PRINTS recognized by the American Montessori Society, specializing in a dual-immersion language programs for children ranging from 3 months to 12th grade.
“I am [a graduate of the] University of California Santa Cruz and studied Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology. I attended Pacific Rim International School from ages 2 through 13. I was fortunate enough to have experienced the Montessori journey from the Infant Community through Children's House, Elementary and then Erdkinder (Junior High). We were taught basic life skills from the beginning. I remember cutting and serving celery in Children's House. As a result I always felt at home in the kitchen. We were encouraged to exercise our own initiative and leadership. I was taught concepts by a teacher, and allowed to master it on my own. Once there, I would help my peers also working on the same materials. In this way I learned both from the teacher and from teaching.
There were never assignments or worksheets with definite deadlines. Instead, we would meet with our teachers once every week to outline our academic goals and it was up to us, students, to come up with a time frame and a plan to master the different subjects. In a way, this experience gained in Elementary continues to aid my ability to plan and study at university. The freedom of restrictions even extended to subjects. Traditionally, English was taught in English class, Math in math, History in history and so forth. At PRINTS, all these subjects were taught in an integrated fashion. I learned Chinese history in Mandarin. I learned geometry with astronomy. There is always carry over in real life, and that fact is fully reflected in the education I received.
Finally, immersive billingual instruction was instrumental in my ability to read, write and speak fluently in Mandarin Chinese. Each year, we would put on a Chinese New Years performance, and I remember singing, dancing and even giving speeches in Chinese. I am comfortable on stage and I am always at ease with public speaking becuase if I could speak in Chinese in front of an auditorium full of parents then any presentation is doable. Over the years, I learned to lead, organize, speak Chinese and cut celery.”
