00:00:12:16	00:00:13:17	>> In LaCrosse,
00:00:13:17	00:00:14:26	international education
00:00:14:26	00:00:16:23	is woven into every grade level
00:00:16:23	00:00:18:23	including the university,
00:00:18:23	00:00:19:29	where students
00:00:19:29	00:00:21:19	eventually become the teachers.
00:00:21:19	00:00:23:03	And it all begins at a very
00:00:23:03	00:00:24:13	young age with two schools,
00:00:24:13	00:00:25:22	Northwoods International
00:00:25:22	00:00:28:13	and Hamilton Elementary.
00:00:28:13	00:00:30:03	Students in grades K-5
00:00:30:03	00:00:32:13	study reading, writing, art,
00:00:32:13	00:00:34:19	math and science
00:00:34:19	00:00:36:09	through the language, culture
00:00:36:09	00:00:38:10	and history of China.
00:00:38:10	00:00:39:19	>> This is a headdress from
00:00:39:19	00:00:40:29	the Ch'ing Dynasty...
00:00:40:29	00:00:42:05	>> I think international
00:00:42:05	00:00:43:27	education is a must right now.
00:00:43:27	00:00:45:24	We are a global society,
00:00:45:24	00:00:47:20	and we need to teach our kids
00:00:47:20	00:00:49:22	global competence.
00:00:49:22	00:00:50:28	>> The students I have
00:00:50:28	00:00:53:01	are in first and second grade.
00:00:53:01	00:00:54:15	I think it's really important
00:00:54:15	00:00:56:15	for students to have an idea
00:00:56:15	00:00:58:18	as to this huge world
00:00:58:18	00:00:59:28	that we live in, and
00:00:59:28	00:01:02:07	that is becoming much smaller.
00:01:02:07	00:01:03:27	And for us to ignore that
00:01:03:27	00:01:05:08	is to ignore a huge piece
00:01:05:08	00:01:06:12	of what their world
00:01:06:12	00:01:08:06	is going to be like.
00:01:08:06	00:01:10:06	>> The young kids,
00:01:10:06	00:01:12:16	their mind are more open.
00:01:12:16	00:01:14:14	They can learn
00:01:14:14	00:01:16:12	a lot of things very faster.
00:01:16:12	00:01:17:24	So, I think that's better
00:01:17:24	00:01:20:24	to give them some informations
00:01:20:24	00:01:22:18	when they are very young.
00:01:22:18	00:01:24:07	>> (speaking Mandarin)
00:01:24:07	00:01:25:23	>> And to show up
00:01:25:23	00:01:27:27	and to teach them respect,
00:01:27:27	00:01:29:21	and how these are going to be
00:01:29:21	00:01:31:24	your future friends--
00:01:31:24	00:01:33:06	That's it!
00:01:33:06	00:01:34:19	That's just a great way
00:01:34:19	00:01:36:14	to start children off.
00:01:36:14	00:01:38:17	Good job!
00:01:40:24	00:01:42:06	>> One thing that I think
00:01:42:06	00:01:43:17	is really important
00:01:43:17	00:01:44:27	in an international school
00:01:44:27	00:01:46:05	is that students
00:01:46:05	00:01:47:21	witness another culture,
00:01:47:21	00:01:49:05	and then they learn
00:01:49:05	00:01:50:20	about another culture.
00:01:50:20	00:01:52:23	>> I'm a professor of education
00:01:52:23	00:01:54:28	in China.
00:01:54:28	00:01:56:12	>> Not only a professional
00:01:56:12	00:01:57:18	in the education field
00:01:57:18	00:01:58:29	from China, but also a mom
00:01:58:29	00:02:00:12	of one of our students.
00:02:00:12	00:02:02:02	>> Iguanas are cool,
00:02:02:02	00:02:04:29	but I prefer...
00:02:04:29	00:02:07:09	>> When I go to another country
00:02:07:09	00:02:08:18	or another culture,
00:02:08:18	00:02:10:17	I learn a lot from them.
00:02:10:17	00:02:11:21	So I think
00:02:11:21	00:02:13:14	that's very important.
00:02:13:14	00:02:15:01	I think all over the world,
00:02:15:01	00:02:16:26	the peoples are very different
00:02:16:26	00:02:18:00	but at the same time,
00:02:18:00	00:02:19:13	are very similar.
00:02:19:13	00:02:21:00	I want my daughter to know that.
00:02:21:00	00:02:24:03	That's why I bring her here.
00:02:24:03	00:02:25:23	>> We have a fabulous teaching
00:02:25:23	00:02:27:04	staff that's committed
00:02:27:04	00:02:28:17	to teaching the curriculum,
00:02:28:17	00:02:29:26	the reading, writing,
00:02:29:26	00:02:31:24	arithmetic, but through the lens
00:02:31:24	00:02:35:04	of a global perspective.
00:02:35:04	00:02:37:20	>> It's got this part here...
00:02:37:20	00:02:39:01	When I was in an elementary
00:02:39:01	00:02:40:15	school, China was the other side
00:02:40:15	00:02:41:19	of the world.
00:02:41:19	00:02:42:27	I think I knew from the library
00:02:42:27	00:02:44:18	book, "The Story of Ping."
00:02:44:18	00:02:45:24	That's the only image
00:02:45:24	00:02:47:06	I had of China.
00:02:47:06	00:02:49:06	And to go and live there a year
00:02:49:06	00:02:50:28	was so eye-opening.
00:02:50:28	00:02:52:08	Isn't this a great dragon
00:02:52:08	00:02:53:28	to look at?
00:02:53:28	00:02:55:10	He is wonderful.
00:02:55:10	00:02:56:17	The people were different.
00:02:56:17	00:02:57:22	The buildings were different.
00:02:57:22	00:02:59:03	The bugs were different.
00:02:59:03	00:03:00:28	We started the Chinese Club.
00:03:00:28	00:03:02:06	It's probably been going
00:03:02:06	00:03:03:17	seven or eight years.
00:03:03:17	00:03:05:11	We got 26 kids to sign up,
00:03:05:11	00:03:08:00	and the limit was 15.
00:03:08:00	00:03:09:07	Kindergartners were asking me,
00:03:09:07	00:03:10:16	tell us about China.
00:03:10:16	00:03:11:21	And at that time,
00:03:11:21	00:03:13:07	I didn't know how to do that.
00:03:13:07	00:03:14:16	You have to figure out what's
00:03:14:16	00:03:15:19	developmentally appropriate.
00:03:15:19	00:03:16:24	What is important
00:03:16:24	00:03:18:09	for kids to learn?
00:03:18:09	00:03:19:17	This school has done
00:03:19:17	00:03:22:01	an excellent job of pulling in
00:03:22:01	00:03:23:22	international education into
00:03:23:22	00:03:26:00	those areas of math and reading.
00:03:26:00	00:03:27:18	>> One...
00:03:27:18	00:03:28:23	>> You were counting,
00:03:28:23	00:03:30:08	weren't you?
00:03:30:08	00:03:31:10	For instance in preschool
00:03:31:10	00:03:32:15	and kindergarten,
00:03:32:15	00:03:33:23	they learn to use chopsticks,
00:03:33:23	00:03:34:23	and they eat popcorn with them.
00:03:34:23	00:03:35:27	It's something
00:03:35:27	00:03:36:28	that ties into our curriculum.
00:03:36:28	00:03:38:03	It's developing
00:03:38:03	00:03:39:09	our fine motor muscles.
00:03:39:09	00:03:40:26	We also do a lot of map studies.
00:03:40:26	00:03:42:06	Children who are four, five
00:03:42:06	00:03:44:01	and six don't understand
00:03:44:01	00:03:45:09	the real concept
00:03:45:09	00:03:46:12	of the globe is round, and
00:03:46:12	00:03:48:08	that we somehow live on that.
00:03:48:08	00:03:49:13	We just take them where they are
00:03:49:13	00:03:50:23	and give them the knowledge
00:03:50:23	00:03:52:09	that we think they need.
00:03:52:09	00:03:53:19	We scaffold that learning
00:03:53:19	00:03:54:18	and make it into first,
00:03:54:18	00:03:55:23	and second, and third.
00:03:55:23	00:03:57:16	As their brains change, they
00:03:57:16	00:03:59:28	understand what maps are about.
00:03:59:28	00:04:02:06	>> ...lives in China...
00:04:02:06	00:04:03:22	>> There is some cost
00:04:03:22	00:04:04:29	in internationalizing
00:04:04:29	00:04:06:08	the curriculum.
00:04:06:08	00:04:07:21	The teachers do spend some time
00:04:07:21	00:04:09:25	internationalizing
00:04:09:25	00:04:12:01	the things that they teach.
00:04:12:01	00:04:13:14	We don't get any additional
00:04:13:14	00:04:15:16	funding as a school.
00:04:15:16	00:04:17:00	>> When I went to China, the PTA
00:04:17:00	00:04:20:00	gave me $500 to purchase things
00:04:20:00	00:04:22:14	for a culture box.
00:04:22:14	00:04:24:27	So, I brought back rice paper,
00:04:24:27	00:04:27:09	and paint brushes,
00:04:27:09	00:04:29:20	and ink, and the ink sticks
00:04:29:20	00:04:31:16	that you use for calligraphy.
00:04:31:16	00:04:32:26	I think the more and more
00:04:32:26	00:04:34:16	exchanges you can have,
00:04:34:16	00:04:35:29	where we learn from each other,
00:04:35:29	00:04:37:11	where there isn't a political
00:04:37:11	00:04:39:05	agenda, that's going to
00:04:39:05	00:04:40:16	lay the groundwork for peace
00:04:40:16	00:04:42:18	in the future.
00:04:42:18	00:04:44:12	>> My role as principal is to be
00:04:44:12	00:04:46:09	a champion of that vision.
00:04:46:09	00:04:48:03	It's to be a cheerleader
00:04:48:03	00:04:50:16	and to be an advocate,
00:04:50:16	00:04:52:07	to verbalize
00:04:52:07	00:04:53:19	what our mission and vision is
00:04:53:19	00:04:55:27	as an international school.
00:04:55:27	00:04:57:06	>> We've learned to appreciate
00:04:57:06	00:04:58:18	each other's culture
00:04:58:18	00:05:00:09	and the values.
00:05:00:09	00:05:01:26	That's just been a really
00:05:01:26	00:05:03:18	positive and great exchange
00:05:03:18	00:05:04:25	for us, I think.
00:05:04:25	00:05:05:28	>> Oh, these are interesting.
00:05:05:28	00:05:07:04	>> Come and visit schools
00:05:07:04	00:05:08:09	in Wisconsin that are doing
00:05:08:09	00:05:09:22	some international education.
00:05:09:22	00:05:12:05	We're very fired up about it.
00:05:12:05	00:05:13:13	>> I would really encourage
00:05:13:13	00:05:15:03	other administrators to take a
00:05:15:03	00:05:16:22	look at international education,
00:05:16:22	00:05:18:22	because it brings a certain
00:05:18:22	00:05:21:10	excitement around learning.
00:05:21:10	00:05:23:10	It really makes education
00:05:23:10	00:05:24:29	come alive.
00:05:24:29	00:05:26:05	>> They're called
00:05:26:05	00:05:27:17	the terra cotta soldiers,
00:05:27:17	00:05:28:25	and they were buried
00:05:28:25	00:05:30:25	in an emperor's tomb...