Lessons from Mexico Sally Austin Hundley

Background of the Trip Traveled with the North Carolina Center for International Understanding dex.htm Funded by the NC State Board of Education at the request of Wendy Miller, NC Teacher of the Year Ten day trip Four days in Mexico City Three day family home visit in Puebla Three days of continued stay in Puebla

Geography of Mexico

Lessons Learned 1.Success for Today— Articulation of purpose 2.Preparation for tomorrow— The Unknown 3.Learning for a Lifetime— Teacher Opportunities

Lesson One—Articulation of Purpose Teachers view us as holding Mexican students in our hands. “I am glad you are on the front lines when we send you our children. Hold them close and take care of them.” --2 nd grade teacher

Are we answering this call? Action Steps— Training for Teachers Invite Lizbeth Alfaro and Carlos Rojas to conduct training Encourage Online Learning through LearnNC Effectively Reaching English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom—Class begins September 20

Partnerships to answer this calling. Create a Latino Parents’ Advisory Council to work with the schools on meeting the needs of Latino students Work with community groups/HCC to offer Spanish language coursework for teachers Consider naming programs using Spanish phrasing

Lesson Two—We’re Preparing for the Unknown But we do know the skills... “I think it's going to be one of the biggest middle-class jobs -- collaborators. Collaborators are people who are good at working as part of global knowledge, manufacturing or supply chains.” Thomas Friedman The World is Flat

How do we prepare in the 21 st Century? Action Steps — Consider International Baccalaureate Programmes Mission Statement The International Baccalaureate Organization aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the IBO works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Compassion “ Knowledge is nothing if not used for serving others.” Lucy Sotomayor Academic Dean Instituto D’Amicis

How do we prepare for the 21 st Century? Action Steps— Encourage technology use for global exchange and partnerships.

How do we prepare for the 21 st Century? Action Steps— Student exchange with graduates of the Initial Teacher Assistant Training (ITAT) program from Instituto D’Amicis

Lesson Three—Learning for a Lifetime “ There are many things still resting on my mind.” Bonnie Murray “ As a teacher, you think of those experiences that changed your life. This trip was one of those experiences for me—not as a teacher, but as a student. ” JoAnne Honeycutt

Opportunites for our Teachers Action Step— Secure annual funding for a HCS teacher to travel with the Latino Initiative/Education Initiative programs of the NC Center for International Understanding No WHINING