By Rubina Madan
October 1, 2005

WINDER—Foreign exchange programs aren't just for students anymore. Teachers are using them to broaden their knowledge of foreign school systems while helping their immigrant students succeed.

Two Winder-Barrow High School Spanish teachers participated in a teacher exchange program with the Mexican government. Lori Barron and Lucinda York-Rickards spent two weeks observing Mexican classrooms from pre-K through college. They also directed workshops for teachers in the state of Morelos on how to teach English as a second language.

Barron said the experience helped her become a better, more informed teacher for all her students. "In my Spanish class, I'm able to bring back all that information to share with students here about students in Mexico," she said. "With the students coming in from Mexico, just being able to see where they're coming from, it's helping me this school year to help them."

Barrow County Schools worked with the University of Georgia and the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta to fund and organize the exchange.

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As part of the exchange, Mexican teacher Diana Perez spent 18 days at Winder-Barrow last April teaching Spanish and Mexican culture. Alberto Diaz, coordinator for the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, saw the program as beneficial for Mexican teachers. "It's good to know how the system works here, to get some perspective from some teachers in the U.S. on the education system," he said.

The biggest differences the teachers observed between the school systems were the class sizes. One Mexican teacher would instruct up to 60 students in a class. The school day would also be divided into two sessions. Half the students, usually the more gifted ones, would attend school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the other half would go to class from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Another major difference was that the state of Morelos, where the teachers stayed, made it mandatory for 3-year-olds to attend school. "This shows how important they believe education is and also they want to provide for those children that come from poorer homes, where perhaps the parents are not educated themselves," said York-Rickards.

While only 3.2 percent of Barrow County's population was Hispanic in the 2000 census, the county's Latino population is growing rapidly. "They are showing a lot of vision by wanting to address this challenge early on," said Jennifer Frum of the UGA Office of International Public Service and Outreach. "We're working with counties that have a large Hispanic population like Gwinnett, but whenever a county and a school district has that kind of vision, I think they'll have a better impact."

The teachers were very impressed by the way they were treated during their trip. A group of about five people were instrumental in making them get the most out of the experience.

"I think that being close to a small group of native speakers was a real plus," said York-Rickards. "They took us everywhere we wanted and needed to go. They accompanied us to all of the schools. They shared their culture and answered our many questions."

Since the school year began, the teachers have given presentations on the issues that affect Latino students and shared their experiences with fellow teachers and civic organizations.

Barron and York-Rickards plan on initiating an e-mail exchange program between their students and students in Morelos, Mexico.

"Students from both cultures discover how they're alike, diminishing the focus on differences," said Lynn Hammond of the Barrow County Schools Teacher Recruitment Center. "In a microcosmic way, it is a step toward tolerance, understanding and partnership as members of the world community."

The teachers hope this will eventually lead to an exchange program for Winder-Barrow students. For now, it's the teachers, not the students, who are studying abroad.