At the International School of San Antonio, students have the opportunity to become multilingual at an early age. This gift will open countless doors for them throughout their lifetime. From job and travel opportunities to friendships and experiences, multilingualism allows for these and so much more.
This past week, Chinese Early Learning and Primary School classes were invited to one of these unique opportunities thanks to their language skills. While on a field trip to the ICE! Exhibit at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort, students spoke to Harbin master ice sculptors about their work (entirely in Chinese). Harbin, China is home to the largest ice and snow theme park in the world and this year, 40 of their ice artists have traveled across the world to San Antonio. ISSA classes got a sneak peek at the upcoming Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Themed experience, which opens its doors to the public later this month.
The ice sculptors lit up when they heard young students from San Antonio ask them questions in Chinese. It was amazing to witness students who have only ever heard Chinese spoken in the classroom realize that there is a world of people out there they can now communicate with.
Some might ask how Chinese, in particular, could give their children opportunities in the United States. One area in which Chinese acquisition holds significant value is in the job market. One of our ISSA parents has first-hand experience with this upper hand: “Because of Chinese, l was recruited for initial interviews by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) twice and the FBI once. The Venetian Corporation (casinos) offered me a position in 2006 for their corporate leadership management program to help open their new Venetian casino in Macao (located on Mainland China). And l received other recruiting phone calls from major international banks. I always noticed so many well remunerated job opportunities for individuals speaking English and Chinese which went unfilled. Not enough people for the jobs.”
International School of San Antonio students will be able to experience these opportunities beginning at a young age. Whether it be fun cultural experience, such as speaking with the Harbin ice masters, or high-level job opportunities in the future, multilingualism allows for it all. The languages they learn will carry with them throughout their lifetime.
If you have any questions about ISSA’s language immersion program, please email us at info@issatx.org.
