父親  Moxa Inc. Manager, Technical Writing Global Marketing Programs Division
母親  Sr. Administrator Procurement Dept

J1  Seamus & AP1 Oliver

        We have a multi-national family; I’m American, and my wife is Taiwanese. Both in my work and in my life, I can see the critical importance of language. So naturally, I wanted my son Oliver to have a solid foundation in English. People often told me, "You're American? That's great, you can teach him English!" But in reality, this is only partly true. I have a full-time job and can't always be with him. I read him stories before bedtime, but this isn't the same as building his English skills.
 

         I have some expat friends, so I know that many schools focus far more on profit than on actual learning. Overcrowded classes and a lack of attention given to the kids are not unusual, and some schools could have disturbing problems far worse than this. So I asked my friends where I should send my own child, and one of them recommended Happy Marian. They said that kids that went there seemed happy and also made decent progress with learning English.
 

         When we visited Happy Marian, we noticed that the kids that came out of there were happy and talkative, and they were well-behaved but still had their individual personalities. We decided to go ahead and enroll Oliver there.
 

         At this time, Oliver actually hadn't spoken much yet. Whether it was Chinese or English, he only spoke a few words here and there. Also, when we would go to a friend's house, he would usually play by himself instead of playing with other kids. With all of this, we were a bit worried about how he would fit in at Happy Marian.
 

         Our fears were soon washed away. We found that he had quickly made friends with many children there from all the different grade levels. When we picked him up, he would leave with a chorus of kids yelling, "BYE BYE OLIVER! BYEEEE!" He also became more vocal and often liked to talk about his friends.
 

         I believe that this was made possible because Happy Marian worked to create a nurturing environment for children that fostered a positive attitude towards learning. Their approach is to ignite children's natural interest and curiosity to encourage them to participate and learn. Oliver looked forward to going to class every day, and would leave smiling.
 

         When I went back to the US to visit my family (back when it was safe to travel...), one of my friends was shocked and amazed at Oliver's progress. Happy Marian was more than a place for him to learn English though; it was also a place where he could grow as a person. Through an array of activities and field trips, Oliver was exposed to a wide variety of experiences that helped spark his curiosity about the world. They taught him the importance of being polite and kind not through rules and harsh punishments, but by talking through things with him and showing him how to empathize with others.
 

         I'm grateful to everyone at Happy Marian for their patience, their care, and their efforts in creating a place that goes beyond just teaching English and helps kids grow into unique individuals eager to explore the future ahead of them.