Teaching in remote communities has reminded me that language is never separate from experience.

While playing with children in a small community in the Mentawai Islands, I spontaneously made the sound:

“Beep beep!”

To me, it was the sound of a car horn asking someone to make way.

The children stopped and looked at me with curiosity.

There were no cars on the island.

The sound carried no meaning for them.

Moments later, they began repeating “beep beep,” turning the unfamiliar sound into a new game.

In that moment, I understood something simple.

Children create meaning from experience.

Before we introduce children to our world, we need to make space for theirs.

Teaching begins with listening.

Understanding a child’s world expands the possibilities for learning.