Education students get a glimpse of Bahamian teaching, culture

Here in Radford, we take pride in our small-town state of mind - on and off campus. We have small classrooms that bolster student success; we greet each other on campus; and some of us are even on a first-name basis with our Starbucks baristas.

However, this summer, four Highlanders decided to broaden their perspective of the classroom by visiting another, even smaller community: Eleuthera and Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

Lisa Aker, a professor of literacy education, organized the inaugural trip to Eleuthera, partnering with Bahamian schools to share curriculum, pedagogical methodology and professional and cultural perspectives among teachers and students alike.

As for the students, this was a chance for them to deepen their understanding of the classroom by seeing what education looks like in another country.

"Not only is this an amazing opportunity for students professionally," Aker said, "but it's an opportunity for them to step outside of their comfort zone and get cultural perspective they never would have known otherwise."

These students were not merely on a commercialized beach in the Bahamas for a week - they were ingrained in the Bahamian culture. Radford may be a small town, but in Eleuthera, everyone literally knows everyone. They grow up together, teach and learn from each other. They truly know one another.

And they extend this friendly, genuine curiosity to any new face they see. India May, a senior elementary education major from Bland County, Virginia, was surprised at how welcomed she felt.

"It was more than just a passing hello; they wanted to stop and get to know you," she says of the residents. "People on the island are so close-knit; everyone knows everyone, which is so different from here, where you have neighbors you might never talk to."

May and her classmates had the opportunity to teach a lesson in various schools on the island and learn from the Eleutherian teachers about how they build their curriculum around island life. The Highlanders prepared read-alouds - a lesson in which the teacher reads an age-appropriate book aloud while asking questions, engaging with students and teaching new vocabulary along the way. They were also able to directly apply concepts they had learned in their own classrooms in a new setting.

Sustainability is a natural part of island life and is thus the foundation of Eleutherians' educational structure. They are developing solar power for sustainable electricity sourcing, building a greenhouse for high-quality produce to be shared among the island and enhancing their water conservation efforts - all while creating a workforce to grow these resources.

The most shocking difference in their classroom for May was that students from different grade levels were taught together in the same class. Rather than altering resources and class schedules, the instructors accommodated their materials to different learning levels so each student can be successful.

May recognizes that even here in our small town of Radford, we have privileges that many others don't - and she plans to take that new perspective into her future classroom.

"I do not want to take what I have for granted. I realize that people come from different backgrounds, and I want to use my classroom to honor those life experiences."

Aker hopes to initiate the trip as a new alternative spring break activity, despite logistical issues.

"This partnership is so meaningful for both our students and the students and teachers on the island," she said. "We are able to share learning materials, offer professional development for their educators and help build assessments and literacy intervention methods. In turn, our students are welcomed into and learn about Bahamian culture and get a more global perspective of education than they would on campus."