Shackectha Scarlett is in her first year of the Global Teaching Partners program as an elementary school teacher from Jamaica. Her transition was difficult at first, as she pushed through sleepless nights and navigated a completely different education system.

“Mentally, you are going to have to start over. So it might be a little bit draining at the beginning, but it is worth it,” Scarlett said.

Jody Ann Harrison is from Jamaica, too. She’s been teaching in Durham for five years, which means she is about to graduate from the Global Teaching Partners program. During her experience, she has earned her master’s degree, built meaningful connections with her students and supported new international teachers through their struggles and successes.

“One of the favorite things I have done was building a relationship with my students, and [seeing] the growth in them gave me a push to go, to continue,” Harrison said.

International teachers have played instrumental roles in the lives of students, teachers and community members in Durham. Through this cultural exchange, Durham Public Schools learn new ways to serve the diverse needs of their students, and international educators gain new perspectives on teaching across the globe. 

Global Teaching Partners

Global Teaching Partners is an organization that connects international educators to school systems in the United States. This program serves over 900 teachers across 25 school districts as J-1 visa sponsors and works directly with the Durham Public School system. While many similar programs struggle to support their teachers through the transition process, Global Teaching Partners has seen success through the implementation of success coaches.

Danté Johnson is the director of educator success for Global Teaching Partners. He chose to join the program because of his prior experiences as an international teacher. 

“I knew what it was like to uproot from home to a whole new setting, with not knowing anyone and going through that,” he said.

Johnson has witnessed how the success coaches have made an impact on the lives of international teachers, especially in the first few difficult months of their transition.

“[Success coaches] make sure that they know how to support them, and then they also give them space to teach, a space to learn,” Johnson said.

Renee Banks is in her first year as a success coach, after spending 30 years as an educator. Along with other mentors, she helps international teachers adjust to living in the Durham community, from getting a driver’s license to finding good foodie spots.

“[International teachers] come and they just really are hungry for and passionate to be the best teachers they can be for our students,” Banks said. “They excel in that way of making all those accomplishments so fast.”

A rocky start

For almost every international teacher, the first few months of living in America are the hardest. They have to leave behind their families and communities, and are thrown into a whirlwind of driver’s tests, different institutional structures, and worst of all – freezing cold winters.

“This was my first time experiencing winter, and let me tell you, that was rough,” Scarlett said. 

Everything about teaching in America was different from teaching in Jamaica. Scarlett said she had to completely start over and learn everything from scratch. Luckily, she had other teachers, including Harrison, to help her navigate the new environment.

“At first, I was the only Jamaican teacher there until more came,” said Harrison. “Whatever questions they had, I assisted them – with setting up their classrooms, with whatever questions they have in terms of how the lesson is to be done, with how to access the online portals within the system, because everything is new to them. Everything is different.”

Through the support of success coaches and peers, Harrison and Scarlett have made it through the transition process. Now, Scarlett is enjoying Durham with her 10-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.

“I was here alone, and sometimes it gets lonely,” Scarlett said. “When it was time and they got here, it was one of my happiest moments.”

Cultural Exchange

Every international teacher has a “culture corner” in their classroom. This corner displays a flag from each teacher’s home country, along with maps, pictures of traditional foods and famous heroes, games and other symbols from home. 

Along with this display, international teachers also immerse their students in different activities from their home countries. Harrison has taught her students many Bob Marley songs, which have been enjoyed by students and parents alike. 

“I think the other favorite thing [is] to be sharing my culture and cultural events with them. It makes me feel like part of home,” Harrison said.

International teachers also share their culture through holiday celebrations. 

“When we recognize specific days in Jamaica, whenever there’s a specific celebration, those are some days that I would use to tell my children that today, we are celebrating our heroes,” Scarlett said.

International teachers provide students with a new understanding of the world. Many students know about the tourist side of Jamaica, but don’t understand its rich culture.

“Some of the students would not have the opportunity to travel and see other countries, hear other voices and other experiences,” Johnson said. “When we think about what the needs of our students are, as far as social maturity and social emotional learning, it expands when you are talking with people who are different from you.”

Feeling grateful

The Global Teaching Partners program benefits everyone. Students, teachers, administrators and the Durham Public School system as a whole are all able to expand their world view through the exchange of unique perspectives.

Michelle Hayes is the executive director of talent acquisition for Durham Public Schools. She has seen that these new perspectives often bring students success.

“I think it takes a lot of courage to leave what’s comfortable, to come to the unfamiliar. So I have a lot of respect for international teachers because of that,” Hayes said.

Even though it is only her first year as a success coach, Banks has seen international teachers accomplish incredible things. She has felt fulfillment as she supported them through hard times and was then able to see them succeed.

“I have seen [international teachers] blossom and bloom into becoming like team leads and grade level chairs,” Banks said. “They are teachers of the week, of the month, of the year, and to see that impact as quickly as I have in my one year of being in this position has been a beautiful thing.”

Scarlett and Harrison dove into new experiences, unsure of what they would find. While Scarlett’s journey is still just beginning, she said the experience has been worth it. 

Harrison went from being the only teacher from Jamaica to an advocate for the community of Jamaican teachers and others in the program. Now that she is about to graduate, she is proud of what she has accomplished. 

“Being a international teacher gives you that sense of pride, where you’re representing your country,” Harrison said.