About two years ago, I signed up for an account with ePals, because (as the site says), I wanted to take my school global. Sadly, I haven't done anything with that account as I was waiting for the right class. I was intimidated by the thought of managing 137 different students and making sure no one offended anyone else, thereby starting a global war of my own! However, this year I think I've found the perfect group to use this program.
In the beginning, I thought I would like to search for a school in Europe (Spain, specifically) but since I have an affinity for all things Guatemalan, I have found a school in Guatemala with which I'd like to build this relationship. My worry is whether or not to look at peer-level (age appropriate?) students for my students to communicate with or choose younger students who might be a little more patient with my Spanish-language learners.
My students (as most teens are) tend to lean on the narcissistic side of things. What's in it for them? Why should they do this? What's the point? The point is to make their worlds a little bit larger and realize that there's actual PEOPLE who live somewhere else, do some of the same things they do and SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, but at the same time share some of the same thoughts they do about things like television, music or politics. Since almost all kids like to talk about themselves...this one should be a slam-dunk! :)
I hope that your new attempt works out well for all.
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