A worldly journey

A dozen students from Valley Stream traveled across the world last week, and they only had to go as far as a local college campus to do it.

At the LIU Post library in Brookville on June 9, a group of fifth-graders from Clear Stream Avenue School, their principal and several teachers held a videoconference with a class from South Africa. The children gained an understanding of how their peers live and learn halfway around the globe.

“It’s our hope that the conversations that students have help us solve issues on both sides of the Atlantic,” Principal John Singleton said. “This is part of a larger project that we’re engaged in to get students to talk about meaningful issues.”

In a conference room on the library’s top floor, students gathered around a table. Two televisions were set up side by side — one with the feed from Cape Town, South Africa, and the other showing their own room.

The students talked about a variety of topics related to their education, including their favorite subjects, the length of the school day, how they use technology, how they dress and how much homework they have. They also learned about one another’s lives, touching on the economics of their communities, the pets they have, and even their favorite types of candy — “sweets” in South Africa.

One issue that children on both ends of the conversation identified with was bullying. Clear Stream students talked about how it is a problem in schools in the U.S., while one of the students from South Africa shared his experiences of being bullied. He drew a round of applause from the Clear Stream crowd when he said he doesn’t let the bullying bother him.

The videoconference was made possible by the Post Educational Leadership Department’s Courageous Conversations Program, which Singleton has been involved with for two years. In early December, he traveled to Cape Town, where he met Principal John Jacobs, who joined his students for last week’s discussion.

The South African group, from the Parkdene Primary and Marvin Park Primary schools, also traveled to a local university for the videoconference — Stellenbosch University, which is known as the Harvard of South Africa. One of the professors at Stellenbosch, Berte Van Wyck, who also took part in the discussion, has visited Clear Stream twice.

Singleton said that the 12 students were randomly selected for the program, and he was impressed with the level of discussion. He opened it up to fifth-graders because they study human rights violations as part of their social studies curriculum, and South Africa has a history of apartheid.

He pointed out that there is “de facto segregation” in the education system on Long Island, simply because children attend public school where they live. “Valley Stream is unique,” he said, “because Valley Stream is multicultural.”

The children who took part in the program said it was a rewarding experience. “It was good to see people from other cultures, what they learn, what their lifestyles are like,” said Eboni Burke.

Justin Gomez said the experience gave him insight into other ways of life. Upon learning that electricity and running water aren’t a guarantee in South Africa, he said, “We should also appreciate what we have.”

Melanie Oliva said she found it interesting that the students there learn to speak several languages while also studying the same subjects as children in the U.S.

For Dejuan Jones, the videoconference was a cool experience. “Centuries ago, we couldn’t talk to people across the world,” he said.

District 30 Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Stirling said that technology is creating a global society, and last week’s exchange was a great example of that. “Our ability to learn from each other is enhanced with the use of technology,” he said, “where distance does not become an issue anymore.”

Stirling added that he was very proud of his students for asking thought-provoking questions.

Singleton said he hopes to continue the partnership between Valley Stream and South Africa. He would like his students to have buddies there, and talk regularly using technology such as Facetime, Skype, closed chat rooms and other social media. “This was the icebreaker,” he said.