An international beginning
Miriam is originally from the Netherlands, but her childhood was shaped by an international upbringing in St. Lucia and Indonesia. She attended Jakarta International School through middle and high school, following the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Growing up across cultures and continents gave her an early appreciation for different perspectives and ways of seeing the world. Her international background and global thinking have remained central to both her personal philosophy and her approach to education.
Miriam earned her Bachelor's degree in Education, majoring in English, a combination that allowed her to take her profession wherever life led her. In her twenties, she worked for the British Institutes in Padova, Italy, teaching adults and specializing in Business English for employees of multinational companies. During her final year in Italy, she became a lecturer of English Literature at a private high school, where she also prepared students for their Trinity examinations.
Teaching across countries and cultures
After marrying and becoming a mother, Miriam and her young family moved to Monterrey, Mexico, where two more sons were born. While raising her family, she taught English at orphanages and began specializing in phonics-based instruction for young learners struggling with reading. She founded an after-school learning center serving children with reading difficulties and ESL needs, while also teaching Dutch to Erasmus exchange students from the renowned Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Italian at the Dante Alighieri.
The family's next chapter took them to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. Miriam worked as a preschool teacher at an international school (QSI), receiving additional training in phonics instruction and becoming certified as a dyslexia specialist while continuing toward a graduate certificate in Play Therapy. She continued tutoring after school and assisted an American occupational therapist using the innovative Integrated Listening Systems approach. She also worked with an international microschool, assisting with dyslexia screening and supporting students with diverse learning needs.
In 2013, with their three boys in elementary and middle school, the Ciscato family immigrated to Charlotte, North Carolina, eventually becoming American citizens. During her first years in the United States, Miriam's visa did not permit her to work, so she volunteered at a local elementary school, where she supported a mainstreamed student with high-functioning autism. Once she was able to return to professional teaching, Miriam worked as a substitute teacher in the local public school system and a level I certified medical interpreter in Spanish, Dutch, and Italian.
Finding her sweet spot
Miriam eventually found her 'sweet spot' as a lead teacher in a small private school whose philosophy closely reflected her own: combining project-based learning, outdoor education, Charlotte Mason-inspired practices, real books, and close attention to the individual child.
When that school dissolved in the aftermath of COVID, parents began asking Miriam to continue guiding their children through their homeschooling journeys. What began as a response to those families grew into WorldWiseKids, part of Phi Learning, a center for alternative educational solutions supporting homeschooling families, particularly middle and high school students.
The WorldWiseKids Philosophy
WorldWiseKids grew naturally from Miriam's international background and global perspective. Having lived, studied, and worked across Europe, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Latin America, China, and the United States, she believes education should cultivate more than academic knowledge. It should develop curiosity, cultural awareness, independent thinking, adaptability, and a genuine understanding of the wider world.
That global outlook is woven into the way WorldWiseKids approaches literature, history, science, the arts, languages, and project-based learning. Students are encouraged to look beyond their immediate surroundings, consider multiple perspectives, make connections across cultures and disciplines, and develop the kind of global thinking that prepares them to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.
Today, WorldWiseKids provides core academic support, tutoring, after-school clubs, field trips, project-based Fridays, and opportunities to develop practical life skills. At its heart is Miriam's conviction that education can be both academically rigorous and deeply human. WorldWiseKids embodies her vision of 'renegade,' against-the-stream education: analog, real-book-based, experiential, relationship-centered, globally minded, and rooted in the belief that learning is a lifelong journey. Miriam strives to meet every child where they are in their development while challenging them toward their highest potential and maintaining a high academic standard with a broad, international perspective.
It is Miriam's privilege to serve the remarkable families who have entrusted her with a part of their children's educational journeys.