High School Student Athletes

This is the VOA Special English Education Report, from voaspecialenglish.com Twenty-six thousand foreign exchange students are in American high schools this year. We asked four teenagers who arrived in August to discuss their experience so far. All but one are attending public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside Washington. Johanna is from Germany. She says the biggest difference is the relationship to the teachers. She says here the teachers are more like friends, and in Germany they are more like parents. Another difference? In American high schools, the students are usually the ones who move to different classrooms for different subjects. Johanna and Daniel come from schools where the teachers change classrooms. Daniel says “In Austria, you have all classes together with the same group of people. And so you are really good friends with all the people you’re in class with.” Hande from Turkey is living with a host family in Denver, Colorado. She says students in Turkish schools have less choice. She says: “You cannot choose your own classes. And you dont have the right to drop out of one of them.” Hande says Turkish schools are also more formal. She says: When a teacher comes into the class you have to stand up and greet the teacher. He or she says good morning or good afternoon and, as a class, you answer. We don’t do this in class here.” How does the education compare? Hande is in three Advanced Placement classes, which are meant to prepare students for …
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This 10-minute video highlights the experiences of several high school students with disabilities from various countries around the world who are taking part in the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program. The YES Program allows students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States attending high school and living with an American host family. The YES Program is sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs