From the Director

The story of Dr. Suzuki is familiar to the members of our ISA community ~ a humanitarian with a lifelong passion to help all children realize their potential. But diving deeper into the legacy of this man, his passion and his legacy can inspire Suzuki parents and teachers alike.

This summer, four of our faculty had the opportunity to hear this story come alive at the Suzuki Association of the Americas convention in Minneapolis, MN. Teachers and professionals from around North America gathered to learn more, be inspired, and encourage each other in their Suzuki teaching. The most powerful part of the convention was hearing teachers share their first hand stories of studying with Dr. Suzuki in Japan.

Dr. Suzuki was very focused on inclusion, compassion and life force or ‘ki.’  He wanted to be fully engaged with each person he encountered and he intentionally focused his energy on the whole person, so that each person was really seen, heard and understood.  

He wholeheartedly believed that each person could become a better human being. “To study is to change,” was a key mantra he espoused. He believed in pursuing change in ourselves. He worked to help each child to develop awareness, and intuitiveness of observation. This sensitivity and awareness of self would lead to growth and change in each child.
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If we can continue to focus on sensitivity to the environment around us, and develop intuition and awareness, there is no limit to what we can nurture in our children.

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