Bowling Green, Ky. - Six Western Kentucky University student teachers are wrapping up a four-week session in the Central American nation of Belize.
The student teachers completed 12 weeks of student teaching in Kentucky schools before spending their last four weeks in schools in San Ignacio, Belize.

The experience is the result of a partnership called the Consortium for Belize Educational Cooperation (COBEC), a group formed to aid junior colleges in Belize with educational issues, according to Alice Mikovch, director of WKU’s Office of Teacher Services.

The WKU students are Sheila Embry, an elementary education major from Morgantown; Sarah Ezell, an elementary education major from Auburn; Kendra Hurt, a business education major from Auburn; Lena Godby, a business education major from Somerset; Amy Bell, an English and allied language arts major from Mayfield; and Jamie Fultz, an elementary education major from Alvaton.

Mikovch worked as a contact to build a partnership with Dr. Eve Aird from Galen University in San Ignacio. Dr. Aird makes the arrangements for home stays for the students, finds classroom placements and monitors the stay of the students. Dr. Aird was invited to WKU in September 2005 to gain familiarity with WKU’s teacher education program.

The WKU student teachers spend Monday-Friday teaching in classrooms and the weekends exploring the country. The intent is to immerse them in the culture so they will be better prepared to meet the needs of all students in their classroom when they become full-time teachers.

For many of these students, traveling to Belize offers them exposure to issues of cultural diversity that they may not be able to experience in Kentucky.

“The culture of the people has been inspiring and I have created a wealth of knowledge by living with them,” Embry said. “They are the most pleasant group of people I have ever been around. I can hardly wait to share what I have learned.”

The students will return April 18 and will share their experiences with other students on April 21.

To learn more about the program’s international experiences, visit http://edtech.wku.edu/~international/ or call (270) 745-4611.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Alice Mikovch at (270) 745-4611.

-WKU-
"A leading American university with international reach"

Office of Media Relations
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu