Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1158290
I F N O T F O R a chance encounter with an article in NEA Today magazine, Krystal Carter might not be one of 44 educators recently named by the NEA Foundation as 2020 Global Learning Fellows — an honor that includes international field study next summer in Peru. As Carter flipped through the magazine on the way to the recycling bin, the story about the yearlong pro- fessional development program caught her attention, leading the math educator and San Jose Teachers Asso- ciation member down the path to become the only fellow from California in this year's cohort. After submitting an application that includes responses to multiple essay questions and a lesson plan demonstrating evidence of global competence, Carter was selected from a pool of 270 educators. It promises to be an exciting journey, even if she's still not sure what's in store. "I don't really know what I'm getting into," Carter says with a laugh. "I 'm sure I 'm going to be working with amazing people, and we'll see what happens." Global learning is a way to consider and evaluate our interconnected social, political and cultural systems and the way this interconnectivity affects the work and collaboration needed to solve global issues. It asks stu- dents to observe the similarities and differences that exist around the world and relate them to their own lives. The NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship provides public school educators with 12 months of professional development to integrate global learning into their daily classroom instruction, advocate for global competency in their schools and districts, and help students thrive in our increasingly interconnected world. NEA Foundation staff, partners and field experts support fellows as they participate in online coursework, webinars, peer learning communities, a two-day profes- sional development workshop in Washington, D.C., and an international field study experience. The 2020 fellows teach all grade levels and subjects, including visual and performing arts, Math educator Krystal Carter earns NEA fellowship By Julian Peeples Going Global Carter's students try out their rooftop water catchment system to learn about scale and percent. 15 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 019 Spotlight