Born to immigrant parents and raised in the New York City area, Jibril Garbar has always been curious about other cultures. Earlier this year he learned about the Russian culture and education system when he helped teachers and students in Russia hone their English skills.
Garbar is among 80 Americans participating in the State Department’s Virtual English Language Fellow and Specialist Program this year. It connects experienced English instructors in the United States with teachers and students in Russia. During 2022, more than 600 Americans participated in similar programs in other countries.
Having previously taught courses on four continents at the university and high school (also called secondary school) levels, Garbar said he was eager to “explore deeper into other corners of the world while helping my students achieve their academic and professional goals.”
After the program ended, she said she enjoyed “working with some of the best and most genuine students I’ve had in a long time.”
The program is one of many at the State Department that reflects the US government’s commitment to connecting Americans on a people-to-people level.
Meet some of the Americans participating in this year’s program.
Alyssa Bulow
From her home in Memphis, Tennessee – home of Elvis Presley and its famous barbecue – Alyssa Bulow said her students continually amaze her with the “dedication and sheer volume of work” they complete while also improving their English. Read also : Car bomb kills daughter of ‘spiritual leader’ in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – Russian media.
Bulow has more than a decade of teaching experience in US schools and in bilingual programs throughout Asia, North and South America and Eastern Europe.
Most of the professors he instructed have a full teaching load while also doing research.
“They have a strong awareness of the usefulness of fluent English presentation skills in sharing their research with the global scientific community, and they never lose sight of their goals,” Bulow said. She is the director of the Memphis-based Connect Language Center, which provides English as a second language programming and teacher training.
He noted that one of his students in Russia worked with an indigenous tribe in Siberia. Together they organized an environmental education day for Russian school children to learn how to better care for nature and discover more of their cultural heritage. “Russia is a vast and interesting country,” he said.
Dan Sloan
From his home in California, Dan Sloan said he found the Russian participants he ordered “show enthusiasm, engagement and collaboration. On the same subject : When You Can Expect to Access the Additional CE Required to Renew Your California Real Estate License | Magazine for the first Tuesday.”
Sloan teaches business administration at Simpson University in Redding, California, and has spent nearly a decade as an academic faculty member in China and Southeast Asia.
“Routine lessons take detours towards cultural learning opportunities,” he said.
For Sloan, the precious memories and lessons learned during the project were “the transparency, authenticity and friendliness of the Russian people.”
Knowing other cultures and languages is great, says Sloan, whose project focuses on US and English law used in legal writing.
“I got more than I gave when the Russian participants took the lesson to the next level and expressed empathy, humanity and cultural understanding.”
By the Italian US Mission | September 18, 2022 | Topic: News | Tags: cultural exchange
