JSM - Edition Three

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JSM Edition Three Page 23
A Path to Tolerance
IPC is my grandmother’s and my mother’s international kindergarten back in Bangkok, Thailand. This
is an old video of a rehearsal for International Day which is an event at IPC that celebrates different
countries and cultures. IPC usually has about 30 different nationalities represented at the
kindergarten. On International Day, children dress in their national costume and bring a plate of food
from their country to share. However, because the students can be from more than one country, they
also wear flags from all their countries.
About a month before International Day, each class chooses one country to learn about and on Inter-
national Day they perform a song and dance from that country. When the show is over, each student
receives a “passport” to visit the different class countries to learn about the cultures and traditions of
that country (they also receive a stamp in their “passport” when they have
completed the activities from the class country).
Since IPC is in Thailand, each morning the whole school sings the Thai National Anthem while rais-
ing the Thai flag. This pays respect to the host country.
In conclusion, having this special day and also just going to an international kindergarten taught me
(and hopefully teaches the rest of the kindergarten students) tolerance and appreciation of the many
people around the world. These students are still little but they can become positive global citizens.
Youtube Video link:
Ayla Chirathivat-G eralds Year 4F