A student view on the experience of international education

Tuesday, 03 Mar 2009

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A student view on the experience of international education

The benefits of an international school are varied and far-reaching. Whether you’re learning to appreciate exotic cuisine (courtesy of your classmate’s lunch box), or memorizing the Happy Birthday song in five languages, an international school affords a unique set of opportunities.

“At ISB, ‘international’ isn’t just a part of the school’s name but a part of its soul. Here, I have met and become friends with students from across the globe. The experience has allowed me to become a far more open and tolerant person; I have a strong love for traveling, meeting new people, learning foreign languages, and experiencing varied ways of life. Today, my own background goes far beyond that of my parents or birthplace but holds in it pieces of the culture of the many friends and classmates I have met throughout the years.”

Preparing for our best future International school provide an education suited for everyone – no matter where you’ve come from or where you’re going to. I need only to look at my classmates, who have gone on to many different forms of higher education all around the globe, to see that ISB has prepared them all equally for their future exploits, as varied and diverse as their lives will be. In such a distinct setting as ISB, students benefit from a variety of ways of learning; this plays to a student’s strengths and teaches them to improve in those areas where they experience more difficulties. Every student, no matter their background or their future goals, can succeed.

Coping with change As friends move on to new challenges, the ability to form and sustain relationships in an international setting becomes very important. At an international school, life for most students is fairly transient – spending two or three years in one place, then on to new horizons. I spent, by ISB standards, an unusually long time in the same place. In coping with the changes happening around me, as old friends left and new ones arrived, I learned one of my key lessons at ISB – to adapt to change and to benefit from the new opportunities it presents.

Developing empathy Finally, exposure to so many other cultures, ideas and ways of thinking from an early age means you can’t help but learn about - and consequently adapt - your view of the world, and your place in it. Working with students from backgrounds very different from yours means that, inevitably, you learn from them as well as with them. In the process, you tend to learn just as much about yourself as about them. These are the kinds of lessons that I took away from ISB, which will continue to benefit me long after the memory of classroom learning is faded.

Aisling Daly
ISB Class of 2008

Newsweek Showcase Archive Articles:

Moving on, but never forgotten:

International schools across the world are typically defined as places of transition. With many expatriate families staying in one location for only three to four years at a time, these school communities are .......
Kevin Bartlett and John Lippincott

Transforming international education through technology

One of the many challenges faced by today's international schools is how technology, coupled with other developments in instructional practice, can improve learning for........
Michael Crowley, Head of Middle School, International School of Brussels andDoug Stone, IT Director, International School of Brussels

The world is their oyster:

Worldwide, college/university application numbers are up and the admissions process has become increasingly competitive. While most students tend to choose higher education .......
Rick Cameron & Phil Moss

Corporate investment in the future of our schools

There are no longer blanks on the world map. Old atlases with areas of pink indicating uncharted land have been replaced by satellite .......
Robert Brindley & David Willows

The New Eurotrotters: Freedom to Work, Freedom to Learn

A United Europe provides its citizens with unprecedented freedom of movement. European universities compete for students. International companies compete for........
Kevin Bartlett, Director, International School of Brussels, Belgium, Chair, Board of the Council of International Schools. Kari Kivinen, Director, European School (Uccle), Brussels, Belgium

Learning Outside the International School Classroom: A Student's View

Two international school students share their experience of learning through Arts and Sports in an international school setting.......
Drew Zaremba,Eric Hamblett,Dr. David Willows of International School of Brussels (ISB)

Campaigning to Change the Landscape of Energy: International schools and the fight against climate change

In 2005, the Directorate-General for Energy and Transport of the European Commission launched Sustainable Energy Europe 2005-2008, an unprecedented campaign aimed at ensuring greater public awareness, understanding and........
Kevin Bartlett, Director, International School of Brussels, Belgium

The 21st Century Dispositions

Hard-nosed vs. soft-hearted, financial focus vs. academic focus, the real world vs. the rarified world - these are just some of the traditional ways that have characterized the world of business vs. the world of academia........
Kevin Bartlett, Director, International School of Brussels, Belgium

International Education: an industry, an ideal, an individual choice

The origin of international education was largely pragmatic. With the post-war growth of an expatriate workforce, the need arose........
Kevin Bartlett - Director, International School of Brussels & William H Gerritz - Director, International School of Bangkok

Setting Standards, Improving Schools - How accreditation drives quality in international education

There are no longer blanks on the world map. Old atlases with areas of pink indicating uncharted land have been replaced by satellite .......
Kevin Bartlett and Richard Tangye - Council of International Schools

One School, One Classroom: Student Perspectives on International Education

ISB is like many international schools around the world with 1500 students, aged 2 to 19, from 70 countries........
ISB Middle School Students: Ciaran Daly, Gabrielle Flowers, Mubah Rafi, Max Passler, Erum Khalid, Mikala Skelton and Mackenzie Sambuco.

The Benefits of an International School Education

International schools are no newcomers to the educational marketplace - but there are ......
Newsweek Showcase

Featured International Schools

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		Contact in USA: Tel: +1 727 736 5082 E: [email protected] Contact in Spain Tel: +34 93 479 16 16

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Last Updated: Jul 14th 2008

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