Above background: Prayers ribbons placed on the fences at the Bonfim Church in Salvador, Brazil; Above center: Me and Briana Rodriguez, TGC fellow from LA Unified School District, in Salvador
Travel: Teachers for Global Classrooms Brazil Cohort 2015
An Authentic Experience at Dom Jose Gaspar School in Ribeirao Pires, Sao Paulo, Brasil
In June of 2015, my cohort of American educators and I traveled to Brazil to learn about the country's education system and participate in an international field experience with a host teacher. To continue our study of global education, we met with members of the Brazilian Ministry of Education, the US Embassy, and private and public school teachers in the capital of Brasilia. I was intrigued to find that students have a great amount of agency and choice in their course of study when they reach high school: students can choose a "traditional" academic school which prepares them for university, or pursue technical school and have the opportunity for an advanced degree in their field of choice. My teaching partner and I then traveled to Ribeirao Pires, a smaller suburb of Sao Paulo in the state of Sao Paulo. There we had the opportunity to work with a local high school teacher on a daily basis, learning the intricacies of his professional involvement at the school, relationships with students, and lesson planning strategies. We worked together with our host, William Pincerno, and his colleagues to develop and implement strategies that would engage his students and ours with their learning and developed a collaborative relationship to benefit our future students. Please explore my blog below to learn about my experience as a TGC fellow with the US State Department. |
"We must no longer consider ourselves as citizens of the towns or cities in which we teach,
but we must consider ourselves citizens of the globe."
A Cultural ExperienceIn addition to the amazing educational and professional experience in Brazil, my co-teacher and I also learned much on a cultural level. The culture of Brazil is warm and welcoming, and there is much enthusiasm among students, professionals, and even families to learn about diverse cultures and teach foreigners about their culture. We enjoyed the fresh fruits and vegetables of the region and authentic traditional cuisine like feijoada, a bean and pork stew, and pao de queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread. Although my Portuguese improved over the course of my time in the country, I have to thank William, his family, and the staff and students at Dom Jose Gaspar for their patient translations and for teaching me so much about Brazilian education and culture!
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My Research and FindingsPrior to embarking on my travel to Brazil, I posed a research question to explore and study on my journey. I framed a question that I knew affected the students I would be working with in Sao Paulo, as well as the Seattle students I teach. Brazil's education system offers students many paths and courses of study to pursue their interests and become well-prepared for careers, but these opportunities require a big financial commitment. Similar to many families in the United States, the income of a student's family in Brazil impacts what that student feels he or she can do with their life, as well as that student's ability to make themselves a viable candidate for higher education (i.e. tutoring, becoming fluent in a 2nd language, extra-curricular skills, etc). Click on the link below to learn more about my research focus and findings: "What factors contribute to students' success in low income communities?"
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