An international, intercultural upbringing
Miriam is originally from the Netherlands, but she grew up in St. Lucia and Indonesia. She attended the Jakarta International School through middle and high school, following the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Growing up across cultures, languages and continents gave her an appreciation for different ways of seeing the world. Her intercultural background and global thinking have remained at the heart of both her personal philosophy and her approach to education as a whole.
Miriam earned her Bachelor's degree in Education, majoring in English, a combination that allowed her to practice her profession wherever life would lead 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, continents, 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 started an after-school enrichment program serving children with reading difficulties and ESL needs, while also teaching Dutch to Erasmus exchange students from the renowned Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Italian in the evenings at the local 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 further training in phonics instruction, becoming certified as a dyslexia specialist while also studying 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 even worked with the founder of an international micro-school in Shenzhen, assisting with dyslexia screening and supporting students with diverse learning needs. This was her first experience with the incredible strengths and advantages offered by a micro-school type of educational setting.
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 their local elementary school, where she supported a mainstreamed student on the ASD spectrum. Once she was able to return to professional teaching, Miriam started to work as a substitute teacher in the local public school system as well as becoming 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 sadly dissolved in 2022, 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.
Our WorldWiseKids Philosophy
WorldWiseKids’ philosophy grew out of Miriam's international perspective and many years of teaching in diverse settings. 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 continue to stimulate (not stifle!) creativity, curiosity, cultural awareness, independent thinking, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of the wider world through the ages. That holistic outlook is evident in the way WorldWiseKids approaches every day learning. Students are encouraged to look beyond their “own backyards”; to consider different perspectives, to make connections through novels across cultures through history, developing the kind of independent thinking that prepares them for an evermore interconnected future, while embracing one’s own roots with a strong sense of identity.
Today, WorldWiseKids provides core academic support, tutoring, after-school clubs, field trips, project-based Fridays and volunteer workdays at a farm. At its heart is Miriam's conviction that education can be both academically rigorous and hands-on with real life experiences. WorldWiseKids embodies her vision of “against-the-stream” education: analog, real-book-based, experiential, relationship-centered, globally minded, and firmly rooted in the belief that learning truly is a lifelong journey. Miriam strives to meet every child where they are in their development while challenging them toward reaching their full potential, discovering and emphasizing their strengths.
It is Miriam's privilege and honor to serve the remarkable families who have entrusted her with a part of their children's educational journeys.