By Jennifer Wilkins

Growing up in New York City as a child I totally underestimated the need for a second language. There was a constant inner voice demanding that other children learn to speak English. But the resistance to other languages changed when I became a teenager and discovered boys. I learned very early that you have to stroke the male ego; for me this required only that I learn basic communication in the boy’s mother tongue. This adolescent preoccupation with boys also helped to develop the previously neglected need to embrace other languages.

Embracing other languages is now a vital part of my social parenting regime. Furthermore, an appreciation has initiated which extends beyond just embracing languages but fully immersing in different cultures. International schooling aids in this quest and provides an opportunity to not only just confront the social differences of peers but also unveil the need to understand, embrace, and develop an affinity for these social differences.

Cultures of the world are constantly intermingling and this international interaction will not slow or cease. Therefore, the children of the world need to be schooled through an approach where inquiry is not only valued but also applied on an international scale.