Global classroom is proud to announce the success of Global Classroom Fulbright Day on April 4, 2008! We were very happy to have put together such a wonderful event in collaboration with IIE for the visiting Fulbright students and also for students in the New York City public schools. We were very excited to have had 1,274 New York City public school students and 157 Fulbright students attend the event! Visiting Fulbright students and scholars spent the morning in eight different public schools across New York City introducing their countries and sharing their perspectives on the theme Engaging the Electorate. The following are just a few quotes taken from the participant’s feedback on their Global Classroom Fulbright Day experience:
Comments from Fulbright participants:
“The best point was experiencing the excitement of the students and their interest in the topics we were discussing.”
“It was a great way for them to discover other systems and for me to discover the reality of the US (first generation immigrants, public schools…) I asked them to share about that and learned a lot!”
“Talking about my country helped me to understand my own views on it clearer and better.”
“They (the students) inspired me…so smart.”
“It was my first time to see high school students in the US, which looked so different from what I expected them to be. This was a really good experience, since otherwise we could not be aware of, or feel the reality of the educational issues in the US.”
Comments from teachers:
“The best point of the visit was the fact that the presenters were open to discuss various topics about their countries which opened up the students’ eyes on the world beyond New York City.”
“It gives our ESL population an opportunity to learn about different options as far as their academic career is concerned. Students converse and learn about other countries and about their educational system.”
“My students can often relate better to these Fulbright students than each other and me. It also shows the students that education is important and relevant to everyone’s life.”
As displayed above, the day was enlightening for all parties involved and we are very proud to have participated in such a wonderful experience!
Joleen Pugliese
Global Classroom Intern
