Global Classroom | Educator of the Month | Fall 2020

This fall, Global Classroom launched Educator of the Month as an appreciation initiative featured in our bi-weekly newsletter. We wanted to recognize and highlight the great work teachers and educators are doing throughout the greater Seattle Area and as we expand our reach, we hope to recognize educators across Washington State as well.

We would like to thank the K-12 educators, as well as educators in higher education, for their creativity, passion, and success in bringing the world into their classrooms and inspiring their students to be the best they can be. While this year has been trying, teachers, students, and parents continue to demonstrate their resilience and dedication to finding a path forward for youth to receive equitable and engaging education during this time.

As we near the end of the year,  please join Global Classroom in taking a look back at our Educators of the Month for 2020! Thank you for uplifting our youth!

DECEMBER 2020

Brandon Severance has taught Spanish in Seattle and Tacoma over the last decade while highlighting and connecting with Spanish-speaking communities locally and abroad. In addition to student service learning trips to Central and South America, he has worked with teachers abroad to set up pen pals, shared blogs, and video chats to give students an international experience from their home community. He believes that a language classroom is only as effective as how relevant we show it to be, which means that reflection on film, music, current events, and more are just as important in his classroom as the mechanics of Spanish. He has presented at state world language conferences (WAFLT) on getting students to connect personally with world languages and cultures as well as using the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to plan school-wide events and education. Brandon hopes that fellow educators will join him in advocating for access to affordable study abroad programs, engaging school communities using the Sustainable Development Goals, making the Seal of Biliteracy a priority in your classroom and district, and growth opportunities for educators and students toward multilingualism and multiculturalism

NOVEMBER 2020

Johanna Fischer has been involved in “global education” since 2012. She first started teaching through a Peace Corps alternative program called “WorldTeach” in Ibarra, Ecuador. Many of her students aspired to work in international business, engineering or tourism and wanted to learn English to be able to converse and collaborate with people from all over the world. She has always thought that teaching language – whether it was English, in Ecuador or Mexico or Washington, or Spanish, both in Seattle – provides a special opportunity for students to both see themselves (as they speak about their experiences) and to connect with new ideas and communities as they learn a new language and speak to their classmates or people out in the world. Now teaching Social Studies, Johanna strives to be a “World Educator,” regularly encouraging nuanced discussions with her students about what it means to be who we are, how our experiences influence how we see others, and how history and psychology impact our perceptions, actions, and connections. She believes in self actualization for community actualization and liberation, and makes an effort to foster this concept in both her own and her students’ emotional intelligence and resilience. Her mission is to “strive to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect.” Thank you, Johanna for all that you do!

OCTOBER 2020

Pedro Lopez-Chaves was hired from Barcelona to implement the Secondary Dual Language Program in Spanish at Chief Sealth International High School in 2013. He has been one of the district’s strongest proponents of Dual Language Immersion and International Education since his arrival in Seattle and advocates for students rights, encouraging them to speak up for themselves against the systematic oppressive structures that schools can often perpetuate, particularly for Latinx youth. Pedro gained the National Board Certificate in 2018 and was an active participant in the International Schools/Dual Language Immersion Task Force for the district. For two years, Pedro offered the Global Competence Certificate as a follow-on project for his Spanish Dual Language seniors. The students’ reflections on working with Pedro showed the depth of their respect and appreciation of him as a teacher who could bridge cultures, including the varied cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Now, Pedro is serving as Spanish Lead Instructor for the newly funded grant from OSPI for the Global Competence Certificate for Heritage Language Speakers. We are excited to share Pedro’s unique talents across the state.

SEPTEMBER 2020

Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki has made a significant contribution to the field of global education for many years. As International Education Administrator for Seattle Public Schools until her recent retirement, Michele worked closely with educators to bring high quality language and global education curriculum to students. Over the past 3 years, Michele has also partnered with Global Classroom to develop the Global Competence Certificate Program for students. Michele continues to be actively involved in global education by leading the Washington State Coalition for International Education and supporting initiatives that prepare students for our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. We want to acknowledge Michele for her years of service to education and for bringing the world into the classroom.

The WAC Global Classroom "Educator of the Month" is our way of honoring local educators who have made exceptional contributions in broadening the global horizons of students and colleagues. If you are interested in nominating an educator, please contact jpatterson@world-affairs.org.

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