Parent Testimonials

WHY I CHOSE KINSTAR

By: Nicolle LaFleur, mother of (2A)

Raising kids brings a lot of joy, and some worry, of which education is always on the top of the list. Raising our half-Chinese/half-American daughter in the heart of the American mid-west had its benefits, but she was missing out on acquiring knowledge of her Chinese heritage and language— so we packed up and moved to Beijing.

At Kinstar, my child is judged on her progress and attitude, not just her test scores. Fearing a low grade in 语文 at the end of 1st grade, she surprised us with a 98% overall score! Although she struggled with character memorization and didn't understand every word in the text, she had made significant progress (in her own right) which was recognized fully by her teachers, and her own attitude towards learning was praised. Through this, she learned a very important lesson—one that I am proud she walks away with in her first years of schooling—and that is HOW to study and WHAT to value in one's own work ethic. She is not afraid of what she lacks or how she compares with other children who come with other advantages, rather she is proud of what she is—as she is. And she strives forward because of it.

I'm so proud that my daughter is reading the 三字经and she is following the mainstream Chinese education books in both math and language. She gets enough of the Chinese education to further her development both culturally and linguistically, while at the same time, she is still growing in her English language development and learning much about American/Western society and culture.

I'm glad Kinstar was established just in time for my first grader to start school. We hope she'll finish middle school here, fluent in both languages and cultures, ready to take the reins and straddle her cross-cultural world!