When I was a high school history teacher, my students used to ask me how their peers around the world learn about history. “Miss, how do students in Germany learn about WWII? How do students in England learn about the American Revolution? Is that even what they call it?” Students spend most of their time in school, so it makes sense that they are overflowing with questions about how students around the world learn. We’re proud to celebrate Aneesh and Kael from ES International School in Spain, Anton from Sweden, and Annika from Taiwan who recently completed Schools Around the World. In this project, students compare their school communities and create a journal of their school day. PenPals discuss different morning routines, school schedules, and the kind of materials that students use. They also learn how schools prepares students around the world for future career opportunities Annika described what her school looks like and her typical day. “Hello, my name is Annika. I am from Taipei City, Taiwan. I am an elementary school student. I am 9 years old. I am grade 3. My school is special is because there are many trees at my school. And there are many animals in my schools too. I like to go to school because I can play with my friends everyday. We go to school at 8:00 am everyday. I have 4 classes on Wednesday and Friday. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, we have 7 classes. My favorite subject is art. How about you?” Anton and Aneesh shared what makes their school communities unique. “I'd like to say that my school is unique in a lot of different ways here in Sweden. First off it is a private school, but it is not like in for example the US or other countries where private schools are very expensive. Here in Sweden, it costs about the same as if you would go to a “normal” school. Second, my school is one of only around 10 schools in Sweden that doesn’t have any commentaries when the school is looked over by the Swedish National Agency for Education. Kael created a daily journal to describe his school day for his PenPals. Aneesh, Kael and Annika reflected on their experiences learning with PenPals. “My experience with PenPal Schools has been very beneficial to me and the people that I have paired up with. I got matched with 3 other people from all around the world. America, Turkey, India, and Spain(including me). It has been a great experience because I was able to learn and listen to other people’s opinions from around the globe. It was beneficial to me because I was able to improve my writing skills and have fun at the same time. I was also able to learn more about the news and current events in order to fulfil the tasks of the penpal. All in all I think that the penpal experience was very useful and fun.” These PenPals had a chance to reflect on what makes their schools unique, as well as ask questions about their PenPals' schools. Satisfy your students’ curiosity and invite them to join the conversation by enrolling in Schools Around the World, starting May 14.
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