As part of our ongoing initiative to instill a global perspective in our students, our Global Studies department continues to establish relationships with many international schools, the first of which was China-based Hunan University over 10 years ago. These collaborations allow some of our students to travel abroad and experience school and daily life in other countries. Some Cushman families have also hosted visiting students, and many of our classes on campus have engaged in lessons with students across the world via Skype. But for all Cushman students, these cross-cultural exchanges infuse real-life global exposure into our curriculum as part of the comprehensive education Cushman provides.
On September 12th, I will be pleased to welcome 20 students from Spain’s Colegio International Altair to Miami and then our campus for a two-week immersion in our life here. Their visit follows the success of our most recent trip to Spain when a group of Cushman students attended school in Madrid and traveled through some of Spain’s historic cities and beautiful countryside. The friendships forged and enlightening experiences shared were invaluable. We hope our guests enjoy their time in our city and at The Cushman School as much as we benefited from the time spent with them.
Our global studies objectives are based on the fact that truly educating children today requires exposure to diverse languages, cultures and countries. More than ever, with technology eliminating logistical boundaries, many professions will require the ability to confidently interact with people from all over the world, and communicate in multiple languages. Our Director of World Languages, Dr. Anna Blackman, and our Director of Global Studies, Alicia Becker, work together to provide our students with engaging lessons and unique opportunities to empower them to be “global citizens.”
Given the events occurring in our world today, we must be reminded of how impressionable young minds can be. As educators, we have a great responsibility to positively influence your children and future generations. I believe elements of global conflict stem from a lack of understanding, tolerance and coexistence among different systems of belief. In that regard, instilling cultural understanding and sensitivities in our children at an early age will help contribute to not only their ability to work with others in a global context, but also a more peaceful future.
Arvi Balseiro