Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching Helps Students Professionally, Personally

Each year, 10 Eastern Illinois University students travel to other parts of the world to complete their student-teaching through the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching.

COST participants are able to hone their teaching skills while expanding their world views. Students can choose from locations in Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and Turkey.

The following stories illustrate how the COST experience benefited three EIU students professionally and personally in 2008-2009.

Andrea Clark -- Mexico

Andrea Clark could think of no better way to prepare herself for becoming a bilingual teacher than to immerse herself into Mexican culture and language, so she took the opportunity to spend a semester student-teaching in Queretaro, Mexico.

Clark said many districts near her hometown of Palatine, Ill., need teachers who are bilingual. Through her work in those schools, she has noticed that most of the students whose primary language is not English are Mexican-Americans or recently moved from Mexico.

"I have learned in my training that you learn and understand best when the lesson or subject is tied to your past experiences, so I thought, ‘What an excellent opportunity to really see where these students are coming from.'"

For this reason, Clark stayed with a host family, rather than with other students.

"If I were living alone in an apartment or dorm, I would probably (have been) eating pizza, watching American movies and calling my friends to have a conversation in English," she said. "It is so much nicer to live the culture than to watch it.”

Her students in Mexico wrote to students from her hometown and enjoyed "seeing how similar they really are, but still holding their Mexican culture.”

Her travels included trips to Mexico City, the Frida Kahlo museum and La Virgen de Guadalupe cloak. She also marched in a peace rally and celebrated Mexican Independence Day, which she said involved lots of food, music and fireworks, similar to U.S. Fourth of July festivities, yet "different in every way.”

Clark feels that all of these experiences contributed to her future for the better, and she said that her involvement in COST demonstrates her dedication to her career and the lengths to which she'll go for her future students.

“COST is an excellent program that allows you to open your eyes to a different culture and lifestyle," she said. "Of course it is a sacrifice to give up your current life, family and friends, and to step out of your comfort zone, but it is definitely worth it."

Nathan Rawley -- South Africa

Nathan Rawley, who had previously taught English overseas as part of missions work, jumped on the chance to do it again through COST.
                                                                                     
Rawley, whose COST experience allowed him to teach high school students in Port Elizabeth, was amazed by the environment and culture in South Africa. He credits his temporary home for new favorite foods, musicians and writers that he may never have heard of had he not chosen to student-teach there.

Although Rawley had many amazing experiences, including bungee jumping off the highest bungee jump bridge in the world, hiking and camping in northeastern South Africa, and visiting Victoria Falls in Zambia, he realizes that some of the most important things are not necessarily the big tourist draws.

“Some of the greatest things can be simply walking down the street and meeting people on a Saturday at the market," Rawley said.

He believes he gained a personal growth that he would not have attained had he chosen to student-teach through a school near his home.

"The change in your surroundings provides the student with a chance to completely immerse themselves in a culture not their own," he said. "I have learned new ways of doing everything. You cannot experience a place like this and not be changed forever.”

Mitzi Houpt -- England

Many college students dream of traveling through Europe after graduating from college, but Mitzi Houpt lived that dream while in college by student-teaching in England.

“I chose to student teach through the COST program because I realized that there was so much to gain by the experiences of student-teaching abroad," Houpt said. "There is a lot to be learned from being completely immersed in another culture and learning to appreciate how people outside of my own nation operate on a daily basis.”

Houpt hopes to bring her new teaching perspective from her "absolutely amazing experience" back to Illinois.

As a history major, she enjoyed the rich history that England had to offer. She believes that being immersed in the culture has helped her in the classroom.

“I learn by seeing and doing, and there are so many historical places for me to visit and become more knowledgeable about," Houpt said. "In turn, this extra knowledge has helped me become a better teacher.”

Houpt stayed in the dorms at the University of Chichester on a floor full of international students from countries including Belgium, Sweden and the United States, giving her knowledge of even more cultures, which is something Houpt values.

“Not only do I feel I have become more knowledgeable about history, but I also (got) the experience of teaching in a high school entirely different than any school I have observed or taught in," she said.

Stories adapted from EIU College of Education and Professional Studies newsletters.