Preparing our kids for a globalized world
Guatemala. Colombia. Costa Rica. And next - Senegal.
As the world is growing smaller and more connected, our classroom is becoming larger and welcoming cross-cultural exchange. Service trips to Latin America have been eye-opening and inspiring for adolescents, who gain valuable perspectives in their ongoing quests to think critically for themselves.
Travelling with Quadrat looks something like this...
Philadelphia's culturally diverse international community is our takeoff point. We dive into the culture and food of the country we're preparing to visit, often cooking the local cuisine ourselves. Students plan parts of the trip by researching points of interest. They study the language, history and geo-politics to prepare for their immersion.
Finally, in the spring, we travel together across the world to discover a new country. We visit our host Montessori school, meeting the students and seeing how our shared learning philosophy can be applied in vastly different settings. We dedicate time to volunteering, for example replanting mangroves or building a playground. We explore natural parks and embark on outdoor adventures related to the region, for example coconut gathering.
Afterwards, we return with a unique understanding of a new place and its culture, history and people.
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