“Exposing students to the larger world around them and ensuring that they not only speak other languages, but also understand and appreciate other cultures is essential to the nation’s success in an increasingly global economy.”
– National Governors Association’s Education,
Early Childhood, and Workforce Committee
In a world that is growing ever more complex, the need for a program like the International Classroom Connection (ICC), which equips children to function as global citizens in a multicultural world, has emerged as a vital resource for K-12 educators. The ICC program gives children the opportunity to put a personal face on foreign countries like no ordinary curriculum can. As an eighth grade teacher from Wayzata East Middle School noted, “These classroom presentations opened educational doors to our students that could not possibly be opened in any regular classroom experience.” The innately personal nature of the program is what makes it so powerful in battling stereotypes and even preempting them in the youngest students. Presentations by people who were born and raised in another country excite the students and foster attitudes of trust and respect for other cultures because of the positive interaction that happens in the classroom. The students learn that, while people from other cultures may look different and speak a different language, there are many similarities between themselves and other children around the world, and the sense of “differentness” that breeds stereotyping is dispelled. Another valuable outcome of the program is that it encourages students to reflect on and affirm their own personal ethnicity. As one student observed, “When we learn about other cultures, we learn about our own.”
Not only is ICC important because it educates young people to become open-minded and culturally-sensitive citizens, it has become a touch point for international students and residents to connect with other international people in Minnesota. ICC gives them the opportunity to learn about Minnesota’s culture and history, gain skills in public speaking, travel outside the Twin Cities metro area to visit schools in rural Minnesota, and learn how to effectively teach others about their own culture.
The kinds of connections made by ICC are invaluable as the need for American students to become global citizens becomes ever more pressing. ICC connects international visitors and residents with like-minded people while working to educate young people on the value of understanding and appreciating our neighbors.
In a recent online survey about the International Classroom Connection’s World Cultures Day, 100% of the educators and school administrators surveyed noted a moderate to high impact on the students’ cultural awareness because of the event.
