experiences to our students." While our trips always
imply a baseline level of risk with regard to student
safety, sometimes our administration also must weigh
loftier threats, such as the outbreak of the Zika virus or a
terrorist bombing in a European capital. Over time, the
cultural, social, and pedagogical benefits of being there
have proven to far outweigh the risks.
Both sessions proved so compelling that NAIS invited
Melinda and Andrew to deliver a webinar that spoke
to internationalism in schools last May. They explained
what it means to cultivate citizens of the world, in the
company of student ambassadors Wesley Tam and
Madeleine McGrath, Class of 2017. The presentation
went way beyond the food, festivals, and fun approach
and included some candid transformative learning-
moment anecdotes from the students who had travelled
with us to the Galapagos and India, respectively. The
webinar culminated in the assertion that the mere
presence of an international or global curriculum,
no matter how astutely permeated with international
elements, is only a beginning. What actually counts
is how the curriculum is enacted. Seen this way,
“international mindedness” is fostered—and a global
education is realized—only when the curriculum comes
alive in the daily learning interactions between faculty
and students, school and families. In other words,
international mindedness and global citizenship are as
much about people and values as curriculum.
Citizens of the world come from somewhere.
Sharing our humanity means sharing our planet.
Going a long way goes a long way.
Mother and other tongues matter.
Those who’ve come far can take you far.
You can’t be what your curriculum isn’t.
The 2016 Arabic Language class trip to Morocco.
