Cardinals make international friends

The Cardinals are making friends around the globe. Crabapple Lane 5th graders in Kari Nguyen’s gifted class are part of a cultural exchange class with students from South Korea that is opening whole new worlds of engagement.

The budding friendship has included Zoom introductions, Q&A sessions, and sharing of student-made books. They are learning about the many interesting similarities and differences between their cultures.

“Through this exchange class, students are learning that kids from the opposite end of the globe are just like them in many ways. They both love PE and art, both are learning to read and write in English, and both are learning to protect the Earth through sustainable practices,” said Nguyen. “They are also learning that there are interesting differences between our cultures. Korean students enjoy eating kimbap for breakfast and lunch, celebrate different holidays, and use hangul instead of the alphabet.”

She was inspired to pursue the cultural exchange based on how much she has learned through her own travels.

“I wanted to expose my students to other cultures. I have a passion for traveling and learning about other cultures, and I believe that these things are one of the best ways for students to broaden their perspective to life outside of Peachtree City,” said Nguyen. “Perhaps this experience will help students learn tolerance and acceptance, while also fueling a desire to travel the world.”