Cross Cultural Skills - Signature Event
On May 16, 2017 me and seven other students from the College of Education left for an amazing trip to explore the sights, sounds and schools of New Orleans, Louisiana. On this 5-day cultural immersion trip I was able to understand how Hurricane Katrina impacted schools, experience the rich culture in the French Quarter, take a river boat cruise on the Mississippi River, and learn about the making of floats at Mardi Gras World.
New Orleans culture played a very important role on the school systems. While visiting the various K-8 schools on the trip, I found that every school offered specialty classes for art, dance and even karate. I think that these special classes allow the lively culture of New Orleans to be preserved. Not only do these classes keep the students interested in learning, but they also allow for students to be creative in more than just their basic subjects. These classes create a more diverse population within students in the schools that we observed. One of the main things I learned about on this trip was how charters are becoming the main schooling system in the area. I learned about the different schools' performance grades and which schools were considered "failing" and by what means. Before going on this trip, I didn't know that there was such a problem with the school systems in New Orleans and I had no idea that there was so much research happening to help them improve.
My two favorite parts of the trip were exploring the French Quarter and attending Encore Academy's Family Friday. Exploring the French Quarter was such an amazing experience. Every corner you turned there was music, dancing, juggling, or some sort of entertainment and of course Cafe Du Monde with the most delicious beignets! Walking through the French Quarter was very valuable to our trip because we were able to fully engage in and appreciate the culture in the area. I was able to understand the effects that Katrina had on the city as I saw many homeless families with their pets. I even met one man who walked alongside a dog he had rescued during the storm. At Encore Academy, the students put on a performance for their families which we were fortunate enough to experience as well. Students in grades K-8 were able to show how they have improved through performances of music, dance, visual arts, and poetry. I really enjoyed seeing how the students were so passionate about what they were doing.
This trip has definitely given me so much to be thankful for as I look back on my own education. I think that going on a cultural immersion trip such as this one is extremely beneficial for future educators because it allows us to think about many different aspects of schooling systems. I was able to understand how the aspects of transportation, funding, testing and performance grades all pay important roles in school systems. I think that learning about all of these different views will help me in the future when it is my turn to find a school that I will call home. This trip also influenced me to look further into Education Policy and truly help make a positive impact on our school systems in North Carolina.
Special thanks to Dr. Regina Gavin Williams and Dr. Tiffany Davis for helping making this trip a fantastic experience!
My two favorite parts of the trip were exploring the French Quarter and attending Encore Academy's Family Friday. Exploring the French Quarter was such an amazing experience. Every corner you turned there was music, dancing, juggling, or some sort of entertainment and of course Cafe Du Monde with the most delicious beignets! Walking through the French Quarter was very valuable to our trip because we were able to fully engage in and appreciate the culture in the area. I was able to understand the effects that Katrina had on the city as I saw many homeless families with their pets. I even met one man who walked alongside a dog he had rescued during the storm. At Encore Academy, the students put on a performance for their families which we were fortunate enough to experience as well. Students in grades K-8 were able to show how they have improved through performances of music, dance, visual arts, and poetry. I really enjoyed seeing how the students were so passionate about what they were doing.
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