There are teachers, and there are learners. Sometimes, they are one in the same.
That’s likely the case for Eleanor Berke, an English as Second Language (ESL) Specialist at East Somerville Community School. Her day-to-day role allows her to work with students in the Unidos dual language second and third grade classes, as well as in the second grade Neighborhood program. But soon enough, Ms. Berke will herself become a student of sorts.
Berke was recently awarded entry into the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, a learning opportunity and exchange program for U.S. educators to learn and apply skills that prepare young students for a future in the global economy.
“My role will primarily be as a researcher and as a collaborator with other educators,” she notes. “I will learn about global systems of education and the ways that schools in other countries integrate language instruction. I will also get to share my practices as an educator and create a portfolio of strategies for bringing a global mindset back into my classes at East (Somerville).”
The global exchange is likely to commence next summer, but that’s not before weekly study sessions - complete with homework - and a conference in Washington D.C. this winter. Soon after, she’ll plan for an exchange trip to one of the program’s participating countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Morocco, Peru, Indonesia, and Senegal, among others.
The investment of time and energy, she says, is worth every minute. “I’ve always felt that teachers are largely in charge of their own growth… As someone who works in a bilingual program, I wanted to get the experience of working in a school abroad, where multiple languages are spoken, without having to take a year off from my work.”
Perhaps the most enriching part of this journey will be the return, when Berke is back in Somerville classrooms next fall, putting into action everything she has learned abroad.
“I have some students from Nepal, Japan, Brazil, but most have roots in Central America,” she says. “I am hoping that the program allows me to integrate more strategies and habits of mind for working with English Learners and recent immigrants.”
Still, with work comes at least a little bit of play, with cultural and growth experiences aplenty.
“I hope to learn something new and to zoom out for a little bit on the culture of school in the United States,” she says with curiosity. “I wonder what a school day is like in another place.”