The May 28, 2009 USA Today article “Students studying abroad face dangers with little oversight” discussed the recent problems with students taking classes and even studying in other countries. The article touched on how students are being mistreated by their school that they are getting credit from and/or the people of the country they are taking the class in.
I think studying abroad has many upsides and many dangers that come with doing so. The dangers of course would be possible problems with the locals, possible sickness from the region that person is in, and maybe even war. Like any country, there are areas where you would want to stay away from, but that should be common knowledge to a person before they are entering that country or city.
The article also discussed how the students and their families where disappointed and suing the schools because of the things that went wrong during their stay. Any student could have something go wrong to them at any college or high school in the United States. It’s a risk that everyone deals with everyday, but educating yourself so that you stay out of harms way the best you can, is all that you can do. The girl in the article was sexually assaulted, robbed, and stabbed. These are all things that happen in many of the bigger cities that have many of our countries most prestigious schools and colleges.
The colleges that are running these, “studying abroad courses” need to make sure that the sister schools that are running them do a good job of making sure that each and every student has been warned of the dangers that could happen to them while they stay, and keeping them of information that will maintain their safety.
The upside to studying abroad is there is so much they can learn by studying abroad. Students can have hands on experience on everything they do. From my aspect as a art teacher I feel that being able to actually see the Mona Lisa, Sistine Chapel, The Last Supper, David, Star Stary Night, and all of the artwork inside the Louvre, would be far more educational then reading and looking at the artwork in a text book. Sometimes getting to see what the real world is like with the possible profession a student is choosing, can help them decide if this is what that student wants to do for the rest of his or her life.
In conclusion I feel that as a person going to study abroad, I would try and choose a place where I wouldn’t be in harms way, and I knew that where I was going had a good hospital and program where I could get medical attention if I needed.
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Wesley,
ReplyDeleteYou really scare me because my oldest son will be studying abroad this coming year. He will be going to Yena, Germany. The college that he attends has sent many students on this program (Concordia) so I like to think that they know what they are doing. However, that parent in me realizes that things could go wrong. A friend suggested that my husband and I also apply for passports when our son does so that if we would need to take off for Germany we would not have that hassle. We would be prepared. I believe we will take that advice. I know this will be a great experience for him and I pray that all will go well.
It is a shame that some students may be missing out on a great opportunity to study abroad because of the cruelty and lack of responsibility of some people. Especially since this seems like a problem that could easily be fixed. It seems to me that a lack of supervision and accountability is taking place somewhere overseas. I have known many students that have spent time studying abroad and they all tell me that it was an unbelievably positive experience. I somewhat regret never getting the chance to do so myself, but as a parent I would have a hard time sending my kids to one of these places where these horrible events took place and that is unfortunate.
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