Trilingual family has found an ideal kindergarten

Before Juliet, Harley's mother, pursued a career in international education, she was a senior marketing executive in a fortune 500 company. By chance, she became the Marketing Director of YK Pao School. When Juliet first entered the education industry, she did so with reverence. In her view, compared to the competitive and profit-driven nature of other industries, the education industry is more filled with humanistic care. That kind of care and nurturing for life makes every educator feel warm.

During her years working at YK Pao School, two small incidents made her reflect more deeply on the essence of education. She remembers the first day she reported to the school, it was raining heavily. When she arrived, she saw a fifth-grade girl standing at the entrance, quietly holding the door handle and smilingly welcoming every teacher and student. "No one asked her to do it, but she silently warmed everyone in the rain with her kindness," Juliet recalled.

The protagonist of the other incident was a little boy who loved to "dismantle toilet flushes." This child enjoyed "destroying" the toilets in the school bathrooms. After the teacher learned about this, they did not criticize him but instead inquired further about his motivation. 

In a relaxed atmosphere of communication, the child confessed that he simply liked studying the inner workings of the toilet and wanted to know how it operated. After listening, the teacher affirmed his spirit of exploration and, in subsequent learning, provided many resources to support the child's curiosity. At the same time, the teacher also contacted the child's parents, informing them of the child's interest and potential in mechanical engineering, and encouraging them to provide more support and encouragement in family education.

These two incidents deeply touched Juliet and further convinced her that the goal of education is to nurture children's innate nature and sparkles, further tapping into their potential, and helping them become happy individuals who accept themselves, treat others kindly, and contribute to society. In a good school, teachers should cultivate children as genuine human beings, not tools, and strive to give them adequate responses, support, and care. Therefore, when Juliet was choosing a kindergarten for Harley, she believed that :

To this end, she also sought the opinions of some professionals: "Due to my occupation, I can collect opinions from professionals. For example, I would find some elementary schools with good reputation and credibility in China and consult their teachers about which kindergarten graduates tend to excel in primary school."

During the conversation, Juliet observed a clear trend: the children from Victoria Kindergarten exhibit remarkable characteristics of an integrated Chinese and Western, holistic education. They demonstrate confidence and ease in the classroom, fully enjoying the joy of expressing their individuality. At the same time, they possess a sense of rules and order, considering the collective and exhibiting excellent teamwork spirit. The children's self-motivated learning, cross-disciplinary abilities, and critical thinking skills gradually become apparent as they enter primary school and progress to higher grades.

These professional opinions convinced Juliet that Victoria, as the first kindergarten in China offering the IB curriculum, has been committed to providing high-quality early childhood education in a localized Chinese context for over two decades. It has significant advantages in integrating Chinese and Western education and fostering children's comprehensive development.

As practitioners of the IB curriculum, every teacher in the kindergarten has a deep understanding of the curriculum. Many teachers have served the group for more than ten, twenty years, or even their entire careers as IB educators. 

As Dr. Koong, the Chief Principal of Victoria, said, "The most important thing in a school is the attitude, ideals, and spirit of the educators. As long as the educators are passionate and loving towards the children, the results will definitely be good."

Therefore, Juliet believes that Victoria Kindergarten is the ideal school for Harley. Her judgment was correct. During the three years at Victoria, she truly felt the educators' top-down concern for the children and parents. Although Principal Koong is based in Hong Kong, she always finds time to visit Victoria kindergartens in Chinese Mainland to observe classes and visit teachers and students. Melanie, the Executive Director of Victoria, travels between different campuses every day, teaching English to classrooms of children or participating in activities invited by the children.

"I still remember the opening ceremony every September 1st. To deliver timely blessings to the children in every campus, Principal Koong and Melanie would travel between the Suzhou campus and the four Shanghai campuses early in the morning, telling stories to the children, playing games with them, and having a very busy schedule. Including the graduation ceremonies, they were always there. In my memory, they never missed any important activities or ceremonies for the children."

On the first day of school, Principal Koong and Melanie sent blessings to the children

Principal Koong and Melanie read picture books to the children in class

Speaking of Victoria's teachers, Juliet recalls an impressive incident: When Harley was in K2, he had to record a short video telling a story for an activity. Initially, he was very resistant to this task. Juliet tried many encouragement methods but couldn't convince him. So, she sought help from Harley's kindergarten teacher, hoping the teacher could encourage him more in school and help him overcome his fear of the camera. 

After hearing this, Harley's homeroom teacher was very dedicated and designed some activities in school to guide him to challenge himself. With the teacher's encouragement, Harley became more confident and finally successfully recorded the video.

Harley shared Chinese myth "Pangu Creating the Universe" in Greek to Greek kids

Juliet said with emotion, "Although these are small matters in home-school communication, the details of education often have a profound impact on shaping a child's character. There are many such home-school communication and collaborations in Victoria. Parents can communicate with the homeroom teacher at any time about issues encountered in family education and receive positive feedback."

Born into a mixed-race family of Chinese and Greek descent, Harley faced linguistic challenges from the start. Not only did he need to acquire the two native languages, but also learn English. Juliet's primary concern was how to balance the learning of these three languages for Harley.

After years of immersion in international education, Juliet observed numerous cases of bilingual learning among mixed-race children and Chinese children. She found that a considerable number of children in international schools excel in English but are weak in Chinese. This is because, on one hand, learning Chinese is more difficult than English, involving not only pronunciation rules but also character recognition, where both phonetic and ideographic systems operate simultaneously. Once children encounter difficulties in character recognition, they tend to shy away from catching up.

On the other hand, many Chinese families prepare their children for early overseas education by treating English as the primary language from a young age, with no requirements for Chinese learning. Some even completely abandon Chinese literacy after higher grades.

Juliet questions this approach. While learning English is crucial for applying to western universities and understanding Western culture, abandoning one's native culture is not worthwhile. Language is not just a communication tool; it is also an essential part of personal identity and cultural recognition. Why sacrifice one's inherent cultural advantages?

With this understanding, Juliet places great importance on Harley's learning of Chinese and Greek. To create a conducive environment, she speaks only Mandarin to Harley at home, while her husband speaks Greek to him. Juliet also values reading from an early age. She redesigned the bookshelves to ensure Harley can access books anytime, anywhere, and carefully selects Chinese and Greek picture books and texts to spark his interest in his mother tongues.

Harley reading Greek picture books with daddy 

Harley reading picture books in the reading circle at home

Juliet reading together with Harley

To cultivate children's interest in English, Juliet organized a public welfare activity called "Peer Reading Club" when Harley was two years old. Older children led younger children to read picture books and perform stories in games, which greatly inspired the children's love for reading. Additionally, Juliet took the children to the outskirts of the city to read with local children.

Victoria's bilingual education model aligns perfectly with Juliet's philosophy and expectations. Since 1965, Victoria has emphasized balanced multilingual learning while respecting and preserving students' cultural backgrounds. Over the years, Victoria has been a pioneer in bilingual education research.

In English, the kindergarten is supported by the Reading and Writing Project curriculum from Columbia University. Harley has developed a habit of English reading since kindergarten, borrowing books from Victoria's library every week. He can now read English bridge books independently. Weekly morning reading sessions are also held, with foreign teachers guiding the children in phonics. "We never took any extra English classes outside the kindergarten because we trust the Victoria curriculum. Harley is progressing at his own pace."

Juliet also praises the courses in Chinese language and literature and traditional culture. "The traditional culture series, such as Mother Tongue Week, traditional culture picture book reading, and experiencing Chinese festivals, provide opportunities for children to delve into Chinese culture." The kindergarten also organizes activities like "little anchors" to give each child a chance to practice their speaking and presentation skills. "Harley was initially camera-shy, but through deliberate practice, his Chinese and English speaking abilities have become more fluent."

Looking back at Harley's bilingual learning experience at Victoria, Juliet believes it is particularly suitable for parents who want their children to develop their Chinese and English proficiency in parallel. The Chinese and English curriculums complement each other, and the IB program further cultivates children's inquiry skills and critical thinking, leading to higher-order thinking. Victoria's exposure to two cultures also plants the seeds for children to embrace the world.

 Harley sharing his thoughts on reading

Due to her work, Juliet has come into contact with and known many parents. Through their interactions, she discovered an interesting phenomenon: many parents, after becoming parents, have returned to the classroom to gain a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of education. Some studied positive parenting, some learned about child psychology, and some even pursued a master's degree in education.

From these parents, Juliet observed high-quality parent-child companionship, encouraging educational methods, and profound wisdom. "The journey these parents have taken has increasingly made me realize that raising children is a journey of growing together with your child, and your child will make you a better person."

Juliet and her child growing together: After having Harley, She pursued the EMBA program. 

During her three years in Victoria, Juliet, as a parent of Victoria's students, also met many like-minded families. Some were representatives of the Victoria PTA, some met in the Victoria IB community, and others became familiar through Victoria's parenting talks and workshops. "Unlike some schools' single approach to home-school cooperation, in Victoria, you always have many opportunities to connect with people of similar interests, whether it's the principals, teachers, or parents," Juliet remarked.

I remember when the pandemic first started three years ago, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Victoria's IB education. To ensure that parents, teachers, and students could promptly access valuable academic exchanges and educational information, Victoria organized up to 20 online lectures, inviting experts in early childhood education, principals and teachers from various campuses, outstanding graduates, and parent representatives to discuss the development of innovative early childhood education. Simultaneously, this grand academic event further established the IB learning community in Victoria.

Apart from the IB community, Victoria's community service projects also left a deep impression on Juliet. Three years ago, Victoria launched the "Reading with Victoria" charity initiative, organizing online English reading sessions between Victoria's children and children from poverty-stricken county schools. During the May holiday each year, it also organizes parents and children to visit the partner schools. 

"Community service projects often involve children donating money or goods, with limited opportunities for parents to participate deeply. However, in Victoria, I witnessed a highly integrated form of public welfare, such as cross-grade children forming friendships and Victoria's parents gathering together for community service work, deepening their friendships through mutual care and support during activities and becoming close friends."

The implementation of the IB community and research projects has provided more opportunities for families of different grades in Victoria to communicate. It has also allowed parents who were once unfamiliar with each other to become acquainted through various activities, eventually becoming allies in the process of their children's growth.

Juliet  participated in activities such as Greek study tour,  community service projects in Yunnan and Best Daddy basketball tournaments.

In recent years, the phenomenon of educational involution has become increasingly prominent, affecting parents and children to varying degrees. Although Juliet has rich experience in the international education field, she also feels, "The current educational information is complex and diverse, making it difficult for parents to accurately identify and judge. At the same time, we are constantly influenced by different individuals and groups, leading to anxiety."

Fortunately, through various activities in Victoria, Juliet met a group of "scientifically parenting" parent allies. They come from various industries, whether they are experts deeply involved in a specific field, middle-aged professionals who have made cross-industry transitions, or full-time caregivers. 

They are all passionate about education. With the support of the school, this group of valuable parents initiated Victoria Parent Club to guide parents in jointly learning about cutting-edge and scientific educational topics through regularly held educational workshops and academic lectures.

The Victoria Parent Club also publishes educational quotes every day, aiming to encourage parents to adopt good educational methods to teach their children by sharing warm and philosophical words.

Since its establishment in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, in 1965, Victoria has grown from its initial eight founding students into a renowned educational group both domestically and internationally after more than half a century of development.

Over the past 60 years

Victoria has created countless firsts

It is the first kindergarten in Hong Kong 

To implement a bilingual education model 

Of Chinese and English

The first school in Hong Kong to 

Hold the national flag-raising ceremony and 

Introduce Mandarin language courses

The first Sino-foreign joint venture kindergarten 

(Shanghai Victoria Kindergarten) 

Established in Shanghai

And the first bilingual kindergarten 

In the mainland certified by IB.

Behind these achievements are the inheritance and relay of patriotism and love for Hong Kong spanning three generations of Victoria's family, as well as the school's commitment to student-oriented, continuous innovation and exploration. 

From the Greater Bay Area to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, from Yunnan to Shanxi, Victoria has enabled love to flow between different regions, seamlessly linked curricula between different campuses, and allowed every student to achieve comprehensive development in a diverse educational environment. 

Mentioning Victoria's upcoming 60th anniversary celebration, Juliet couldn't help but feel emotional: