District 197 teacher selected for educator Exchange Program with Fulbright Japan

Jennifer Parker, magnet facilitator for Garlough Environmental Magnet School, has been selected to participate in Fulbright Japan's 2013 Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development. She is one of 24 United States teachers chosen to travel to Japan this June to study Japanese culture and education practices related to sustainability. A group of Japanese teachers will travel to the United States in April as part of the Exchange Program.

Through the program, Parker will attend workshops, professional development sessions and visit schools in Japan to learn about food and sustainable nutrition, caring for the environment, energy and resources, and ways to promote international understanding and cooperation.

The Teacher Exchange Program's focus on Education for Sustainable Development, an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), fits well with Garlough's magnet school focus on energy and the environment, Parker said.

“I am particularly interested in learning about how Japan approaches energy and other sustainability endeavors,” Parker said. “We are at a similar latitude to Japan, yet culturally and demographically so different. I will love learning from other like-minded educators to help develop a program for Garlough based on global energy sustainability.”

After completing her two-week stay in Japan, Parker will work to develop curriculum for Garlough related to energy sustainability and the other topics discussed during the program.

The Teacher Exchange Program is administered by Fulbright Japan and is funded by the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State and the Japanese Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.