By Joe Santos, Assistant Head of School and Director of Middle School

In October 2016, ISB’s Middle School hosted a group of eleven students and one teacher from the Colegios Ramón y Cajal in Madrid. Students were paired up with 6th Grade or 7th Grade host families and had rich experiences learning about what life is like in Brooklyn.

For two weeks, our guests came to school every day and took part in classes with our students. Our very friendly Middle School made them feel at home here, and our teachers quickly incorporated them into the fabric of their classes. Every afternoon, they would go home to their host families and take part in family-led activities (yes, even chores, if that was an expectation of the house).

Our students, and in particular our 7th Grade cohort, quickly grew very close to our guests – so much so that on their day of their departure, through the sea of hugs and goodbyes, more than a few misty and teary eyes were visible.

The visiting group had a number of goals, which their teacher shared with me:

•       To be a part of the ISB community
•       To adapt to living in a different culture and environment
•       To respect and value other families’ daily lives and customs
•       To become more independent
•       To manage their feelings while being so far away from their families
•       To face new situations calmly and to resolve any conflicts among themselves
•       To improve their English comprehension

They certainly accomplished all of these goals. For our students, especially those who hosted visitors, this was also a very enriching experience, as they were able to see their own lives through the eyes of someone coming from a different culture. Many of the hosts have continued to keep in touch with their guests and are even arranging reciprocal trips. For all of our students, this visit has opened up a thirst for having a similar experience – which of course they will! In May, our 7th Grade Students will have the opportunity to travel to Canada or Costa Rica and will stay with host families as part of our Middle School Language Acquisition program.

We look forward to hosting more visitors in the future and to providing our students with more opportunities to experience other cultures, both by welcoming students and teachers to our campus and by expanding and strengthening our relationships with other schools around the world.