Mrs Jones' Cuban Educator Exchange
Donation protected
The Ministry of Education in Cuba has invited a small group of teachers from the US to provide STEM training to 150 Cuban teachers. The Cuban government is allowing the education program and training but not funding the event. I have been invited to be part of a historical 9-day educational exchange trip to Cuba this summer as a STEM instructor for a program highlighting lessons in science, technology, engineering and math. The trip is completely volunteer and includes 10 members of the Worldwide Stem Education Group as well as interpreters for the exchange.
Every attending instructor must raise his/her own funding for the trip. I will be teaching STEM lessons that I create for 150 Cuban teachers throughout the week at the end of June 2017. I am responsible for creating the lessons, purchasing and providing the supplies for these lessons, as well as teaching the lessons to the Cuban teachers during our week-long professional development session in Havana. I am also responsible for all travel, lodging, and personal expenses as well. This of course includes passport and visa fees, shots to travel out of the country, airfare, taxi/bus, lodging and meals. I need to raise $5,000 to cover the expenses for this trip.
I need your help to accomplish this fundraising feat. I have thought about and prayed about this opportunity for over a year when I was asked to be one of the five US teachers to present lessons and teach the Cuban educators who will attend the event. I feel like this is an amazing opportunity for me to help teachers in another country build an amazing STEM program for the youth of Cuba. Also, it is rare that the Cuban government invites American groups to actually teach and work with Cuban teachers in such an exchange of knowledge and pedagogy. I am humbled by this opportunity to participate in such a wonderful event and hope I can contribute just a small part to the advancement of STEM education for students and teachers around the world. I love science and even more so I LOVE seeing students curious about science and growing in their love for the subject. I teach to make a positive difference in my student's lives every single day, this is a once in a life-time chance to make that difference in not just my own classroom but in Cuban classrooms as well.
The trip and exchange program is being coordinated by Altruvistas Journeys, a group that regularly plans student/teacher educational tours in Cuba. Along with the training sessions when I will teach throughout the day, I will also visit the University of Havana for a class in the history of education in Cuba and visit a primary school in the area. I will also visit the Literacy Museum in Cuba to learn about the literacy campaign that educated the population in a single year. Our group will also see the vocational arts program and visit with the youth in that program while in Cuba. We will also attend the National Children's Theater, attend a training with the local education program organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, and meet Cuban Photographer Roberto Salas and learn about his personal narrative documenting the Cuban Revolution since 1959.
I am always working to increase my knowledge of STEM fields and education pedagogy. I want to ensure that my students always have the best possible education I can offer them in order to provide each of them with the skills and tools they need to accomplish their goals in life. I feel as the 2012 Arkansas Biology Teacher of the year, 2013 Presidential Awardee for science from Arkansas, 2015 Air Force Association Arkansas Teacher of the year, and recipient of the 2016 ITEEA Teacher Excellence Award I have used each of these honors to increase my knowledge in STEM and worked to use these past opportunities to benefit my students greatly. Each of these honors led me to new resources to use in my classroom that I had never even heard of before. They provided me with opportunities for professional development which made me a better teacher and even led to this exciting Cuban Exchange opportunity.
This will be an amazing learning experience for me as well. As a teacher, I will learn about the Cuban education system and their amazing literacy gains for their country and hopefully learn how they accomplished such gains. The experiences I have in Cuba, I will bring back to the students in my classroom to share with them. I appreciate any donation you can make to help fund this journey for me as I strive to be an example of a life-long learner for all of my students and to make a positive difference in education. Most of all, I covet your prayers for myself and the entire exchange group for a safe and productive trip.
With my Sincere Thanks,
Amanda Smith Jones
Every attending instructor must raise his/her own funding for the trip. I will be teaching STEM lessons that I create for 150 Cuban teachers throughout the week at the end of June 2017. I am responsible for creating the lessons, purchasing and providing the supplies for these lessons, as well as teaching the lessons to the Cuban teachers during our week-long professional development session in Havana. I am also responsible for all travel, lodging, and personal expenses as well. This of course includes passport and visa fees, shots to travel out of the country, airfare, taxi/bus, lodging and meals. I need to raise $5,000 to cover the expenses for this trip.
I need your help to accomplish this fundraising feat. I have thought about and prayed about this opportunity for over a year when I was asked to be one of the five US teachers to present lessons and teach the Cuban educators who will attend the event. I feel like this is an amazing opportunity for me to help teachers in another country build an amazing STEM program for the youth of Cuba. Also, it is rare that the Cuban government invites American groups to actually teach and work with Cuban teachers in such an exchange of knowledge and pedagogy. I am humbled by this opportunity to participate in such a wonderful event and hope I can contribute just a small part to the advancement of STEM education for students and teachers around the world. I love science and even more so I LOVE seeing students curious about science and growing in their love for the subject. I teach to make a positive difference in my student's lives every single day, this is a once in a life-time chance to make that difference in not just my own classroom but in Cuban classrooms as well.
The trip and exchange program is being coordinated by Altruvistas Journeys, a group that regularly plans student/teacher educational tours in Cuba. Along with the training sessions when I will teach throughout the day, I will also visit the University of Havana for a class in the history of education in Cuba and visit a primary school in the area. I will also visit the Literacy Museum in Cuba to learn about the literacy campaign that educated the population in a single year. Our group will also see the vocational arts program and visit with the youth in that program while in Cuba. We will also attend the National Children's Theater, attend a training with the local education program organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, and meet Cuban Photographer Roberto Salas and learn about his personal narrative documenting the Cuban Revolution since 1959.
I am always working to increase my knowledge of STEM fields and education pedagogy. I want to ensure that my students always have the best possible education I can offer them in order to provide each of them with the skills and tools they need to accomplish their goals in life. I feel as the 2012 Arkansas Biology Teacher of the year, 2013 Presidential Awardee for science from Arkansas, 2015 Air Force Association Arkansas Teacher of the year, and recipient of the 2016 ITEEA Teacher Excellence Award I have used each of these honors to increase my knowledge in STEM and worked to use these past opportunities to benefit my students greatly. Each of these honors led me to new resources to use in my classroom that I had never even heard of before. They provided me with opportunities for professional development which made me a better teacher and even led to this exciting Cuban Exchange opportunity.
This will be an amazing learning experience for me as well. As a teacher, I will learn about the Cuban education system and their amazing literacy gains for their country and hopefully learn how they accomplished such gains. The experiences I have in Cuba, I will bring back to the students in my classroom to share with them. I appreciate any donation you can make to help fund this journey for me as I strive to be an example of a life-long learner for all of my students and to make a positive difference in education. Most of all, I covet your prayers for myself and the entire exchange group for a safe and productive trip.
With my Sincere Thanks,
Amanda Smith Jones
Organizer
Amanda Jones
Organizer
Malvern, AR