Presentation given at the North Carolina Council of Social Studies (NCCSS) Februrary 2016

1. Crossing Borders:
Risks and Rewards
RUSSELL BINKLEY, WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
REID CHAPMAN, UNIVERSITY OF NC ASHEVILLE
NANCY LUKE, WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY,

2. Overview of presentation
 Philosophical Framework
 Our Perspectives and Experiences with International Travel with Students
 The Benefits of International Travel for Students and Teachers
 Perspective: Ghana
 Perspective: Kenya
 Perspective: Germany
 Recommendations and Lessons Learned from Our Experiences
 Resources for Teachers
 Last Words

3. Philosophical Framework
 We teach from who we are
 We inspire and support our students to be global citizens
 Personal experiences can support our own changes in
practice
 The more we know about the world through direct
experience, the deeper our personal and professional
understanding
 All of this informs our teaching
 Hard work and struggle is worth it – it’s not a vacation

4. Our Perspectives and Experiences
 Who should go?
 Students
 Teachers
 Who did go and where?
 Reid: Ghana
 Rus: Kenya
 Nancy: Germany

5. The Benefits of International Travel for Students
and Teachers
 Themes from our experiences: Empowerment and Independence
“The experience has also made me more comfortable with the idea of travelling in general and immersing
myself in something so seemingly unfamiliar, and I am now eager for a next adventure. I was constantly
learning so much, and I find that many experiences we undertook relate both to the themes and concepts
of our class as well as to how I have changed as a thinker. Every moment was a learning experience and I
will carry them with me for the rest of my life.” Ghana
“Global experience is the best thing that happened to me as an individual and as a teacher- I can
guarantee that anyone else would at least feel this same way as well!” Kenya
“The trip in its entirety was a new and educational experience for me. This was my first time out of the
country and my first time taking a class outside of a traditional setting. Getting to be a part of a different
culture was challenging, but with that came rewards. I was able to make new connections with different
people from Western Carolina and from Germany.” Germany

6. The Benefits of International Travel for Students
and Teachers
 Themes from our experiences: Cultural Contrasts
“becoming comfortable – with being uncomfortable – as a white person in the market was one of the best
experiences for me. (In fact, the entire trip was a process of acceptance of my own whiteness.) As an “obroni” I
gained an awareness of my skin color that I had never had before.” Ghana
“They are extremely hardworking, no matter what the situation…We come from a society that tells us that we
need all of these expensive things, and here these people go without things that they really need, but they are
driven to overcome it.” Kenya
“Overall I think their education system works for them. It works for their culture and their way of life. I saw their
schools differently because of my culture and what I grew up in and what I see in our own schools. Our
education system works for us and theirs works for them. It was eye opening for me to see how different
education is but how we all work towards a common goal.” Germany

7. The Benefits of International Travel for Students
and Teachers
 Themes from our experiences: Personal and Professional Growth
“Throughout the trip, pretty much every day all day, I was removed from my comfort zone. I would even say
that my comfort zones changed quite a bit.” Ghana
“I don’t think any amount of preparation could have prepared me for the emotional aspect of this trip.” Kenya
“ I thought I was going to be the one to impact their [the Kenyan schoolchildren] lives, but they are the ones
who changed mine.” Kenya
“I have taken World History classes and Holocaust classes, but I didn’t really understand Germany until I was in
Germany.” Germany

8. The Benefits of International Travel for Students
and Teachers
 Themes from our experiences: Global literacy
“I believe that I have a greater understanding of not only the structures and complexities of humanity, but I
can also better articulate my place in the space as well.” Ghana
“Prior to this trip, I had the typical “village” view of Kenya that is portrayed in multiple films. I was thinking
that I would be walking into mud huts with lions prowling just outside the door. But I was wrong. We landed
in the beautiful city of Nairobi with buildings towering…and cars swooshing by us as we waited at the curb.”
Kenya
“If I had to sit through a class with only the German language being spoken all day, I would have been lost
and confused. Just being in a foreign country in general and not understanding [the language] that I hear is
really intimidating…I hope that in my future classroom and with my future [ELL] students that I am aware of
their needs. I see so many teachers that are insensitive to these things but they just do not understand or
have the experiences to empathize with these students. Now, I do.” Germany

9. Perspective: Ghana
 “Rosetta Tetebo-Annan suggests that an increase in
accessibility to adequate technology and infrastructure would
decrease the marginalization of women and lead to more
equality between the genders. Yet, it is still important to
consider the cultural significance of these divisions, and in
what ways they might be empowering for women. The
market seems to be a place of power for women, who are
pretty much in charge of it all. Ideas of gender equality can
be reminiscent of Western feminism and may not entirely
take into account ideas of African feminism, so it is important
to consider the issue from all of these angles. “

10. Perspective: Ghana
 Wangari Mathaai ‘asserts, “I have always believed
that solutions to most of our problems must
come from us. …historically our people have been
persuaded to believe that because they are poor,
they lack not only capital, but also knowledge
and stills to address their challenges. Instead
they are conditioned to believe that solutions to
their problems must come from ‘outside’”
(Maathai 272-273). Africans are without question
capable of and have the right to be leaders of
their own problem solving, both governmentally
and at the grassroots level. Akoma demonstrates
growing leadership at the grassroots level.’

11. Perspective: Ghana
“Of the entire trip, the moment I was able to say what I truly
felt directly to a group [of] people who had no choice but to
sit and listen was the most liberating point of my education.
It is so stressful to make the decision to speak out on race
related issues on a campus like ours. All of your feelings,
emotions, thoughts and actions ultimately become political.
Never do students of color have the opportunity to speak
genuinely unless it is behind closed doors. We always have to
be careful not to offend the sensitive white students in efforts
to subdue their feelings of white guilt. Personally, after
coming home I am far from over always holding my tongue. I
learned that in some cases, it is better to just let things out
rather than keep them in.”

12. Perspective: Ghana
 “I am aware that all humans make judgments simply for survival
if nothing else, but I feel as though my experiences in Ghana
have shed light on my judgmental nature. I am better able to
recognize my instinct to condemn anything and all things that I
see as unjust or unethical, despite my deep desire to remain
compassionate.”
 “Our trip to Ghana was by far, hands down and without a doubt
the best thing I have done in my entire sixteen years in the
North Carolina public education system…. I hate to sound cliché
and say that the short thirty days we spent in Ghana changed
my life, but it really did.

13. Perspective: Ghana

14. Perspective: Kenya
 “I was not an observer, I was an active participant. I taught. I taught.
And I taught. Did I mention that I taught? I literally walked into a
classroom on our first day at a school and was handed a piece of
chalk by a student. No Kenyan teacher ever joined me as I taught 64
students for the span of about two hours. Not at all an observer.“
 “This young man kept speaking to us in Swahili, and we weren’t sure
what he was saying..[our translator] told us that the little boy was
thirsty [all of the other children] were just as thirsty. I was moved to
tears. It was so hard to see children who were having to go without
something that was so necessary for life. Things like that will set a fire
inside you. It’s a passion I now have that will never go away.”

15. Perspective: Kenya

16. Perspective: Kenya - Amy’s Story
For the presentation at NCCSS a student’s digital story of the
travel experience was shown by permission. However, permission
was not granted to offer this digital story for internet
distribution.

17. Perspective: Germany
 [In the English classroom] I noticed some student teachers’ …
spoke to the students in German while they were in small groups
working. On our second visit this was frustrating because I was
trying to communicate and work with the students but the student
teachers would come by and only speak in German, so I had no
idea what was going on.
 “In Munich the most moving experience was Dachau, the
concentration camp. I have always been eager to learn more about
the Holocaust, and this gave me the opportunity to see it for my
own eyes where everything happened. It was mind blowing that
something so cruel happened on the grounds I was walking on.
Although Dachau is a place where many lives were lost, I felt that
there was peace in the way the memorial respected and honored
those who were killed while still presenting the horrors of this time
in German history.”

18. Perspective: Germany

19. Perspective: Germany – Jamie’s Story
For the presentation at NCCSS a student’s digital story of the
travel experience was shown by permission. However, permission
was not granted to offer this digital story for internet
distribution.

20. Recommendations and Lessons Learned
 Pre-trip orientation meetings are essential for both cultural and logistical
expectations
 Make decisions related to trip costs and expenditures as transparent as
possible
 Stress openness – with the experience and other travelers; it is all about what
you will learn and not just a vacation
 Travel is stressful. Check in with students’ (and your own) emotional well-
being regularly
 Where possible, avoid falling in poop – both literally and figuratively

21. Resources for Teachers
 No-Cost Summer Travel for Teachers
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/summer-travel-for-teachers-
suzanne-acord [HANDOUT]
 Transatlantic Outreach Program from the Goethe Institute
http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/lp/prj/top/txl/enindex.htm
 9 Great International Travel Scholarships for U.S. Teachers
http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2011/04/22/9-great-
international-travel-scholarships-for-u-s-teachers/
 Travel Grants for Teachers
http://www.travelbeyondexcuse.com/grants/
 Teacher Travel/Study Abroad Opportunities
https://sites.google.com/site/globaledwa/teacher-travel-study-
abroad-opportunities

22. Last Words from Kenya Traveler
Hannah
For the presentation at NCCSS a student’s digital story of the
travel experience was shown by permission. However, permission
was not granted to offer this digital story for internet
distribution.