Global Education in Action
A Global Curriculum: What is a global curriculum?
Our modern world is an increasingly interconnected place; a global curriculum acknowledges this reality and focuses on preparing students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally in their education and lives. Students immersed in global curricula develop an appreciation for cultural diversity, an understanding of active global citizenship and cooperation, and the skills to think critically and flexibly to solve challenges. A global education is dynamic, offering educators the ability to integrate current events, embrace creativity in learning, and celebrate individuality among their students. Students who experience a global curriculum have the confidence to ask big questions about the world, the ability to seek out the answers and the skills to take positive, informed action.
The diversity we find in how schools reflect the tenets of a global curriculum is indicative of the uniqueness of this philosophy. Exploring how schools embody global curricula through their specific missions, values, and programs can help you choose the best fit for your child(ren) and family.
Our School: How is our global curriculum evident in our classrooms?
The Spring Hill School embraces a global curriculum across the age groups we serve. Through this philosophy we engage in a culture of continual learning and improvement as we strive to offer our students a truly global education. Our educators embrace and honor diversity in their classrooms, welcoming students from different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and gender identities. To further their own learning on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), our teachers participate in the Learning for Justice trainings offered by the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in addition to other DEI trainings as they become available.
A key element of our curriculum is cultural literacy and world languages. For our school, cultural literacy centers on teaching our students that there are unique cultures across our country and the world and each of them is valuable and equal. Our students learn to see the world through many different lenses, looking at both history and current events from the perspectives of all the major players.
The Spanish language and Latin American culture are a focus at our school and students experience Spanish in the classroom from 18 months through the 8th grade. In our toddler and primary classrooms students are exposed to a bilingual environment with at least one fluent Spanish speaker as a lead or supporting educator. Our Spanish program continues through the grades with our 8th graders graduating with Spanish proficiency that allows many alumni to enter Spanish 2 upon entering high school.
At Spring Hill we have an annual tradition of celebrating cultural diversity with our joyful International Day Festival. In the fall, our primary and toddler students learn about cultures from across the world, culminating in International Day. This festival gives students and their families the opportunity to celebrate and share their cultures with our community through homemade foods, traditional dress, crafts, and performances.
We believe that all of our students, from our little ones to our middle schoolers, have the ability to become advocates for themselves and others. Our curriculum gives them the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to become impactful advocates and create the changes they want to see in the world. In middle school, our students travel to our sister school in Volcanas, Mexico to connect with their pen pals, practice their Spanish through immersion, and take classes with their sister school classmates. Our students who visit Volcanas spend the year leading up to their trip collecting school supplies and donations for our sister school. While in Volcanas, our students also engage in community service beyond the classroom, working at a local clinic to help spay and neuter street animals.
Social justice is an important aspect of our global education. We work to ensure our students the freedom to express their true selves and take meaningful action to work towards a more equitable and just society. We use the Teaching Tolerance Anti-bias Framework at Spring Hill, engaging our students in a curriculum that explores identity, diversity, equity, justice, and action.
A final key element of our global curriculum centers on giving our students the 21st century skills they need to thrive. From learning how to prepare snack and recognize mathematical values in our primary program to email etiquette and executive functioning skills in middle school, our students get an education that will serve them throughout their lives.