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Maya Frost, author of “The New Global Student”, has spent a significant amount of time encouraging those who might be interested to explore alternative pathways to education, such as going on a global romp. While this may not be an attractive option for some students, there are some key insights in her book about how this sort of experience can have huge benefits for those who are willing to go on the adventure. As more and more schools talk about creating “21st Century Learners”, her insights and her experiences have more and more relevance. It turns out that traveling to Buenos Aires for a semester (even while you are in high school) isn’t as complicated as you think as long as you have a little moxy.

While Maya’s book is written mainly to parents, it has consequences for everyone involved in education. As a teacher, I was curious about how some of her experiences related to my fellow teachers. I asked her a few questions via email and she was generous enough to respond with the following:

What advice would you give to teachers who are already committed to the classroom but interested in fostering a “global student” perspective? Can they do things to help encourage students to seek a “global romp” even though the student ultimately has to be the one to go?

Maya: Teachers have many wonderful tools available to them to expose their students to the world in general, and can be key in fostering an excitement about getting out and seeing it firsthand. The important thing is to first leverage what you have nearby so that students understand the relevance of having a more global perspective. Use the internet, yes, but also local community members or organizations and even other students to share stories in order to understand other cultures and perspectives. TALK--about movies with a cultural message, books, world events, and make sure to include discussions about solutions for the challenges facing the planet and how people around the world will be working TOGETHER to solve them. Teachers need to read Curt Bonk's book, The World Is Open, to learn more about how other teachers are using technology in the classroom and beyond. And of course, make sure there's a copy of The New Global Student in the classroom or at least the school library!

Since having quality and engaging teachers is so important, how can we get more people to become teachers? Personally, I think many future teachers may have a misconception about what will be expected of them. If they could think of teaching as exploring (instead of homework, detentions, bells, bureaucracy, etc.), I think more people might get involved. What do you think?

Maya: I think you are exactly right. Teaching should not be seen as an easy entry into a lifetime job with summers off. It needs to be viewed as an adventure in learning about oneself just as much as it is about teaching kids. As you know, teaching is incredibly challenging and can be remarkably rewarding work--and it requires adaptive learners who understand the range of tools available to connect with and excite kids. For too long, teaching has been seen as a second-rate position, one for those who are not particularly motivated or inspired. Every kid knows what a teacher does, but the thrill and beauty and sense of discovery are not apparent to the casual observer. I think the new breed of teachers should be those who have been out in the world (in a variety of ways) and want to share that with others. And more than anything, they must be genuinely exhilarated by learning and teaching and have absolutely infectious enthusiasm. That's ideal, I know, but why shouldn't we look for and groom those who were clearly born to teach? Of course, the other issue is that our most enthusiastic teachers also tend to be creative and independent, and they don''t or can't thrive in a setting that limits their ability to teach in the way they choose. That's the real problem--how to keep the ones who have what we need!

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Can anybody else relate to this? I sure can! Thanks, Maya, for your awesome book.