Our Purpose: These 2-week expeditions are designed to provide an opportunity for teacher volunteers to actively participate in a service-learning project and learn about cultures in Latin America.  We create lasting friendships that will bring all participants to a better understanding of our cultural differences.

Our volunteers collaborate with students and teachers in Guatemala to discover new paths to teaching and learning.  Through these learning trips, we supply classroom and school libraries with materials that will build on and enhance present educational resources.

Participants are expected to bring resources, open minds, and fellowship to each community.  By doing this, we expect our participants to benefit by developing a broader perspective regarding teaching and learning across cultures. We fully believe that by stepping out of the US to learn about other education systems, we can be better prepared to address problems that may arise in our own school systems.

TALICA uses a four-pronged approach to our Educator Learning Trips

1. Observation - Participants have opportunities to study different strategies for observing local students and teachers. Project leaders facilitate professional discussions using various guidelines or discussion protocols written by members of the National School Reform Faculty.  Within these discussions, participants study professional dilemmas and educational project development.  Also, participants are introduced to various techniques that can strengthen the bond created within a learning community.

2. Participation/Instruction - Educators have daily opportunities to interact and teach local students through small group instruction and games. In the past, participants volunteered in three Guatemalan schools.  Each school was chosen to expose participants to a variety of communities within Guatemala.  We worked in an urban public school, a rural indigenous public school, and a Christian school.  All schools were in dire need of book collections and/or libraries.  Spanish language books, puzzles, games, and consumable student materials, such as pencils, paper, etc. were appreciated as donations. (see: wish list)  The exciting thing was, we did all this work “on the run”, meaning we observed first, decided what we could do, and did it.  We wanted to enhance the experience that was already happening.  We wanted to support and guide what was already being done, versus, pushing agendas that may not have been helpful, culturally appropriate, or possible to sustain once we’ve gone. 

TALICA project leader and Georgia educator, Maria Arzu works with students of Colegio Rey de las Naciones II in Antigua, Guatemala.

3. Cultural Awareness - Educators have numerous opportunities to become more familiar with the Latin American child and family.  Participants are expected to keep an observation journal.  At the end of each work day, TALICA project leaders hold daily discussions called “Daily Highlights” to share ideas, reinforced learning and/or new learning.   To further help with cultural imersion, all participants stay with a Guatemalan host family.  Here they have a chance to share ideas and learn from various family members.  There are frequent walks within communities where participants have opportunities to talk to, observe, and learn from community members.  In addition to the in-town learning, educator participants have two out-of-town excursions, one to the highlands of Lake Atitlan, San Pedro de Atitlan, and Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala and the other to the Pacific town of Monterrico, Guatemala.   These weekend journeys take participants to very different places for an opportunity to experience the diversity that exists within Guatemala.  Again, here participants have opportunities to talk to, observe, and learn from local community members.  Our participants return with a broader understanding of our differences and most importantly, our similarities.

4. Language Study - The best way to understand someone is to talk with him/her. Educators have opportunities to study and use Spanish daily. On the last trip, one of our family hosts and project leaders, Maria B. Arzu gave daily Spanish classes based on specific needs.  These classes were very interactive and provided an insight to practical everyday Spanish.

Pat teaches these Guatemalan pre-schoolers a new counting game, in SPANISH!

If you are interested in participating in a future Educator Learning Trip, please contact TALICA President, Sue Ellen Wortzel, at suewortzel@talica.org