International scholars hailing from China, Guinea, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mauritania, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia and Swaziland will share their culture with students at Eakin Elementary School Jan. 27—31. The visit will be filled with an exciting line-up of exchanges between the Vanderbilt Humphrey Fellows and students at Eakin.
The fellows are spending a year at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development through the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright Exchange program that brings midcareer leaders from developing nations to American host universities each year. Typically, the Humphrey Fellows are principals, school superintendents, government education officials or leaders from such international nonprofit organizations as Save the Children or Compassion International.
The fellows’ visit to Eakin augments the school’s Global Week programming, and will kick off on Tuesday, Jan. 28, with “Global Games.” Fellows will demonstrate and play a game from their home country with the second-, third- and fourth-graders. This fun exchange will be repeated with different fellows leading the day’s activities on Thursday, Jan. 30.
The week will end with a “passport fair” for the younger Eakin students. Kindergarten, first- and second-graders will receive stamps on homemade “passports” as they visit stations hosted by the scholars, who will share songs, stories and interactive activities native to their home countries.
The week’s activities will build on bonds forged last fall when the Humphrey Fellows visited Eakin elementary and shared favorite childhood folktales with third- and fourth-graders during their “How We Express Ourselves” unit.
During their time at Peabody, the Humphrey Fellows participate in various site visits, hear guest speakers and interact with diverse education and government leaders.
Program Contact: Nancy Dinunzio Dickson, 615-390-0812
nancy.j.dinunzio@vanderbilt.edu