During the s.y. 2015-2016, the Travel Commission of the "S.Freud" Junior High School offered its students of the Economic Technical Tourism and Technical Information Technology addresses the valuable opportunity of a Language Internship, lasting two weeks in Canterbury, a cozy town in the county of Kent, southeast of England. The internship was held from April 24 to May 7, 2016.
The students had the opportunity to take a valuable and intensive course of study in English, taught by native teachers, at the accredited Concorde International Institute, which issued at the end of the course a recognized certificate of participation in the Internship, in a day dedicated to following an interesting exposition of the projects carried out by the students, during the second part of the proposed educational course. Original and appreciated by all of us was the Institute's willingness not to preclude the boys from also having experiences in direct contact with the local population, as demonstrated with the workshop proposal to carry out an opinion poll on the streets of Canterbury.
The formula chosen was the tried and tested full-board stay (breakfast, packed lunch and dinner), by virtue of which the students were given a friendly welcome by the Host Families and for the entire duration of the Internship had the opportunity to get to know the local reality at 360 degrees.
The students were also able to count on the continuous assistance and supervision of the accompanying teachers, Prof. Bruno, Ferro and Tremolada.
Following is the testimony of Prof. Maria Rita Bruno.
"The Language Internship is an invaluable opportunity for all of us: first of all for our dear children, who had the opportunity to test their knowledge of the language, learn many things about the English culture, with which they were in very close contact for the whole duration. Of course, it was also an indispensable opportunity for us to grow and exchange with our students. We devoted all our energies to them during these days, and we were repaid with the great satisfaction of seeing them happy and included in what is an important educational project, for the success of which we all spent ourselves unreservedly.
The choice of Canterbury proved to be a winning one: a small town, in which history and culture blend with a scenic beauty typical of the English countryside, gave our students a wonderful location for their educational-cultural experience.
The students were welcomed by the families, became part of them, forming bonds that, with a bit of luck, they will be able to maintain, despite the distance, thanks to the Internet and social networks. The families, selected and supervised, have been a valuable testing ground, at which the children have been able to field test their language skills, a kind of "gym," providing them with the right daily training, since English, as a living language, needs to be practiced, as well as simply studied.
Each day the students held their classes during the morning, at the premises of Concorde International, which boasts several locations (from those in historic buildings to more modern ones) on the city grounds and, for this reason, offered them the opportunity to explore Canterbury and get to know it better. At the end of the classes, the day always offered educational or cultural activities, in which the children took part with interest. Some, among the most appreciated were: the visit to the splendid English Gothic-style Cathedral, in which Becket was assassinated, in 1170; the river tour by boat on the River Stour, which runs through the city; the visit to the Roman Museum and the Canterbury Tales Museum; and the trips to the seaside (Broadstairs, Whisteble), which became a much-awaited event for the boys, thanks in part to the beautiful days that accompanied them.
The weekend was devoted to excursions to two towns that offered us unforgettable emotions: Dover, with its fascinating early medieval castle, perched on a hill, and the White Cliffs; London, a multifaceted and multicultural European capital, always a lively cue for cultural and entertaining visits. Both outings delighted our youngsters, who participated with interest and joy.
There was never a shortage of goliardic moments, and that's part of the game, nor situations in which teacher and student enter into such harmony that, even once back in the classroom, it illuminates everything with a nicer, warmer light. Crossing each other's eyes is the best way to understand how much the relationships have been cemented, through the sharing of this experience.
When it was, finally, time to take off again for Milan, we all turned to look at the tulips coloring Canterbury's springtime and said goodbye already almost wistfully, as one says goodbye to a place where one has had a good time.
I can only thank the School for the wonderful opportunity for growth, professionally, educationally, and humanly, that it offered to all of us. To read in the looks of our children the same joy was a great satisfaction."
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