Philosophy
Beaux Esprits translates to English as “Beautiful Minds” which is what we believe lives in every child. Through opportunities to play, explore, and challenge themselves in a supportive, safe environment, students grow in confidence and self-esteem. To fully realize the potential of each beautiful mind, the Beaux Esprits program encourages development of the whole child providing activities to enhance cognitive and motor capacities, creativity, spontaneity, and independence. The introduction and use of French plays an integral role as learning a second language naturally supports many of the goals our program addresses.
We believe a second language and a positive attitude are some of the best gifts we can give a child at this stage where learning is second nature. Rather than teaching the children to speak French, we aim to train their ears for French and foster a love and interest for other languages and cultures. This lays the foundation for more formal training in subsequent years.
To keep the French experience a positive one the children are under no pressure to speak French, either to the teachers or with their peers. As their self-confidence and desire to please flourishes they will naturally begin to use their knowledge. While it does not take long for children to understand what is said in French, it may be months before they actually say any French words themselves and many children refuse to speak French at home. This does not mean they are not learning, it just takes time for some children to process internally before they are comfortable expressing externally.
Each child develops differently but confidence, a love of learning, and a positive self-image are important to all children. The Beaux Esprits program and gentle introduction to French works to help all its students equip themselves with these very important tools.
Giving your child a second language is a Gift! Studies show that preschool aged children's brains are uniquely suited to learn a second language as the brain is in its most flexible stage. They can learn a second language as easy as they learned to walk and learn their primary language. Further studies show that bilingual people tend to excel at multi-tasking and have better concentration skills than those with only one language.
Following are just a few sources for the benefits and myths about Bilingualism:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/advantages_of_a_bilingual_brain
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/early-learning/talk-read-sing/bilingual-en.pdf