John Gaskin and Hao Nguyen share a love for travel and culture. They enjoy visiting new places and experiencing the lives of the people in each country. At each new place, they realized that beyond the pictures and descriptions of the travel books, there was a unique culture. Learning the language, whether it be a few words or a few phrases, gave them a special connection and insight to that culture.
When their children were born, Hao and John wanted to raise their biracial children to speak both Vietnamese and English. They, like many other parents, realized their children would grow up in a culturally diverse society and wanted to give them the competitive edge of knowing another language. Since they were born, their children have been speaking English, Vietnamese, and Spanish. However, they quickly realized the challenges of raising bilingual children in an English-dominant society. Besides family, childcare, and occasional short visits to other countries, their resources were limited for exposing their children to natural opportunities for learning the languages. There are few activities and programs in their area that provide a fun language learning environment focused on children. The hope of giving their children the gift of language led them to starting Flip4Kids. They wanted to create an environment that would help families take advantage of the window of opportunity for their children to learn a second language.
John Gaskin has a B.A. in Anthropology from Rollins College and a M.A. in Sociology from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He loves the study of cultures and has a special interest in racial equality. After college, John spent several summers working with Florida’s migrant children and substitute teaching in Miami, Florida. John has traveled to different parts of the world and most recently spent a summer learning Spanish in Costa Rica. For the past few years, John has worked in several settings as a Project Manager in the software development arena. He also enjoys learning and growing with his two children. He looks forward to cultivating a business that combines his love for children, language, and culture.
Hao Nguyen is a National Board Certified Teacher. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education from Stetson University and a M.A. in Special Education from Florida International University. Hao grew up speaking Vietnamese at home. She took Spanish in college and after college, she spent a summer in Cuernavaca, Mexico continuing her studies. She is certified to teach Elementary Education, Special Education, and English as a Second Language. She started her teaching career in Seville, Florida where she taught children of migrant workers. She then spent several years teaching in the inner city of Miami, Florida. Currently, she is teaching at Rashkis Elementary in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she has been since the school opened in 2003. Hao enjoys spending time with her two children, teaching, and traveling! She enjoys teaching children and watching them play, learn, and grow in their new language.