story by Claire Miller
English teacher Josseling Estela Hernandez Espinoza has spent more than 10 years working with high school and college students in her home country of Nicaragua.
This spring, she had the opportunity to teach high school students in Atlanta as part of the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program at Georgia State University – a six-week, U.S. Department of State-sponsored, highly selective initiative that brings teachers from other countries to a host university for professional development.
“I wanted to join this program to enhance my skills as an English teacher and impart the best of my newfound knowledge to my students back home,” she said. “My aim was to acquire insights that could contribute to the growth of my community. I also aspired to serve as a source of inspiration for my students, demonstrating that with hard work and a willingness to explore new opportunities, we can achieve our goals and continually evolve as professionals.”
Hernandez Espinoza is one of 22 teachers from 21 countries who participated in this semester’s Fulbright program at Georgia State, where they attended classes with university faculty, visited local cultural sites and taught classes in local schools.
For her field experiences, Hernandez Espinoza was placed at Cross Keys High School in Atlanta – a place that “felt like home” to her.
“I learned how students are resilient in this school, where they learn how to improve their lives through the different projects that the school provides,” she said. “I learned a lot from my partner teacher, who was so kind. I was so happy for the opportunity I had not only to co-teach there, but also to lead a class.”
She also appreciated the opportunity to get to know her fellow Fulbright teachers and learn from their experiences as educators.
“They nourished my own knowledge and expanded my thoughts about different cultures around the world,” she said. “I learned a lot about teaching English from them, like the idea of teaching through telling stories like my friend Augustina does, and how to empower and serve as role models for our female students like my friends Nakaroz and Mariam do.”
The six-week program gave Hernandez Espinoza and her colleagues time to reflect on their teaching practices and consider how they will apply what they learned from each other and from Georgia State faculty members.
“Each of their class lessons were accompanied with reflections that encouraged us to be better every day – not only better teachers, but better human beings,” she said.