Some fifth graders at Minnieville Elementary School in Woodbridge, Virginia, were awe-struck Wednesday afternoon, as their teacher Sidonie Frater-Gayle broke out into song at the start of class.
Frater-Gayle, who鈥檚 from Jamaica, told her students that the day鈥檚 lesson would involve using specific language and vocabulary to add voice to their writing. On a slide in the front of the room, the five steps of the writing process were detailed.
The slide was called 鈥淲riting Process Dub Poem,鈥� and students giggled at what came next.
鈥淭he writing process, the writing process,鈥� Frater-Gayle started to sing, to the melody of a Jamaican tune. 鈥淲e have to revise our writing to make it right.鈥�
As she concluded, Frater-Gayle explained that music was an important part of her culture. She warned the students about starting sentences with conjunctions, and then explained the task at hand.
Often, Frater-Gayle said, she tries to incorporate song, dance and poems into her lessons.
鈥淎nd they tend to remember,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey sing it in the evenings, they want me to sing it over and over again.鈥�
Frater-Gayle is in her second year of teaching in Prince William County, but she鈥檚 been a teacher for the last two decades. She鈥檚 one of seven teachers at Minnieville involved with the , an international teacher exchange opportunity that enables teachers abroad to teach in the U.S. for up to five years.
There are over 250 Participate Learning teachers in Virginia鈥檚 second-largest school system, a spokesperson said, and 102 new teachers from the program this year. Many of them come from Jamaica, like Frater-Gayle did, and teach students aspects of cultures they otherwise may not learn about.
It took a leap of faith to apply to the program, Frater-Gayle said, but she plans to bring certain strategies, such as the focus on reading comprehension, back to her colleagues in Jamaica when she returns.
鈥淚 try to give them a piece of my culture, because it’s very important to have them experience the different cultures,鈥� Frater-Gayle said. 鈥淪ome of them may never get to leave their country.鈥�
Meanwhile, down the hallway, Honey Susmiran鈥檚 students watched a video about the Philippines. After the short clip ended, she asked the class to use different words to describe the country where she taught for nine years, and then to come up with a few questions about it.
One student asked if they had ice cream there.
Susmiran learned about Participate Learning on Facebook, and since arriving at Minnieville has noticed some differences in America鈥檚 approach to education. For one, she said her students get to do more hands-on activities, and schools are on a stricter schedule.
鈥淲hen we say we start at eight [a.m.] in our country, we start at 8:30 or nine (or) until everyone is there,鈥� she said.
Every month, Susmiran said, she introduces her students to something different about the Philippines. In her classroom鈥檚 cultural corner, she has a game called Sungka.
Principal Deborah Ellis, meanwhile, said having teachers with different backgrounds helps show students 鈥渢hat we live in a global society.鈥�
鈥淪omeone said, 鈥業t’s like going on a field trip without really going on a field trip, without having to leave the classroom, you get a field trip right there every day,’鈥� Ellis said.
