OLSH Spanish teacher Kelly Mullen was recently selected by IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) to participate in the 2017-2018 Teacher for Global Classrooms (TGC) program. She is one only 76 teachers selected from the more than 450 nationwide who applied to this year’s program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Participation in the program involves completing an online course focused on best practices in global education, attendance at the TGC Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C., and an International Field Experience. Ms. Mullen was recently notified that her International Field Experience will take place this summer in Indonesia. She will spend just over three weeks participating in the formal program, after which she plans to extend her trip and further explore the region.

This is Ms. Mullen’s second international fellowship.  In 2016, she was selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, an experience that involved living aboard The National Geographic Endeavor and traveling to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

Ms. Mullen hopes that sharing her experiences abroad with her students will inspire them to become global citizens with a curiosity about and respect for other cultures. “This program has been the best professional development I have ever participated in,” says Mullen. “I really think that what I am learning now will benefit my students as I incorporate it into my teaching. I don't know anything about Indonesian education or culture, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more firsthand. I can't wait to find more ways to bring a global perspective into my classroom!”