Business studies teacher and co-ordinator of the Transition Year at Colaiste Choilm, in Ballincollig, Cork, Ann Campbell, says there is little difficulty integrating foreign students into the school on cultural exchanges. At the moment, the school has students from South African, the US, Germany and Japan.
"Foreign students coming in here is based on contacts. For example, Hayeto Zusho (from Japan) was in a language school in town during the summer. He heard about us and decided to attend the school for a while."
Hayeto, aged 15, is the only student experiencing language difficulties but he is optimistic about mastering English. From Ohio, Batooi Zaidi (aged 15) is in Ireland because her father is here for business reasons. "I've been here for two-and-a-half months. I'm in Transition Year. If I was in Ohio, I'd be in tenth grade."
What struck her as being a little strange is religion classes. "In the US, they don't do religion in schools. I was expecting the kind of religion class they do here. I don't have to attend the class but I have chosen to follow it through. They don't talk about what I'd consider to be traditional religion. It's more of a discussion class where issues like abortion are brought up," she says.
What about the level of education in Ireland compared to the US? So far as I can tell, it's pretty much the same as back home. But we're a bit more ahead with English in Ohio. It's taught better there. At home, we do lots of Shakespeare. Here, it's more the classic novels. I'm finding that I've already done most of them a few years ago.
Zaidi also notices that relationships with teachers in the US are much less formal than here. "We know our teachers on a first name basis. You could talk to them about almost anything. It's very comfortable. They're almost like friends. Here, it's all `Miss, can I do this?' "
Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Priee is from Pretoria in South Africa. "My parents (who are British) figured I'd get a better education here. The education system in South Africa is very easy going. There's no pressure to do homework. Here, it's all work but it's good. Teaching religion is a lot more fun here. It's like talk," she says. Priee will be in Ireland for the forseeable future as her parents are looking for jobs here.
Artemis Rustau, aged 16, is from Berlin. "I've only been at school here for two weeks. I'm in Ireland for the experience and to see more of the world. I think the teacher has more authority here and they speak a lot more than in Germany. When I finish here, I hope that I can speak the language and have seen many things. I hope to go to university in Germany.'
Rustau who says she is weak at mathematics, observes that the system here is more satisfactory than in Germany. At Colaiste Choilm, the students are streamed for maths whereas they are all lumped in together in her own school.
Christine Schlipf, from Germany, spent four months at Colaiste Choilm this year. In her comments on the experience, she wrote that the Irish school system is much more academic. "In most classes, I found the students taking down notes or learning off the teachers' explanations much more than actively taking part in the class. One also has to say that the amount and content of the participation in the class does not count for the results in Ireland while it makes up half or more of all grades in Germany.
Colaiste Choilm has an annual exchange with Germany. They go in March and come back in April. "We have done exchanges with Spain, Denmark and Portugal as well. Obviously, the language would be a problem in those countries. But we see those exchanges as cultural ones rather than language exchanges. And they work out very satisfactorily," says Campbell.
