Episode 208: Assistant Principal Travels World to Collaborate on Classroom Success

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She is traveling the world on a quest to collaborate and connect with educators and students in countries thousands of miles away.

On this episode of the Supercast, we sit down with Fort Herriman Middle School Assistant Principal Lisa Jackson to learn about Global Education Allies. It is a group of educators participating in international education travel, hoping to develop global awareness and foster innovative learning in classrooms. They even develop lifelong friendships in their travels with teachers and students from all over the world.

We're talking today with Lisa Jackson, an assistant principal in Jordan School District, about her experiences traveling around the world learning about schools in other countries. Lisa, thanks for taking the time.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about how you got involved in this. What's the organization? How does all of this work?

Lisa Jackson:
So in 2016, my daughter was graduating from high school. She wanted to do something different for her senior trip. Another educator told me they had been to Africa with this group. So I checked into Global Education Allies, interviewed with them, and she and I went on a three-week adventure to Africa where we visited lots of schools, we did a lot of service, we raised money, and that just kind of started my love for seeing what school is like in other countries and around the world.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, so what is the stated purpose for this organization to exist? What is their mission?

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, so they're bringing together educators from around the world to collaborate, to discuss cultural issues, to just have shared experiences so we can collaborate with each other and learn about each other's education system.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is fascinating to me because we always hear about, well, in this country or that country they do something that really solves everything and makes everything work. Just any of the countries that you visited, tell me some of the things that have really stood out to you. Like, “Hey I wonder what would happen if we tried this?” or “There's no way we could ever do this, but it works here.” What are some of the things that have just been the most memorable as you've as you visited these countries?

Lisa Jackson:
I would say there's something really memorable about every single country. So one thing I want to just state though is my experiences in these different countries is probably not indicative of the entire country. It's the areas that I went to, the schools that I was taken to, for example in Africa, I was taken to the poorest villages. Only one school in that area did I go to that was anywhere near what we have here.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it is that's a really good distinction. It's important to say that the schools that you visited in these countries, not what are schools like throughout the country. I visited schools in China, visited schools in other in other states, visited schools in France, in various countries as well, not in the in-depth as you have, but every time I visit a school, I do have to remind myself of exactly that. One school is not emblematic of what's happening in education throughout an entire country or even an entire district or state or wherever else. So tell me some of the take-aways, some of the things that you've learned. Let's start with Africa. What countries were you in in Africa and tell me about the village and what you learned there.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, so the country I spent the most time in was Uganda. We also went over to Kumbala. In Uganda, I was shocked at the conditions. Many of the schools we went to, dirt floors, doors didn't go all the way to the ground, so they're sharing the classroom with bugs, with animals. Everything is handmade. There's no books in the classroom. We actually brought suitcases full of books. We helped to build a library over there.

But the one thing that really stood out to me was the kids are the happiest kids I've ever seen. We would go out onto the playground with them and there's nothing, there's maybe an old metal swing set, but you've never seen such big smiles. And they're doing cartwheels and they're pushing a old tire with a stick. And it made me realize we don't need all the things we think we need to make kids happy. We just need to love them. That's really all they need.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's pretty amazing. So you were there in the summer?

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, so all these trips have been summer. However, I just got back from the South Pacific and it was their winter. So in both, in Africa, China, and the South Pacific school was in. In Finland, school was out. So we met with lots of educators, didn't actually see many students. In all the other countries, we were watching class. In some of those countries, we were teaching class with them, teaching English, just working with kids. And I absolutely, it kind of combines both my passions, traveling and education together. So it's the best of both worlds for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's fantastic. So tell me about, let's talk about Finland.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What did you learn in Finland? Where did you go? What did you find out about education there?

Lisa Jackson:
So you know, Finland is known for having one of the best education systems in the world.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, teachers are valued, people are happy, scores are high.

Lisa Jackson:
Lots of teacher trust, no like extended recesses, shorter school days, no homework. So many things that in theory sound phenomenal. What I did learn is they're really not that different than us, they really aren't. Their pay is very comparable to ours when you consider cost of living in both countries. Teachers have their issues there as well, we all do.

The one thing I took away from there that has kind of stuck with me is we do special education in the United States really well. When looking at their special education system, I really think that we take the individual student into account. And I was kind of proud of us for that, even though they have some great things and they're scoring phenomenally.

One thing I absolutely loved about their country is in high school, students are able to pick a path so they have a no-dead-ends policy. So if students, maybe traditional college is not going to work for them, they go to a vocational high school. So one of the vocational high schools we visited was a farming school. So the kids spend a good part of their day learning how to farm, how to work the land had to take care of the animals and when they graduate they have a career path. We do something similar. We have our JATC South, we have extended and college into a high school, but this was a career path as soon as they exit school and I was really impressed with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting to hear that a lot of what they do is very similar to what we do and that you know the no dead end. I love the idea of that that there's a path for everyone. We just need to find the right match up. Now you've also visited China. Tell me about what you learned there.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, China was a different experience. China was with many educators. There was lots of Jordan School District administrators as well. In that situation we went to their finest schools. We went to their top schools, saw their top performing students. I felt like their education system is very different that ours. They're very proud of it. There was a lot of good, like I remember distinctly one student walking us around saying, "Don't you think our school is beautiful?" And it was, and I would love for our students to feel that kind of pride in our schools.

But I also noticed the teaching is very teacher-centered. Teachers are on a raised platform. Students have a specific way that they sit, a specific way that they answer questions. There's a lot of sit and get. So, while they have some great things going, I also took away that we have some great things going from that experience.

But I loved being immersed in their cultural experiences. The one thing I learned is even though our countries might be a bit divided, that doesn't mean the people have to be. We had some great relationships with some of the Chinese educators and the people that took us on our tours and they're wonderful people.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about other countries that you visited as well.

Lisa Jackson:
So I just got back Sunday from the South Pacific. So I went to Australia and to New Zealand. I spent a lot of time in New Zealand schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bali High School?

Lisa Jackson:
No, no, I'm sorry, I did not go there. (laughs)

Anthony Godfrey:
South Pacific Musical Reference, yes.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the schools there.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, you know what? Gorgeous country, gorgeous country. Lots of collaboration, and like I said earlier, not to categorize every single school into one idea, because the different schools we went to were all so different. The very first school we went to was a primary school. It was a two-room school. There was two teachers and one principal. The one teacher taught K through three all together. Four through six was the other teacher, and the principal did all the pullouts.

Then we went to another school that was brand new, just opened in 2022. Gorgeous facility. But that one had, so when they're finished, they'll have about 900 students. What I loved about them was they're very collaborative. It was built with all glass doors and you can slide all the doors open so all the classrooms combine. So a very collaborative approach. Yeah, which I loved. Loved that.

I will say the one thing I took away from this trip that I just came back on, I kept marveling at the scenery and how beautiful New Zealand is. We were sitting at one school and I was sitting in their faculty room looking out the window thinking I would love this view. And then I started thinking, hold on. I am at Fort Herriman Middle School. If I sit in our library and look out, I have a very similar view of the Oquirrh Mountains. But I'm so used to it that I've never given it the same consideration and had the same admiration for mountains that I live by. So I walked away thinking, oh, I need to value, I live in a beautiful state. And I don't think about that. I travel all over looking for beauty and it's right here.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a great thought. And I do this to my kids and probably others listening do the same thing. I stop and say, look at the mountains, look. And they look up from their screen and go “Oh yeah, Dad”, they know what to say. “Yeah, that's beautiful, that's amazing.” And then they go back to their screen. But you're right, we need to pause, we need to stop. I even had an art teacher in high school who was also the wrestling coach and I can remember exactly where I was in class 'cause this seemed like, it was a surprising quote from him. He just said, "You know, you guys need to stop and look at the sky. It's gorgeous and too frequently we don't stop and look up." And I've always remembered that. You have to look around yourself and be really intentional about noticing the beauty around here because people come and they marvel at how close we are to the mountains.

Lisa Jackson:
Right, right.

Anthony Godfrey:
There were some other things that when you came back from these trips you really valued about the United States and Utah and Jordan School District education. Because you go and you learn new things from them, but you also come to appreciate some things that are in place here.

Lisa Jackson:
Absolutely. Yeah, I mean we have a lot of good things going and I'm always excited to share with them. I'm proud to be part of Jordan School District. I'm proud to live in Utah. I'm proud to be American. So I love to share all of those things with people in other countries to learn from theirs. I think we do a lot of things right. I think we're really good at building relationships with kids. I think that we are really good at looking at a student as an individual rather than a whole group or a cohort of kids. I think we are really good at professional development. I think that's something I didn't see in other countries is quite as much bringing our teachers and our administrators together and learning from each other and learning from other people in our field. So there's a lot we're doing right. There's a lot we have to be proud of.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more from Lisa Jackson on her love for world education travel.

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Break:
Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at employment.jordandistrict.org.

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Anthony Godfrey:
Now you went to Finland, did you go to other countries in Europe as well?

Lisa Jackson:
I did, I went to Sweden and I went to Estonia.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about Sweden and Estonia. I've never been to any of those countries.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, so Estonia is by far my favorite. Gorgeous, gorgeous country, all cobblestone, old, old architecture, lots of castle-looking type buildings. The people were incredibly friendly. The cost of living there is really low. I just really enjoyed Estonia.

We went to several schools in Estonia and I enjoyed talking to their educators. In several of these countries, we've been able to meet with their Ministry of Education and see what they're doing and what they're bringing into their schools. I just really enjoyed those conversations and those collaborations.

Anthony Godfrey:
What sense did you get for education in Estonia? The general focus or what would it be like to be an educator in Estonia from what you can tell?

Lisa Jackson:
They're very focused on digital literacy. In fact, we went to E-Estonia and talked all about how they're bringing technology into just changing their whole education system. So they're focused on technology there. They're much like Finland in their education system but they have a very technology-centered focus. And both countries, both Estonia and Finland, you know they were under Soviet rule for so long and they've brought themselves out of poverty and really they've done a lot of that through their education system so they have a lot to be proud of.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, that's fantastic. How about Sweden? What was Sweden like?

Lisa Jackson:
So in Sweden I didn't get into schools, but we did have educators with us on all of our cultural experiences so those were a lot more of just casual, real conversations with teachers and one principal that was with us. Just conversations about what education is like.

Anthony Godfrey:
You brought books with pictures from your travels, and on the front of these books, there's a picture of the group that you traveled with. Have you made some great connections with the people you've traveled with, in addition to the people that you visited?

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, that's been one of my favorite parts of this. I have made lasting friendships with people from all over the country, and I would say that we're genuinely good friends now. When I first went to Africa, my very first trip doing this, I had my daughter with me. And on this last trip, so that was in 2016, we're now 2023, and I went on this trip, and I took a picture with a lady who my daughter had kind of bonded with. They both played college softball. I sent that to my daughter and she immediately sent a picture of her and that lady on top of a safari van in Africa. And it's just sweet how people I met in 2016, I'm still talking to. I've met some great friends from Philadelphia, from New York, from Florida. I've actually tried to recruit a couple of them to come to our district.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good, good. Recruit worldwide for Jordan School District.

Lisa Jackson:
I've tried, I've tried.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome, it's amazing as I look through this, the remote areas that you were able to see, and monkeys out in the wild, and rapids in Africa that you're traveling through, and that's remarkable.

Something that's exciting about what I see of your travels as I look through the book here is that you're really embedding yourself. You're really getting to know the locals and the local area because of the nature of the trip, but also just because of your spirit of adventure here as you go through. I love that. So this is not a tourist trip. This is a trip where you get to know people, where you help people and you learn from people.

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, absolutely. Which is what has drawn me to Global Education Allies, that they do get you in with local people. We get into people's homes, we get into schools, colleges, libraries, museums, places I may not go if I was just traveling there for vacation.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, if someone wanted to be involved in Global Education Allies, how would they go about doing that?

Lisa Jackson:
Yeah, they have a great website that tells you all the information, and there's other companies as well that do these kinds of trips. This is just one I've connected with early and I've stuck with. But you can look them up on the web. I'm happy to tell anyone about my experiences with them. I think they're a great organization. I've loved every minute of my trips with them. So I encourage people to just get out.

And my thing is how much I've changed, how much my view of the world has changed by seeing more than just my little world here. And so it's one thing I highly encourage my own kids to do is just get out and travel and see what the world is really like.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's a good message overall. Learn from the people around you as much as you can, like you said about appreciating the scenery that we have here and what we have here.

Well, you're a great example of putting yourself out there, making sure you maintain a sense of adventure, and more than anything, curiosity about how things work elsewhere and what we can learn from the people around us. So thank you for spending time talking with us. This is really exciting, and I can't wait to hear about your future trips.

Lisa Jackson:
Thank you so much for having me. It was great.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

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