Participant Quotes

After all the statistics and program descriptions have been shared, FTE ultimately is about building a world in which students and teachers view each other with respect and therefore build a culture of peace. At the same time, students' learning is enhanced because of the interactive nature of the teaching and learning. Tens of thousands of lives have been impacted by the programs and iniiatives launched by FTE and its member organizations. Here is a small sampling of the many people who have been impacted.

"It is perfect having a pen pal in Pakistan because they are from a different country, and maybe we could communicate better with people from other countries. Sometimes we don't like each other. Maybe if we communicated with people from other countries they would like us more and maybe we would like them more....It is exciting having a pen pal from a foreign country because I can ask questions about what he did at school and see if his world and my world are almost the same or if it's different. At first I thought having a pen pal would not be fun, but then after he wrote me back it was really fun! I especially liked it when he sent me a card for Valentine's Day. He is the same age and in the same grade as me. He sent me a picture, and he looks different because of his skin, but I didn't care because we are really all the same. Having a pen pal will help me see the world differently." 
Sara, Triangle Lake Montessori Elementary School, North Carolina. 

"I felt the video-conference was very successful and it gave me an insight on how students, all the way across the globe, felt about the war. It was amazing to her their thoughts. I was able to connect with them and talk about teenage issues like music and hobbies. I enjoyed the conference and can't wait to do the next one."  
Alicia, a high school student at the Metropolitan Learning Center, Bloomfield, CT  posted these thoughts on an iEAR N online discussion forum concerning the Project Voice: After the War, live 90 minute videoconference that continued a direct video dialogue that was established in March when students from the US and Iraq.

"It helped me with writing words when I wrote about the Friendship through Education school supplies project and it helped me read. It made me very verrry happy to help the children in Afghanistan because now they have crayons, pens, pencils, and books and that stuff you need to go to school."
Rachael Sikes, a second grader student in Sunnyside Elementary School, Pullman, Washington, how working on the Schools Outfitting Schools (SOS) project helped him when he was in second grade.

"These young children worked so hard on their reading and their writing and their math and did this project because they knew how important it was to give school supplies for the children in Afghanistan and they were so inspiring in the way they cared about building friendships with children around the world."
Teacher, Kristi Rennebohn Franz, Sunnyside Elementary School, Pullman, Washington

"I think it's great to have a sister school in Pakistan because we will get to communicate with people from Pakistan and other countries and get to know about other schools from different countries.  We can find out if they have the same materials and find out if they like to read books, make up stories and things like that....I think a partnership and talking with our sister school in Pakistan is better than reading from a book. Because we can ask our sister school questions and we'll learn.  I think it's best to talk to them because then we will be talking to real people, not looking at a book. Because then we can see what it's like for them and what they think of Pakistan because it probably wouldn't say in any books." 
Beth, Triangle Lake Montessori Elementary School, North Carolina. 

"Working on the Youth Peace Exhibit has been exciting, especially the live video chat with students my age from India and Pakistan. This friendship project is helping me to see how similar we are as kids no matter where we live in the world.
Teagan, 14, Memorial Middle School in Laconia, New Hampshire.

"It helped me with my reading because there were big words to read like "Afghanistan" and school supplies. I had to sound out the words and I learned them! It helped me with my counting of money and how much coins were worth and how many ways you could make a dollar with pennies, dimes and nickels. We learned how all those dollars could buy a lot of school supplies. The jar of coins was so heavy it took three people to hold it. It is important that other children around the world like in Afghanistan have places to learn at school and have supplies and books to read." 
Christian, a 4th grade student, commenting on how working on the Schools Outfitting Schools (SOS) project helped him when he was in second grade. Sunnyside Elementary School, Pullman, Washington