Nibras Grades 2-5 students virtually connected with similar-aged students in South Africa and Thailand. They proudly talked about Nibras and shared details about their daily lives, their course structure and the projects they are working on. Teachers encouraged them to share their favorite subjects and what they aspire to when they grow up. Some students even learned to greet each other in another language.
“The idea for this project was to connect children around the world. Today we contacted the school in Thailand where I worked, and it was absolutely amazing,” Van Staden said. “The students had so much interesting questions about the weather, school and hobbies, and they also learned to count in Thai. Then the students asked to reconnect as they made some new friends today. This short experience had led to something new.
The students found many similarities and differences in their daily lives. They realized that most of them had the same subjects in school and went to school in the morning. Although the pandemic has impacted school life, they have all shown that their enthusiasm for meeting new people remains strong.
“International Day of Education has given us a great opportunity to connect with children around the world. As our students made these connections, they discovered many similarities and differences. It was a truly authentic experience where children from all over the world connected virtually to understand what it means to be open to the world,” said Althea Edmondson, Head of Primary at Nibras International School.
“I learned today that students in Thailand learn the same things as us. I want to talk to them again someday and find out more about their school,” said Kathrina, a 2nd year student at Nibras International School.