LEAD High Schoolers Connect with Peers in Mexico and Wisconsin for Virtual Cultural Exchange
LEAD Southeast High School students recently connected with peers across state lines – and across the southern border – as part of an innovative virtual exchange program. Teacher Marly Foad’s AP Spanish class stepped out of their comfort zone to speak to other classes of students in both Oaxaca, Mexico, and Wisconsin via Zoom.
The virtual student exchange program, run by the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN), allowed Foad to set up virtual calls between her class and others their age across the country and beyond to practice the skills they are building this semester. “My main educational goals for students were to work on an environmental campaign to help their community and to see the world from a different perspective by collaborating with students across the globe,” said Foad.
Every iEARN project has to answer the question, “How will this project improve the quality of life on the planet?” Students got to hear about environmental issues in other areas of the world, while at the same time improving their Spanish and interpersonal communication skills.
“In Oaxaca, they struggle a lot with droughts and not having enough water,” said Dario Esparza Nunez, one of our LEAD Southeast High School students who participated in the exchange. “They don’t have much clean water like we do, they have to catch rainwater to shower, for cleaning things like dishes, etc.”
Students not only learned of environmental differences between Tennessee and Mexico, they also learned what school and daily life are like for their international peers. “When my students learned how students in Mexico need to share computers and each group of 3-4 students might have access to only one computer, students appreciated the privileges they have here without even thinking about it before,” said Foad.
“I was surprised to learn that many students from Oaxaca walk to get to school, usually for miles,” said another LSEH student, Sarahi Nabor-Lopez. “They don’t have many transportation options, and many students travel by foot to get to their destination.”
While students were initially nervous to speak to their new peers, they quickly became excited to flex the skills they had been building in AP Spanish. “In class, I have expanded my Spanish vocabulary and overall improved my speaking skills,” said Nabor-Lopez. “These skills have helped me communicate my ideas better to the students from Mexico.”
“I built a lot of communication skills in class which helped me easily talk to the students and come up with questions to ask them,” added another student, Guillermo Orozco-Covarrubias.
One student was able to connect to her own roots through this exchange project: “I was excited to meet new people, and especially from Oaxaca since my family comes from Oaxaca,” said Jocelyn Hernandez-Perez. “I felt as though it would help me connect with my parents’ home.”
This cross-cultural exchange has proven to be more than just a language learning exercise for LEAD Southeast students. It has opened their eyes to global environmental challenges, fostered empathy for different lived experiences, and connected them with peers whose daily realities differ greatly from their own.
The iEARN virtual exchange has transformed classroom learning into meaningful international connections that will stay with these students long after the semester ends. Through technology and thoughtful educational partnerships, LEAD Southeast is preparing students for a future where cross-cultural communication and global perspective are invaluable skills.
