Ms. Rachel Guilfoyle, photos courtesy of Busan Foreign School ()
Busan Foreign School (BFS), the American school of Busan, is a proud member of the Non-DoD Schools Program (NDSP), and about 30% of its students are U.S. military-affiliated. With students from approximately 20 different nationalities, Busan Foreign School supports teachers to be globally competent as they serve international and military-connected students.
For today's Teacher Professional Development Day, BFS was pleased to welcome Ms. Rachel Guilfoyle, the DODEA Teacher of the Year and a Fulbright (GTC) Teachers for Global Classrooms Scholar. Ms. Guilfoyle presented a session on "Global Education: Think. Learn. Act." She shared the importance of encouraging students to be globally competent citizens to increase student engagement, college and career readiness, social-emotional learning, and student empowerment. She encouraged teachers to create classrooms with an actionable and intentional global lens. Ms. Guilfoyle encouraged teachers to help students investigate the world, recognize different perspectives, take action, and communicate their ideas.
Parents can also help their children to develop a global perspective by asking questions such as, "What are you passionate about?" and "If you could make a positive change in the world what would it be?" From kindness and empathy, to caring for animals and people in need, exploring children's passions in and out of the classroom can lead to a better understanding of the ways that the world is interconnected.
While serving as the 2022 DODEA Teacher of the Year, Ms. Guilfoyle is also a teacher at Daegu Elementary School, military spouse, and parent.
