The above photo features twenty one Fulbright teaching scholars who hail from twenty one different countries, spanning 5 continents. They are one of seven cohorts of teachers placed throughout the United States in the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program for Sept-October 2022. During the cohort’s stay in Greensboro, North Carolina, they are hosted by University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). Through UNCG, they will take classes, experience a homestay, attend the fall conference of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC), teach in classrooms and more. They may even get to addend a Halloween party! The Fulbright teachers will gain so much from this visit, but also, those who meet theses international teachers will benefit, too. They co-taught in American classrooms the week of October 10-14. These teachers are goodwill ambassadors from their countries and are a wealth of information. The easiest way to have a global perspective is meet and interact with people from other countries.
In the above photo, participants are on the balcony of the cafeteria on the UNCG campus. While not required to dress in traditional clothing from their respective countries, some participants chose to do so. This was such a great way to initiate conversation. When you have someone from Bangladesh talking to you about his language sporting a kurta, and someone sharing information about her village in Azerbaijan wearing a rubend, and yet someone else switching from Russian to Spanish to English seamlessly, it is as if the United Nations is right there before your eyes. Teachers speak an international language, and Greensboro is so lucky that UNCG brought this international teacher cohort our way. The Fulbright (established 1946) and IREX, International Research and Exchanges Board, (established, 1968) programs are a fabulous way to build international understanding. If you are currently a public school teacher or affiliated with a university and interested in an international experience, search the Fulbright and IREX sites online. Alternatively, if there is an office for international students and programs at a local university contact them about hosting international students who come to your town.