International education week

Time Contributor 

 

International Education Week was celebrated November 12-16 this year throughout the world. It is an annual event that is celebrated during the third week of November in over 85 countries around the world. The idea is to promote the awareness and importance of international education and its benefits to society.

Standard School has two students this year through the Golden Hills School Division’s international education program. Ronja Trapp is a Grade 10 student from Germany and Oscar Chan (Chan Man Hin) is a Grade 12 student from Hong Kong.

Alberta’s 2012 theme is “Canada Engages with the World: Realizing our Potential through International Education.” The initiative is organized under the Council of Ministers of education, in which Canada and Alberta have actively participated since 2006.

Part of the celebration at Standard School had Trapp and Chan visiting the elementary students from Grades 1-6. Each class had opportunities to hear from these two students and then also had a chance to ask the international students questions about themselves and their respective countries. 

Grade 1 and 2 students in Ms. Dahm’s class asked some of the following questions: 1) Is there McDonald’s in your country? To which both answered yes, but the menu varies from country to country. 2) What is school like in Germany? Trapp replied, “The system in Germany is very different than in Canada. There are three distinct schools into which you can go. The first one is for ‘super smart’ kids who want to attend university. The second is for kids who are ‘average’ and want to do things like a trade or in some kind of services in which you don’t need to have a University degree. The third is basic learning to help you get through life and maybe find a more hands on job. In Germany you must decide in Grade 4 what direction you want to go in for your life. Also, University is paid for by the government [tuition and books].” Chan said that in Hong Kong it is similar but “really only the ones who can afford more education are the ones who go to University or College…you must pay for your own education”.

Grade 2 and 3 students in Mrs. Michie’s class had more in depth questions about space and land. 1) How many people are in Hong Kong? Chan replied, “Many more than here in Standard, around 7 million in Hong Kong. Standard is very small.” 2) Do you have houses like we have here? Chan, “No many people live in apartment buildings and not in there own houses, we need to build high and not out to accommodate the population.” Trapp says that she is from a smaller town but attends “Gymnasium” [high school] in a neighbouring town.

Finally the students in the Grade 5 and 6 class with Mrs. Moncks asked the following: 1) Can you speak to us in your language? Both Trapp and Chan spoke German and Cantonese to the class and taught them to say a few things. One interesting fact from Chan was how one is addressed in Hong Kong. “Here you call me Oscar Chan but in Hong Kong everyone says their last name first and then their given names. So in Cantonese my name is Chan Man Hin, people then know that I am from the family Chan.”

International Education creates global citizens. Ronja Trapp’s dream is to be a translator or someone who works with languages. She has a great start as she already speaks fluent German, French and English. Trapp would like to one day return to Canada to explore her dream. She will be returning to Germany for her second semester. Chan is finishing out his first semester in Standard (he has previously had two years in Drumheller) and is unsure of what his future holds at this moment.

The International Education initiatives provide Alberta’s students with the understandings, perspectives and skills they will need to be successful in work and life in today’s rapidly changing world. Whether it is learning a second language, participating in an exchange program or being active in a School Partnership, Alberta’s students are on a path to becoming global citizens.

For more information on participation in any of the international programming please contact the Golden Hills School District at www.ghsd-international.com.