When I look back to my own school time, the only international components I can recall were languages and history. We read Romeo and Juliet in German because it is considered an international tragedy that our German teacher liked a lot.

In English, we learned about the UK in 5^th to 7^th grade, the USA in 8^th grade, Australia in 9^th and some Commonwealth countries and former colonies in 10^th grade. In grade 11 to 13, we had a colorful mix of British, American, and Australian texts, focused more on scientific English skills and writing.  

In History, we mostly studied German or European History. In 5^th and 6^th grade, we learned about the first humans, the Greeks, and the Romans, in 7^th grade, we focused on the Middle Ages and moved on quickly to the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, and the establishment if a global economy. In 8^th grade there was Revolutions (American, French), Napoleon and Industrialization, in 9^th grade Socialism, the 2^nd German empire, World War 1 and in grade 10 Weimar Republic, 3^rd Reich, Holocaust, World War 2 and a bit of denazification. In grade 11 to 13, we started all over again. First Greek Polis, then Roman Republic and Empire, Middle Ages/Renaissance and going through War and Peace until we reached the Conference of Potsdam again.

When I look back to my own personal life, I might have had a typical Eastern German 90ties childhood. Most of my friends were German or born in Germany, except for some 2^nd generation Polish, Russian, or Vietnamese I got to know and except for my school journeys to France and England and my privat holidays to Greece and Croatia with my parents and grandparents, I never had a real “international” exposure until I got out of school, started travelling and finally working abroad.

While studying, I came across a book by Geert Hofstede about Culture. The most interesting part was that Hofstede claimed when a person moves from one culture into another, they will not simply change their culture by adopting the new culture, but they will create a completely new culture which is in between the culture they are bringing with them and the new culture they are exposed to. I found this a very fascinating idea to become a new kind of being by moving into another culture which is different from the one I came from.

Now, I have been working in China for more than three years and can say that Hofstede was indeed right with his claim. The way I operate here in China is a process of identity mixing and matching. I mostly speak English, little Chinese and German only on the phone with my family or when teaching it. While chatting with friends, I recently came across the typical but weird questions where I am from. Mechanically, I said Germany but then started thinking about it. How much do I still know about Germany right now? I have not been there for 2 years. Of course, I speak the language and talk to my family occasionally but what defines that German-ness in me still?

Am I always on time? No. Often even a little late.

Am I organized? Yes, I think I am if I have an overview what is going on. If not, I feel I am in a mess.

Am I complaining? Oh yes, I often complain but I more and more let many things just go its usual course. Is this age or culture? Am I too tired for things to deal with?

The outcome of the conversation was that except for the news and my family or friends I have no idea what is going on in Germany right now on the lowest level. (district, city, province) I have not felt the pressure of the German Covid-19 restrictions. I have not gotten the German vaccine; I have not been affected by the new German government. (In fact, I couldn’t even vote because for some reason I am unable to receive any mail from Germany for more than one year now.) So, I simply claimed I am 深圳人. I have been working in Shenzhen for more than three years now. I know where and how to get tested, I have a regular hairdresser, recently got my full tax record for the past three years and know where to go and what to do in Shenzhen. I know the metro network, can order a Didi, food via Waimai, and items on Taobao. I am not Chinese, and I never will be, even if my Chinese would improve on a conversational level or I would be able to obtain a Chinese permanent residence (green card).   

So, what is the power of international education for me then?

I work at a school with foreign teachers from at least 8 different countries or different nationalities (China, USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Egypt, South Africa, Canada). Our language of instruction is English, our programs based on US-, UK-, and Chinese educational models. Some of our Chinese teachers have studied in the US, France, Australia and other countries and came back after a couple of years abroad and we are English for 95% of the time with one another.

For us as teachers, the power is of course perspective. We are all working in the same school, but we have our different identities (including age, gender, and sexuality), our different cultural and educational backgrounds, and of course our different subjects and interests. For me as a non-native, the advantage is clear: Further improve my English by talking with native speakers, satisfying my curiosity about their home countries, even learning a new language or a new “What do you do when…?”, “How do you say…”, etc. There is no better environment to continuously learn and improve your intercultural knowledge and your language skills than an international school where this is daily business.

There is also a disadvantage of international education: Where are we heading and what is our goal? How can we reach a common ground to work on with our students, colleagues, and supervisors? How do we balance different approaches without loosing ourselves in conflicts and interpersonal struggles? How can we work and learn in a respectful way with one another? The answer to all those questions is communication and curiosity. If we stay thrilled about doing what we are doing every day, if we keep talking, laughing, and exploring new things with one another and when we face our conflicts and share our mind of how we want to be treated and how not, then we can understand each other better and better, become good friends and share great memories with each other in the future.

What is the power of international education for the students?

I talked a lot about the person I should know best and yet know still so little about. Myself. I think it is time to shift the focus back to the beginning where I outlined my own experience as a German student in a German education system and connect it to the experience our students are making now-a-days.

From day 1 when students join our school, they are flooded and exposed to English. Many teachers cannot speak a word of Chinese apart from 你好 or 我听不懂. They are supposed to learn subject content in English without even knowing the language properly. They are supposed to speak up in class, with their teachers and friends in English all the time. This is a challenge.

They cannot go home and share their experiences with their friends who are not studying in an international school, they cannot talk about their struggles with their parents or families if they grew up in a pure Chinese educational system. Some even come from other countries themselves such as Malaysia, Iran, or regions in China thousands of kilometers away from Shenzhen. This is a challenge.

They often have not the methodology or personal skills yet to even get help or identify the issues they are facing appropriately. They might find love or friendship and lose it again in classes with less than 15 students and a whole track with less than 200 students. This is a challenge.

The power of international education seems to start with a hammer. Merciless hitting on those young and innocent people who sometimes have not even signed up for it. Is there is no light at the end of the tunnel?

Of course, there is.

A teenager is going on rollercoaster of emotions every single day. Their body is changing, their relationships are changing, their minds are changing almost by the minute. No matter how hard they fight and resist one day, the next day, they seem to have forgotten everything about their anger, happiness, or frustration. One second the door is slammed that is almost breaks, the other they jump in front of you and ask you if you want to have lunch with them. We have all been there, it is a challenge growing up but since being a teenager and growing up with everyday changes, why would it matter for them if the changes occur in a regular school setting or in an international one?

Moreover, going through this extra challenge at a young age will give the kids the tools to deal with any kind of difficulty once they became adults. There is a motto that goes like: “Been there, done that.” which means exactly that. I have gone through much harder times already. Why would I now be able to deal with this or that situation now? International education can therefore be like a boost for the self-esteem and develop students into steady adults.

When I was in school and I had a conflict with one of my teachers, I went to another teacher and asked for advice. The advice she gave me was mind-blowing: “I often cannot understand this guy either but in dealing with him you get to know how you want to be or don’t want to be in the future.” Children need role-models. Good ones and bad ones but they need to find out who and how they want to be in the future. Of course, this is also possible to achieve within one culture and it doesn’t need to be an international teacher around for a child to have a role-model, but the children are surrounded by people that have reached a similar life standard as their own parents, they live in the same city, where often even born there and only went out of this bubble to go on holidays.

How much more fascinating, encouraging, strange, funny, and interesting would it be to meet and get to know someone who has lived an entirely different life. No Chinese passport or ID card, no Chinese parents or teachers, no Chinese food or festival traditions. It is like a tabula rasa, a new Big Bang, or a dimensional loophole looking through into another world where things happened and are happening according to completely different laws.

I might be exaggerating a bit at this point since China is not in a void and even children know what is happening outside of China and most likely have already seen or even talked to foreigners, been on vacation outside of China, or watched movies, read books, or played games staring internationals or Westerners. However, being taught by someone in a subject (even if it well knows like Physics or Mathematics) in English on either the same or different topics can be an unbelievable experience that, since international education in its modern sense is quite new, shouldn’t be underestimated in its impact and power. 

To tie another lose end together here, the curiosity, the respect, and the ability to deal with people of different national or cultural background is today and will be tomorrow more important. Imagine being in your thirties, inviting some international guests for tea or dinner, you are sitting down with them, talking for almost an hour about family, ask them questions about how they feel and how long they have been in China and try to touch base. You see them getting more and more nervous and uncomfortable. You order them more food and drinks, you try to invite them for KTV or to go to a very nice massage parlor or a fascinating place to show them around, but you are puzzled why they are not accepting, even wanting to leave and you cannot find the agreement with them you wanted to reach. They never call you back and you feel bad and misunderstood and so do they because they expected to come in for 15-20 minutes, talk about the business deal, shake hands on an agreement and head off to catch the next train home and come back when they were planning more time for leisure activities in advance.

There are certain cultural aspects that we are so exposed to all the time that we don’t even realize anymore they are there. If we spend our entire childhood and teenage years with people who are bound to the same cultural and traditional rules without even noticing them, how do we want to find out what we did wrong in and international context when we were never able to talk to a foreigner casually about: “Hey, so imagine this… What would you say if I say or do this or that.” and see them starting laughing or looking like “Ehm… this is not how I would do it?” If children can get through this experience with their teachers in a safe environment, then they will be empowered by this information, they will be more successful in China and abroad and most importantly, they will reach a level of international competence that will makes them unique and fascinating when they start telling their stories one day.

In my opinion, international education was the best experience for me as a teacher so far, I’ve seen many children and teenagers who I think will be amazing adults because of their unique educational story being taught in an American Chinese or British Chinese curriculum by teachers from 8 different cultures and if I have had one wish, it would have been to go through an international education myself once more.

I hope you liked to read my article. Please leave a comment below. I am always happy to discuss my opinion in a constructive way. I’d like to write more articles in the future, stay thrilled for more.