In Words...

...hosts & visitors share their experience of the International Presenters Program...

...Hosts

Barre Town Middle and Elementary School in Vermont hosted Ms. HaeMin Jeong from Korea throughout 2008
“All her presentations were very professional. She never said no, I can not do this. She was always eager to help us with our lessons as well as with her Korean culture lessons.”

Eisenhower Middle School in Oklahoma hosted Mr. Li Bowen, an intern from China in 2008
“Students have learned so much about Chinese culture that I was unable to teach them. They were very excited about learning calligraphy and meeting someone who can answer their questions about modern day China.”

Burlington Notre Dame School in Iowa hosted Korean intern Ms. Hye Seung Lee throughout 2008
“The intern provided a big boost to our international approach. She was loved by the elementary students and provided an insight into another culture. We will want to continue having this type of person at our school.”

Immaculate Conception School, Columbia, Illinois hosted Chinese presenter Ms. Li Dian in 2008
“Ms. Lydia, was a joy in our home. She was very willing to try or taste new things. While she was in our home we went up in the St. Louis Arch, visited Union Station, Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows to see the “Way of Lights”, Laser Light Show, and rode a camel. Went with us as family to my families Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Ms Lydia went with us to all of Katie’s volleyball games while there visiting with the children and parents of those children. We went to the Chinese market on Olive for her to share her knowledge of her cuisine with us.” Host Family comment.

Linesville High School in Pennsylvania hosted Mr. In Guk Yang from Korea during 2008
“Having In Guk with us was a valuable experience for staff and students. He shared his culture and was simply a wonderful person to be around. He was always pleasant, polite, and professional. We would keep him here if we could, as he was willing to take part in any/every activity and worked so well with our students.”

Newton South High School in Massachusetts hosted Ms. Zhang Yuan in 2008
“Ms. Zhang has had a tremendous personal influence on the dozens of students with whom she interacted on a regular basis. Many are likely candidates for our exchange program with China.”

Litchfield Public School in Nebraska hosted Ms. Seung Youn Lee during 2008
“Your organization has been very easy to work with, we are glad that we had the opportunity for Ms. Lee to come and be a part of our school. I recommend that any family or school takes advantage of having a foreign exchange teacher come to their school or home. Our school and host family has had a very positive experience with this organization.”

Bramalea Secondary School, Ontario, Canada hosted Ms. Mikiko Hagiwara from Japan
"Last fall I had the pleasure of being both the home and the school host for Mikiko Hagiwara for three months. I very much enjoyed having her in my home. Mikiko was always pleasant and helpful and taught me how to cook both Japanese and Chinese dishes. I enjoyed showing her some of the sights around Toronto. At school she was invited into a number of classrooms where she was able to introduce the students to various aspects of Japanese culture. Many of our staff benefited from their contacts with her, as well. All in all, it was a rewarding experience for everyone involved in the internship program." Mrs. Bette-Ann Goldstein

Polam Hall School in Durham, UK have hosted a number of interns through iiP
"Most of the interns we have hosted, have proved to be excellent and a very valuable addition to our staff. As we are a school it is beneficial if the interns have some experience of teaching and it helps if they can speak reasonable English. Our students very much enjoy the experience of learning about a different culture from the interns, making this a valuable cultural exchange." Mrs. H. C. Hamilton, Headmistress

Union House Elementary School in California hosted Japanese visitor Ms. Masayo Omura
"Masayo is doing a great job here at Union House Elementary School. Masayo is sharing Japanese culture traditional games, artwork and language with almost 1000 students. She has become part of our school family, and her experience here is proving to be a huge success." Ms. Nancy Maubach, Vice-Principal

Jefe de Estudios Del I.E.S. Gredos, Spain have hosted several visitors from Japan
"It was an unforgettable experience, and both staff and students are now missing the intern from IIP. We are very grateful for this rewarding program and all the knowledge about Japan it brought to us, and especially are the students who were the first to benefit from the experience." Mr. Angel Antonio Lopez Hernandez - Ayuntamiento de Piedrahita (Ávila)

Ms. Hae Min Jeong from Korea spent 12 months at Barre Town School, Vermont
“To be honest, I am proud of myself when it comes to what I’ve done in Barre Town School. I helped PE teacher and taught Korean mask dances and fan dances for four shows. I presented those dances with students at the school board, the Vermont State House and two gym shows, It was wonderful. Also, I helped in the classroom of grade one and two and also in grade five. Furthermore, I helped art class by making Korean masks, fans and teaching calligraphy.”

Chinese intern Mr. Li Bowen joined Eisenhower Middle School in OKlahoma
“Above all, this is a truly an honor and pleasure to represent China in one way, and to teach and communicate with my fellow students here. Major subjects I taught in Eisenhower Middle School are: Ancient History of China, Contemporary China, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Chinese Language etc. I did all the preparation and teaching in class by myself independently.”

Ms. Ye Seul Nam from Korea spent 9 months with Sparhawk School, Massachusetts
“I taught in middle school at first, and then I got a chance to teach in high school as a part of their regular class, called ‘Korean Culture’. They treated me not only as an intern from Korea, but also as a teacher teaching the regular courses to their students. I was very glad to be respected by everyone. It was the best program for me to get in touch with many people in the USA, and know better about their culture and language as well as introducing the fascinating Korean culture to them. I will remember this valuable experience forever.
“I focused on teaching basic Korean language by giving them lots of opportunities to participate actively in a class such as making a pretty nametag with their name written in Korean characters, and acting in a situation play with classmates. I taught many cultural things about Korea for over 40 hours per semester to the special students who had chosen my class. We learned about Korean traditional costume, Korean movies - we actually discussed the theme of the movie, "Spring, summer, fall, winter and spring", calligraphy, Korean mask dance, and Korean folk songs like ‘Arirang’. I think what they loved most was to learn calligraphy. They loved to meditate before they handled an Asian brush, and talk about what they thought during the meditation time. Even though it was not enough time to learn all the concept and skill of the Korean calligraphy, the students seemed to understand more of the real Asian philosophy, which basically show us the simplicity of life, and the deep understanding of human being as an small part of the whole cosmos.”

Ms. Li Dian from China spent 3 months at Immaculate Conception School in Columbia, Illinois
“Culture exchange is not easy work, sometimes we think we know about China, but we still have long road to walk. Every culture has a different spirit, if you want foreigners to accept your culture you have to study their culture first.
"Love has no borders, the Columbia people taught me how to love, how to pray - I will always remember them, we still email each other now. It’s really an amazing experience.“

Korean visitor Ms. Jeeyea Chung worked with Arnold Public Schools in Nebraska for 9 months
“My goal for this program was sharing Korean culture and letting people know about the excellence of it. And I achieved it.”

Chinese intern Mr. Wei Wei visited Mounds Park Academy in Minnesota as an International Presenter from China
“I want to say: ‘America is such a great country and my 3 month internship was fantastic!’”