By: Faith Jebet
On November 11th, all roads led to Washington, DC, for this year’s Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) from different parts of the globe. More than a hundred FLTAs gathered for the four-day mid-year Fulbright conference. We gained an eye-opening experience from the workshops on professional development, especially those related to the methodologies of teaching a foreign language effectively. We also exchanged ideas based on our different backgrounds, beliefs, and values. This provided an excellent opportunity to build a strong network with teachers worldwide.
The conference theme was “Connecting People, Connecting Nations.” We discussed our experiences in the United States, including our challenges and successes in our day-to-day lives in our host institutions. Representatives from the US Department of State and the Institute of International Education (IIE) ensured the conference’s success. They stressed the importance of cultural diversity and how Fulbright connects nations through foreign language teaching. Aside from talks by several professors, some Fulbrighters also shared their knowledge, ideas, and skills in teaching a foreign language effectively. The highlight of the conference was a cultural fair. We felt the world’s words at our fingertips. Each booth displayed a country’s culture. We all wore our traditional attire, exchanged gifts, and learned about new cultures, traditions, and customs.
During the conference, we had the chance to visit attractions in the DC area, including the Museum of Natural History, the Capitol Hill area, the Abraham Lincoln monument, and the White house, which gave us insight into the history and culture of the US, the conference concluded with a lunch with all the FLTAs and Fulbright representatives and advisors, followed by closing remarks from one of the Fulbright officials. We left the conference ready to share the ideas we gained from the conference. I personally had the best experience at the Fulbright conference.
Faith Jebet is an FLTA in Northwestern’s Swahili program.