With programs such as The Council on International Educational Exchange, Chapel Hill students have various opportunities to be immersed in different cultures and take classes in foreign countries. But how often do teachers have the same convenience? With the program Teachers2Teachers Global, Chapel Hill educators can now take their skills abroad.
Teachers2Teachers Global is a program based in Chapel Hill dedicated to creating professional development opportunities for educators by sending them to teach in different countries. The pro- gram allows for teachers from the United States to meet, collaborate and teach with educators from Central and South America.
Cofounder and Executive Director of Teachers2Teachers Global Chadd McGlone started the program after spending two weeks working at an elementary school in Guatemala. Cofounder and Communications Advisor Jenny McGlone is a Chapel Hill High School alumna.
“It’s really about honoring the local culture and developing a relationship. We try to be very careful not to come in like ‘We’re the experts; we know how to teach; we’re gonna show you how to do it better,’” Jenny McGlone said.
Chapel Hill High School junior Cameron Mejia created a fundraising club in hopes of sending Chapel Hill teachers abroad.
“I was encouraged to start the club by meeting the founder of the organization Chadd McGlone and being very interested in his organization and wanting to help and get involved,” Mejia said.
Former Chapel Hill Spanish teacher Kenneth Stewart is currently planning to accompany a group of teachers to the Galapagos Islands in June as their interpreter. Prior to retiring at the beginning of this school year, Stewart had worked at Chapel Hill for 30 years.
“Having led teacher trainings internationally, I thought I might be able to help them out,” Stewart said. “As is turns out, not many of their PD leaders speak Spanish.”
Though not part of the program, math teacher Samuel Boss spent the 2016-2017 school year teaching abroad in Japan. “I really like to expose myself to how other cultures teach their students,” Boss said. “It gave me a broader perspective on how teaching and education can work.”
