I imagine … a better, bilingual school!

About a decade ago as a young scientist and linguist, I published several neuropsychological studies on second language learning while at the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. I became fascinated by the advantages that children have when they are bilingual from birth or a very young age. Seeing my own young boys begin speaking in a multilingual environment made it clear to me that schools were missing something crucial by introducing languages at about the time our brain plasticity decreases! I imagined a better, bilingual school in which children can grow up with authentic input in two languages, enabling implicit, almost effortless learning—or bilingual language acquisition. With our SBW school family, the founders of JVC, my own development of the concept, and the phenomenal work of our JVC educators implementing it every day, what I dared to imagine so many years ago has now become a reality for our JVC children. I’m thankful, and proud, to be part of this dream come true!

Dr. Kerrie Elston-Güttler, Head of Learning House