Kate Kerov: Raising a Child in Russian

In 2009, Ekaterina Kerova with her family arrived in Boston from St. Petersburg, Russia. Kate graduated from the St. Petersburg State Theater Arts Academy, and holds a degree in teaching Russian as a second language from Moscow State University. She is credited with conceiving The Alma Mater Studio, a Russian language and theater community center for the Russian-speaking children of Boston. Kate is raising four children, all of whom are bilinguals and fluently speak, read, and write in Russian and English. Her experience as a teacher and a parent challenges traditional ideas about what it means to raise bilingual children in multilingual Boston.
At The Alma Mater Studio Kate oversees the development of the Russian studies curriculum and has her hand in running the theater. The Alma Mater Youth Theater regularly gathers appreciative crowds and receives awards that recognize collaborative efforts of teachers and students in mastering all aspects of Russian language and culture. The theater is currently composed of three troupes of actors ages 7 to 18. In the school, teaching is a community effort where all the adults—teachers and parents — contribute to students’ learning and development.