Schoolproject.

[Gil-Estel]

As a teacher I am trying to open up the views of my students. For social studies it would be totally awesome if I could let my pupils/students (which one am I to use?) write/email with fellow students from all over the world to gain some perspective. To get an idea about the world others of their age live in, what dream they have and how they pursuit them. I am looking for a way to get in contact with teachers from a few schools all over the world. Age of the students: 14-16 years old. Some of you who are interested, or can help me out? It is just an idea, not yet a running project. I want to get it running though.

[Gate Troll]

This sounds like a really cool project. I know from an American perspective, it is very easy to develop misconceptions and stereotypes about other nations, without every having met someone from any of those nations. I had an orientation about a month ago for the program (AFS) that is sending me on my student exchange to Germany. All of the foreign students who were in the US for the year were there for their midyear orientation, and it was really amazing as an American to meet more foreign people in one place then I had ever met in my life. I got to talk to people from around the world, and my biggest impression was how similar people from all over the world really are. So I think something like that, that gives perspective is really a great thing. You'll have a few problems though.

Number one, language. Are the majority of your Dutch students Dutch/English bilingual, much like many Germans are German/English bilingual, or do they only speak Dutch?

Your second is going to be contacting other schools. The more countries you try to integrate, the more difficult it will become. You might want to contact a student exchange program that has contact with foreign students between the ages of 14-16 that have lived in the Netherlands, and see if they would be willing to share their experiences with your students.

[Gil-Estel]

First problem is not that big of an issue. At every school in the Netherlands English is an obligatory subject. They know in a certain extend how to write in English. Further more, I am there to help when someone really lacks the ability to do so.
Can any of you give me the names of their highschools, so I can google those and maybe contact them via the mail?