Transatlantic teaching
Nether Heyford, Bliss Charity School, American Fullbright Exchange Teacher Sallie Hunter from Maine, USA working in Northants. The school is running a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Thursday, 24 November 2011
BACK in September two teachers embarked on an exciting transatlantic journey to bring two schools closer together.
The global adventure saw the women travelling more than 3,000 miles, leaving behind their classrooms in a leafy village school in Northamptonshire for one on the east coast of America and vice-versa.
Their presence has meant they have been able to bring a fresh approach to lessons, give first hand accounts of native customs and provide a mutual understanding between the two cultures through cross-Atlantic pupil projects.
Not only have pupils become electronic penpals through the use of emails but forward thinking technology has meant they can have live conversations with each through Skype video conferencing without crossing a vast ocean.
Both teachers will spend a year teaching in their respective schools under the Fulbright UK/US Teacher Exchange Programme, sponsored by the US government.
We asked them to share with us their insight into their new class and school environment . . .
Name: Olivia Thompson
Native school: The Bliss Charity School, Nether Heyford, England
Current class: Third graders (year four)
Current school: Mabel I Wilson Elementary, Maine, USA
“THIS is my fifth year of teaching. Before taking part in the exchange programme I was teaching class four (year three and four) at the Bliss Charity School in Nether Heyford.
I taught 26 children and worked with one full time teaching assistant. In America, I am teaching a class of 20 third graders (age equivalent of year four) at the Mabel I. Wilson Elementary school with teaching assistant support for children with special educational needs.
I joined the exchange programme because I wanted a different teaching experience combined with an adventure yet wanted the security of being able to come back to the school that I loved working at.
Teaching American children is just like teaching British children in that they are curious, full of energy and no two days are ever the same!
One of the main teaching differences is that at MIW, there is a really heavy focus on reading, writing and math which doesn’t leave as much time for science or humanities as we have in the UK.
A huge change for me has also been adapting to less technology. Classrooms do not have interactive whiteboards and there is less availability of other ICT equipment, such as cameras and laptops, to motivate children and enhance lessons. Class sizes are also smaller here, but you don’t have the support of a teaching assistant.
I taught several classes about Guy Fawkes night, sharing the story and answering questions. Children liked the gory details! They then went on to create firework pictures and poems.
I also worked with the Parent Teacher Organisations who held a massive British tea party after school one night for any parents and children who wanted to come. Everyone drank lots of tea and ate tonnes of scones with cream and jam while I gave a brief overview of our obsession with tea and hosted a quiz on all things British.
It was an amazing event complete with bunting, British memorabilia and proper cups and saucers. I am also planning on organising a British-themed day around the time of the Queen’s birthday and sharing Shrove Tuesday traditions.
The children have been fascinated by my different accent and just love to say ‘hi’ when they pass in the corridor. Parents too have been so kind, keeping me supplied with British tea, Marmite and biscuits in case I get homesick (there is a British store nearby!). My class seem to be enjoying the different experience too, especially as we now have a shared vocabulary – they say jumper and corridor and they celebrate my achievements too . . . “hey, you said pants instead of your funny English word.”
We have also loved reading British children’s books together, especially Phillip Pullman’s The Firework Maker’s Daughter, eating Jaffa cakes and crumpets, but the verdict is still out on Marmite!
I have been trying to make links with Bliss using technology. Just before Christmas, my class linked up with class five at Bliss via Skype and enjoyed asking and answering questions. The experience then led us on to discussing the different time zones and comparing the school day.
In the past week, we have been sharing with Bliss the history behind Martin Luther King day (which we have just celebrated out here) and some of the children’s own dreams for a better world.
We are hoping to establish email links this term too. Other staff members have also emailed me pictures and videos of Bliss events which I have then been able to share with my class.
The exchange has been an amazing experience so far. I have met so many kind and generous people and have learnt such a lot already. Maine is a beautiful place and I feel very lucky to have been matched here!”
Name: Sallie Hunter
Native school: Mabel I Wilson Elementary, in Maine, USA
Current class: Class four (years three and four)
Current school: The Bliss Charity School, Nether Heyford
“IN America do you all have swimming pools? Do you talk like ‘Hey Man! What’s happenin’?” I am being quizzed by some of my favourite year six students about life in the United States and their assumptions about Americans. As a Fulbright exchange teacher my whole year has been about challenging assumptions; students, staff, parents and, most certainly, my own.
Back in my home state of Maine I teach grade three students, ages eight and nine, at the Mabel I Wilson School.
There are usually 21-22 children in my class. I’m fortunate to be in a profession that I love, in a job where I am constantly learning.
Having taught for 12 years, I had a strong skill set working with children and felt it was time to broaden my horizons and the Fulbright programme offered me the opportunity to come teach in the UK.
My thirty-one year three and four students at the Bliss Charity School, in Nether Heyford, have two advantages the minute they walk in the door.
First, they’re all dressed in uniforms, so they look adorable. Secondly, when they open their mouths cute English accents come out, which is endearing! But beyond these differences I find that some truths about students are universal. Children want to know that the adults working with them care about them and believe they can be successful. They want to know that they are valued.
The differences seem to lie mostly with the curriculum. In the US specialists would teach topics such as PE, art, music and technology.
The curriculum is developed and published by universities. For example, our reading and writing instruction is based primarily on the research coming out of the think tank at the Columbia Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project.
I find it helpful to view comparisons through the lens of “different” as opposed to “better or worse”. Certainly there are things to be learned about education on both sides of the Atlantic.
My students at Bliss have spent the autumn learning about Pilgrims and Native Americans. They have celebrated Thanksgiving and enjoyed the fabulous tradition of pumpkin pie. Their American penpals explained Thanksgiving customs and in return they wrote letters back about “Bonfire Night”.
Soon they will be able to share exciting news about the summer Olympics in London with their State-side friends. And who knows what interesting discussions July 4th will bring?
I feel very fortunate to have landed in such a caring community. My colleagues at Bliss have been open and willing to share resources, knowledge, and, most importantly, their friendship and time. The parents of my students and the people of the village have welcomed my family and made us feel at home.
For the record, there aren’t a lot of swimming pools in Maine. It’s too cold and too close to the ocean.
And I’ve replaced my “What’s happenin’?” with a Northampton “You all right?” And the answer for me is, “I’m on a great adventure and I couldn’t be better!”
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