「身為父母，我們都希望給孩子最好的教育，培養他們接軌國際的能力。」在美國偏鄉的田納西州，有一位來自台灣的媽媽正努力和自己剛升上小學二年級的兒子對話。「但我想念在台灣的好朋友們，美國學校的老師和同學們在講什麼我都聽不懂！」小男孩向媽媽哭訴著心中的委屈，媽媽再心疼，心中卻堅定著讓兒子從小出國的決定，她告訴自己，我希望給予我的孩子自己未曾擁有的教育機會，而身為國立大學外文系教授的她，非常清楚浸潤式學習環境的重要性，除了英文的掌握能力，她更期望兒子透過多元文化的交流，培養出尊重他人的品格特質。投入教育多年的她深信，要實現真正的國際教育，必須創造一個「多元文化」的學習場域，這樣才能培養出「多元價值觀」。
在葳格，我們不僅注重孩子的英文能力，更強調多元價值觀的養成。我們期許每一位從葳格畢業的孩子，能帶著流利的英文和多元的價值觀，與世界各地互動，進而推廣台灣最美的風景。在這樣的信念之上，學校推動獨一無二的國際多元課程，由外籍師資教授孩子專業領域的課程，而學生也能從中探索自己的興趣，練習規劃自己的學習生涯，培養獨立自主的能力。「我的爸爸媽媽經營貿易公司，所以我選擇上外師的消費者行為，希望能用英文學習客戶的需求，未來能幫助更多來自世界各地的人。」一位剛升上葳中的國一新生對著授課外師表示。「好喜歡學校的國際多元課程，讓我可以在高中就體驗大學選課的樂趣！」放學時，另一位剛選完課的高一生一坐上車就雀躍地對著在前座的爸爸媽媽表示。首次實施國際多元課程，外師就開出將近20門不同領域的國際課程，包含資訊科技類、商業管理類、自然科學類、語言發展類及休閒運動類，其中包含媒體創作、電子商務、基礎神經學、模擬聯合國、國際辯論、哲學與人生、益智桌遊等，學生對於新的課程反應熱烈，幾乎每門課的選修人數都超過上限，場場爆滿。資深外師也開心地表示，在台灣教英文這麼多年，從未想過能教授自己的本科所學，學生因高度興趣與責任感選擇了我的課，在學習上多了好幾分專注，教學成效倍增。
教育是一種傳承，我們在孩子身上播下了一千個種子，只要其中的一顆在未來的某一天長成大樹，就值得我們當初多一分鐘的堅持與付出，這是在葳格任教每位同仁共同的信念，也是天下父母愛自己孩子的方式，儘管投入了再多的心血，卻依然默默不語。回到故事的開頭，是25年前我的母親與我的對話，如今身為人父，對於自己的母親，心中只有無限的感恩，期許每位葳格的孩子回家後也能向自己的父母親說一聲：「謝謝，我愛你！」
Fostering a Multicultural Perspective at Wagor International School
"As parents, we all want to provide our children with the best education and cultivate their international capabilities," says a Taiwanese mother in rural Tennessee, USA. She is deep in conversation with her son, who has just entered the second grade. "But I miss my good friends in Taiwan, and I don't understand what the teachers and classmates in the American school are saying!" The little boy expresses his grievances to his mother. Her heart aches, but her determination to send her son abroad from a young age remains steadfast. She tells herself, "I want to offer my child educational opportunities I never had." As a professor of foreign languages at a national university, she understands the importance of an immersive learning environment. Beyond English proficiency, she hopes her son can develop character traits that respect others through multicultural interactions. With years of dedication to education, she firmly believes that true international education necessitates creating a "multicultural" learning environment to nurture "multifaceted values."
At Wagor, we not only emphasize children's English proficiency but also emphasize the development of multifaceted values. We expect that every child graduating from Wagor can interact with the world fluently in English and bring diverse values to global interactions, ultimately promoting Taiwan's beauty. Based on this belief, the school has introduced a unique international and diverse curriculum. It is taught by foreign teachers who specialize in various fields, allowing students to explore their interests and plan their own learning paths, fostering independent and autonomous abilities. "My parents run a trading company, so I chose the Consumer Behavior course with a foreign teacher. I hope to learn customer needs in English and help people from around the world in the future," a new first-year student at Wagor tells the foreign teacher with enthusiasm. "I really love the school's international and diverse courses; it allows me to experience the fun of university course selection in high school!" Another high school student who has just selected his courses eagerly tells his parents in the car after school.
For the first implementation of the international and diverse curriculum, foreign teachers have offered nearly 20 different international courses, including information technology, business management, natural sciences, language development, and leisure sports. The courses cover media creation, e-commerce, basic neurology, Model United Nations, international debate, philosophy and life, and intellectual board games. Students have responded enthusiastically, and nearly every elective course has exceeded its enrollment limit, with classrooms filled to capacity. Seasoned foreign teachers also express their delight, as they've never imagined teaching their undergraduate specialties in Taiwan. The students' heightened interest and sense of responsibility have led to increased focus on learning, resulting in significantly improved teaching effectiveness.
Education is a form of legacy. We sow a thousand seeds in our children, and if just one of them grows into a tall tree someday, it's worth every minute of our initial persistence and effort. This is the shared belief of all colleagues at Wagor, and it's the way parents all around the world love their children, even though they invest a tremendous amount of effort without saying a word. Returning to the beginning of the story, it was a conversation between my mother and me 25 years ago. Now, as a father myself, I have infinite gratitude for my mother, and I hope that every child at Wagor can return home and say to their parents, "Thank you, I love you!"
