Television station KXAN-TV reached out to our J-1 Teacher Program participants last month to interview them about their time preparing to teach in the U.S. for the 2021-22 schoolyear. Spirit’s Teacher Program allows international educators to teach in the USA full-time at an accredited primary or secondary school. Teachers can instruct a variety of subjects and ages, from elementary school Spanish to high school chemistry. Spirit’s J-1 Visa Teacher Program has a lasting impact on our participants’ careers and on the lives of many in their host communities.
Sherika is from Jamaica, and she has been a teacher for nine years. She is currently living in Austin, TX and will be teaching at a nearby elementary school. Sherika hopes to learn U.S. teaching styles while sharing information about Jamaican teaching techniques with American teachers. She plans to share her background of dance with her students by teaching them traditional Jamaican dances.
Ellen is from Australia, and this is her first time in the U.S. She is an Elementary Teacher as well and is teaching in at a school in Cedar Park, a major suburb of Austin. Ellen hopes to inspire students the way her teachers did by offering a future-focused teaching style. She has previous international experience from a 2-year program in Japan and believes the experience in the U.S. will help her to continue improving her teaching techniques.
Learn more about our two J-1 Teachers as they begin their programs:
Want to learn more about becoming a teacher in the USA? Check out Spirit’s J-1 Teacher Program!