The "British" School - Tehran

To kick off my quest to find young English-speaking penpals in Iran, I met with the wonderful melting pot staff at The British School-Tehran http://britishschooltehran.com. Located in the lush green garden compound of the British Embassy and sharing space with the German School, Italian School, and French School, they are dedicated to offering a full curriculum for the children of expatriate workers up to the age of about 14. From music to math and most subjects inbetween, these international kids are taught in English with all the amenities, including computers for every child. Students learn about cultures across the world and receive ample attention from qualified teachers recruited in Australia, Britain, Canada, Iran, Poland - and I thought I heard an Irish accent too.

In contrast to it's Tehranian surroundings, The British School is an international island unto its own with the protection of the British Embassy location and the "British School" name maintaining its ability to operate through waves of political change. Unfortunately, due to that national categorization, the school is not able to offer attendance to any Iranian children, but it seemed clear to me that if it were possible they would welcome them with open arms. Indeed, their motto, "British by Name, International by Nature", almost rings true within the school's walls, if only Iranian children could be accepted.

The continual presence of The British School-Tehran maintains hope for keeping communication open with Iran, however after speaking with the headmaster, Peter Yates, and P.A. operations manager, Azar Azarnivar, their words told of the culture shock for recruited teachers, expats and their kids acclimating to the outside social structure. The turnover rate for their students is high due to the usually transient nature of their expat family's employment and the stress of maintaining a wise low-profile and limited social engagements while in Iran. One of the new teachers from Britain offered an interesting perspective stating, "It's a good fit if you're an introvert, but more challenging if you're an extrovert." The culture lends itself to the studious types, but is less fulfilling for expats seeking their usual social life or conspicuously crossing over into the Iranian lifestyle.

With regards to setting up the CultureKicks penpal program, it of course makes more sense to offer Iranian penpals to American kids (a work in progress), however this unique school of more than 145 children living in Iran offers another slice of reality worth knowing. After American kids interact with kids of various nationalities living and going to school in Iran, I believe they will feel Iran is not a fearful place completely shut off from the world - and we'll be another step towards the goal of communication.