Naoko has lived in New York as a college student and has worked there for a few years. She had two children during her residence in Hong Kong, and once they returned to Japan, her two children received education from Hokuto School.
In 2004, she moved to the U.S. again with her family.
While providing a holistic American education to her children, she also placed emphasis on the conservation and the continued engagement to Japanese culture & language.
Her children, who have had a wealth of experience and have studied at Ivy League schools, are now working for global companies.
As she still resides in New York, she belongs a diverse set of communities including Japanese communities in the area as well as groups associated with the United Nations. She continues to help link people in her communities, and has established a support club for individuals and families who immigrate from Japan.
Hokuto New York
Naoko Shindo
I want to cherish the smiles of parents and children
I also believe that the most important thing for children in early childhood is to develop individuality through playful learning while having lots of fun. Our Hokuto Education program is personalized for each child, and includes exciting initiatives that engage with all five senses. We often see bright smiles on our students who say, “I did it! This is fun,” while their mothers enjoy observing their children’s growth of potential. It is my desire to be present in these journeys of growth and see our students smile and bloom with potential.
What I want to share with you from my experience raising children
After I had two children in Hong Kong, I was searching for ways to raise them such that they can believe in their potential and bring out their natural abilities. Shortly after returning to Japan, I met Hokuto Education. I still remember Ms. Kagami from our school saying, “Please let the children play freely and give them various stimuli while they are young. And the best thing for a child is their mother’s smile!” I feel fortunate as a parent that my children enjoyed learning at Hokuto from age of one to six before moving to New York. I remember hearing my children exclaim “I got it! This is fun,” while attending Hokuto School as I felt their curiosities spark and their potentials bloom.
It was especially after moving to the U.S., I realized the benefits of Hokuto Education.
From day one at the local American school, my children were bewildered to find themselves in Italian class, taught in English. We laughed our children who came back home and made sounds that they learned that day, even if they didn’t understand the exact words or the meaning. I was amazed by their ability to accurately remember “sounds” and their ability to absorb these sounds and make them their own. They now understand and speak 3 or 4 languages. It is often said that inputting multiple languages at the same time may delay language mastery. But apparently, the student develops a brain mechanism which enables instant switches between languages. As widely known, children’s brains have phenomenal capacity for absorption and exposing them to multiple languages opens up a lot of future potential. Letting the child play in various stimulating environments will nurture the child with a rich sense of humanity and potential.
Raising a child is raising an individual
For parents and children who are currently living abroad, this is a wonderful chance to play and learn with friends from different countries! Learning in an environment with friends that come from different cultures will help the child uniquely develop their sense of independence and a sense of pride in their own background/roots. It is my wish that Hokuto will foster our student’s ability to think, perceive, and express, while they also grow potential to be connected to the world in the future. Raising our children brought lots of incidents and lots of laughter to our family. I believe that we (parents) grew up with them while raising them. I still have many things that I would like to share with you, from my experience living in two countries with different cultures and educational systems. We will ensure that we will provide complete support for the individual development of the child as well as the educational plans/intentions of the parents.
As a practitioner of “Hokuto Education,” I have been involved in children’s education and the communities here in New York for a long time. I wish to continue supporting parents and children who are working hard together.
