WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Since COVID-19, students have gotten used to distance learning, but what if you’re learning from fellow students thousands of miles away. Recently, 7th grader Joseph Vicente had a conversation with a class from the Ukraine through Zoom, and he’s learning all about their culture.
“I learned that the Ukrainian winters and other Slav countries are below zero. I did not know that,” Vicente said. “I also learned that they have a lot of traditional foods where we just got the hamburger.”
Vicente is a student at Good Shepherd, and he’s been participating in PenPal Schools for almost two years. A global program that connects him to other students around the world, they collectively answer questions and collaborate on projects covering over 50 topics such as climate change, the solar system, and world religions.
“My favorite part about learning about a different culture is probably the fact that you get to learn things you never knew,” Vicente said. “It just makes you realize how big the world is compared to just your country where you live.”
For the first time, Vicente got to meet some of his new friends virtually face-to-face, so he gave them a tour of the complex where he lives. And despite their cultural differences, they find they do have many things in common.
“Of course I love watching different cartoons,” said Ukrainian student Anhelina Shatets. “They are funny, and they give me some energy.”
And everyone loves Game of Thrones. PenPal Schools offers project-based learning on a web-based portal, and teachers will task students like Vicente to collaborate on online lessons with students like Shatets.
“They respond to me through comments when I post something,” Vicente said. “I’ve got things from South Africa, Ghana, Sweden, Ukraine. And a lot from the U.S. It’s very diverse. That’s what I’ll tell you.”
PenPals have always been about writing to new friends, and though students are more apt to type on a computer than use a pen, the most important lesson these students learn is how to respect each other’s cultures.
“Sometimes, it makes you feel grateful for what you have. Sometimes it makes you feel like, man, I wish that happened to me,” Vicente said. “It goes both ways.”