SLAS Times Q2 2019-2020 SLAS Times: Fall 2019 | Page 50

Make International School International Again
by Eric Park
A
key benefit of an international education is the
ability to interact with students from different
parts of the world. However, the majority of students
in Shanghai Livingston American School tend to
cluster with kids from their home country. When this
happens, these kids lose valuable chances to speak
English and learn about different cultures and view-
points.
According to a survey I gave to a variety of interna-
tional school students, only 12 out of 50 kids do not
cluster with friends from their home country. In oth-
er words, 76% of the surveyed students are not fully
benefiting from the international environment their
parents want them to experience.
their home countries because they share similar cul-
tures and mindsets. It is indeed more convenient to
be with people with similar backgrounds; however,
one of the beneficial parts of an international school
is being able to interact with a variety of cultures and
people. For example, a lot of Korean students stay
in their own bubbles speaking Korean most of their
school day not practicing their English skills.
No one can force anyone to socialize with any group.
Students should take the risk and befriend a variety
of students from different countries. Not everybody
has the chance to meet all these people around the
globe. It is the perfect opportunity to learn and un-
derstand many different cultures with first-hand in-
teraction. Furthermore, any chance to speak more
The 24% of students who do not cluster up with their English can only be a benefit for non-native speakers.
own noted that there is a small number of people
from their home country, so it is nearly impossible for It can be uncomfortable and challenging to break
them to stick together. The data clearly shows that out of a social bubble, especially as an international
the majority of students like to hang out with people student, but the positives of expanding global social
with similar backgrounds and cultures.
networks far outweigh the feeling of anxiety.
Clustering students argued that it is more comfort-
able and more common to hang out with people from