Unity in Diversity: Tarwater Takes an Innovative Approach to Language Learning

When a school like Tarwater Elementary in Chandler, AZ is already committed to including a dual language immersion program, you wouldn’t think they would need to partner with a program like Meg. But as you will see, there is always more to the story!

Let’s Talk about Tarwater!

Tarwater Elementary is a Kindergarten through 6th-grade school in the Chandler Unified School District. As part of their offerings, parents have the option to enroll their children in the school’s dual language immersion (DLI) program. While several families take advantage of this opportunity, there are still a number of students who do not participate in it.

Meet Meg

That’s when Principal Diane Hale saw a need – the need to bring “unity and cohesion” to her campus. While she was thrilled to have a DLI track for students, she did not want to leave anyone behind in the opportunity to learn the Mandarin language and about Chinese culture.

That’s where Meg Languages comes in!

Principal Hale was looking for an option to expose all of her students to the language and culture of China. She decided to partner with Meg for weekly lessons across her Kindergarten through 3rd-grade classrooms that were not already a part of the DLI program.

“[The Meg program] will bring unity and cohesion to our campus as we ALL teach global citizenship.”

– Diane Hale, Principal

As a result, students have another common language to share!

Whether participating in their school’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations or Lunar New Year festivities, every Tarwater student is able to make an authentic connection to the culture.