest of the preschoolers? How old do they need to be considered capable of learning a second language?

Our preschool students deserve every opportunity. And as an educator of this fantastic bunch, I have made it my mission to fight for their education and to help them find their words, in both a first and second language. Because once they find those words, they find their voices. They become open-minded, welcoming and empathetic human beings. And you might think that that’s just me being partial to my students, but studies find the exact same results. And that’s just the beginning of the benefits. The funny thing is, advocating for them has helped me find my voice as well. I made a promise to myself to be unapologetic when it comes to standing up for my students, their words and their voices.  So step aside nay-sayers, because my students are coming through and they have something to say.

Art from the Start: Teaching a Foreign Language using Crafts

(For an even quicker “art in the classroom” run down, see our 1-minute Tidbit for Teachers!)

Teacher: “Perro. Perro. The word for dog is ‘perro’! What’s the word for dog in Spanish? 

Students: …  

For teachers and parents alike, one of the most frustrating things we experience as educators is telling our students and children something over and over again only to have them tell us that we never told them, or that they forgot. It’s a tale as old as time. If they can’t even remember some of our simplest lessons, how will they remember a foreign language!? We (Language University!) find that in order to build a foreign language foundation for our students (generally 3 years to fifth grade) students need to stay engaged and enthusiastic. To do this, we incorporate a number of tools, especially art, to help our students get the most out of each lesson. 

Why art? 

Students who color and draw during the learning process are doing so much more than doodling. They are subconsciously creating a lasting and memorable learning experience through their own creativity. 

How is this happening?

Even more basic than art, colors themselves connect with all of us on a human level.  According to Senior Psychologist Ayben Ertem, colors influence our emotions, productivity and learning. When we are stress-free and using our creativity, we are better able to process material and retain it.  There is also a clear connection between color and the brain development of children. When our students create a craft or a scene that focuses on a targeted theme, it helps them internalize the vocabulary and add that information into their long term memory versus their short term.  

Are you sure this connection occurs in the language classroom?

Of course! In our languages classes, our students cut, color, paste and design all of the time! Crafting also incorporates our students’ senses: touch, sight and hearing (we play our songs during craft), which also stimulates their learning.  For example, when we introduce the word “astronave” (the Spanish word for spaceship); it’s not just another word to memorize. It’s part of a space adventure that our students can play out on paper and it’s a great way for them to start using their new vocabulary as they explain what is happening with their crafts. Now instead of being intimidated by a new language, they are thrilled to discuss! And when our students feel safe, creative and engaged, we are setting them up to be the best language learners they can be! 

Great! But the learning stops after we put the crayons down, right?

Nope! In fact, the craft is just the beginning! When students bring their masterpieces home to show mom and dad, or when they hang their projects up in their room, they are not only visualizing the picture with its labeled vocabulary words, they are also gaining a natural opportunity to talk and think about it.  Their crafts works as a “study guide” at home, and this helps the target language become more natural to them. And the more our students and our children see and hear their target vocabulary and phrases, the more likely they are to use it in everyday life! So bring on the crafts and coloring! We are ready to learn!

To see how we incorporate games in the classroom, click here!