Lamma kindergarten heads outdoors to teach children through experience
Learning through experience, not just books, is one of the goals of a new kindergarten on Lamma
It's a sunny morning in the village of Sok Kwu Wan on Lamma Island and kindergarten principal Orlando Salazar and a teaching assistant are taking preschool children to the park. On the way, they meet a group of volunteers cleaning up the beach. Salazar seizes on the chance to teach the children a life lesson.
"Do you know what they're doing?" Salazar asks. "They're here to help clean the beach and make it more beautiful. Do you want to give them a hand?"
His pupils eagerly pitch in.
We want to bring affordable education to the children who need it
In challenging the children to participate, Salazar drives straight to the heart of the guiding philosophy at Brighton Academy, a non-profit kindergarten that started its first classes in August.
"At Brighton Academy, we believe that children build character and discover their potential by applying what they learn in the classroom to life experiences in the real world. We want them to be active participants in their education," he says.
Salazar's job at Brighton Academy is voluntary. A full-time teacher at the American International School, he and venture capitalist Adam Bornstein, set up the Lamma kindergarten to provide a more balanced approach to learning, particularly to families in need.
At the moment, they just run lessons on Saturday from 9am to 3pm for 10 pupils. The school offers a pick-up and drop-off service at Central Pier for children who don't live on the island.
