Multilingual Montessori 16. Janina Burmeister on Life as an Expat Mom
Feb 16, 2022
Janina Burmeister, a seasoned Montessorian and expat mom from Germany living in Valencia, shares her insights on raising a trilingual child. She discusses the challenges of navigating multilingual parenting while living in nine countries. Janina recounts her son Henry's language development journey and her proactive approach to addressing concerns. She highlights the benefits of Montessori education for multilingual children and offers practical travel tips for families. Her experiences illuminate the rich tapestry of expat life and the joys of fostering cultural identity.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Son's Multilingual Journey
- Janina's son Henry was born in Spain and exposed to Spanish from birth while she and her husband used German and English at home.
- After discovering Henry's hearing impairment and surgery, they adopted one parent one language, which accelerated his multilingual development rapidly.
Consistency and Flexibility Advice
- Stay consistent yet flexible with multilingual approaches like one person one language.
- Adjust methods if they don't fit your child's needs while maintaining overall structure.
Advice to Speak One Language
- People advised Janina to speak only one language to her son to help catch up, but she chose to investigate further.
- The hearing impairment diagnosis and surgery let Henry continue multilingual exposure successfully.