U-46 Teacher Travels the Globe to Enhance Her Lessons

This article originally appeared in The Daily Herald on August 5, 2013.

by Tara García Mathewson

Chris LaRue at Hagia Sophia

Chris LaRue has helped grade Advanced Placement exams for the College Board for more than a decade. During a marathon grading session years ago, she heard other teachers talk about cheap travel opportunities for teachers. At the time she didn't know such grants were out there but the tip opened up a world for her — literally.

LaRue, a teacher in Elgin Area School District U-46's gifted academy, recently spent two weeks in Turkey. She has also visited China and Germany and she hopes to go to Japan next summer.

This year's trip was paid for almost entirely by the Turkish Cultural Foundation though LaRue had to contribute $700 and promise to incorporate some of what she learned into her lesson plans. Neither requirement was a problem for her and LaRue already has multiple lessons in mind for her advanced placement world history, AP European history and AP art history classes.

Suliemann's Mosque

She has a fully formed lesson about sacred spaces ready to go — it was part of her application for the trip. Students will learn about how a people's beliefs and practices are reflected in the way they arrange their sacred spaces. Turkey's Suleymaniye Mosque, for example, faces Mecca, as all mosques do.

Her recent visit to the Basilica of St. John and the Hagia Sophia, which has gone from a church to a mosque to a museum, will inform her lesson plan and give students a chance to see pictures she took while she was there.

Giving students examples of travel — and making sure they know about organizations that offer it at reasonable costs — is all part of her "meddling," as she calls it.

"I always encourage students to have a global experience," LaRue said.

And many take her up on the recommendation when they get to college and have the opportunity to study abroad.

That's where LaRue got her start in international travel. As a student at Marquette University, she studied in Rome. That experience also gave her an introduction to Turkey, which she said was a very different country back in 1970.

LaRue said Turkey has come a long way, especially given its existence only dates back to the 1920s. Turkey is trying to meet the requirements of full membership in the European Union and LaRue said one current social push is to better respect minorities in the country.

"Hey, aren't we doing that here?" LaRue pointed out. "It's a universal thing — respect the rights of all people in your country. Every country has their own culture and diversity problems."

The Turkish Cultural Foundation funds trips for teachers to spread understanding of the country within the United States. The tour included visits to sacred spaces, the site of the ancient city of Troy and Gallipoli, where one of the most famous battles of World War I was fought. LaRue and her fellow teachers got to meet other educators, students, artists, professionals and the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey.

LaRue plans to brief other U-46 teachers on her travels and share her lesson plans, especially within the World History Department.

"The district is very encouraging of teachers sharing," LaRue said. "In a way it's free professional development."

Planning for a 2014 Turkey trip is already under way. Interested teachers can learn more at turkishculturalfoundation.org. Photos from LaRue's trip can be seen on her blog at larueturkey.tumblr.com.

Photo Credit: Chris LaRue's blog

Chris LaRue is a European Union Center-affiliated teacher who has participated in the EUC's curriculum development workshops, the Euro Challenge competition, and the EUC's Study Tour to Europe in 2012. 

U-46 Teacher Travels the Globe to Enhance Her Lessons

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EU Centers of Excellence Educational Trip: Getting Europe into the Rural School

by Katie McNamara

EU Parliament Meeting

This past summer, I had the tremendous opportunity of participating in the European Union Centers of Excellence trip abroad to Brussels, Belgium.  A student of mine participated in the University of Illinois EU Center’s high school essay competition and came in second place, allowing me the chance to travel with the EUCE to Brussels.  The educational trip allowed me to collaborate with teachers and university students across the nation, create contacts with those at the University of Illinois EU Center, and gave me a hands on experience on the interworking of the EU, NATO, and activist groups in Europe.

EU Commission

As a teacher of a small, rural school in Central Illinois, I find it a challenge to relate the massive amounts of information and critical discussions of the EU to my students who are often isolated from the world. Very often, my students find it difficult to connect with events taking place in Europe.  Many students have never traveled outside of the United States, and some have never traveled outside of Illinois. Often, they do not see how interconnected America and Europe are, and the importance of understanding the impact that European events can have on them.  I soon realized that this opportunity would be such a great way to engage my students in the discovery of Europe and the ever-changing issues being faced both within Europe and globally in the 21st century.

Speak Up! Demonstration in front of the EU Commission

One theme that seemed to run through all of the discussions at the European Parliament, the US Mission to the EU, and the Council of the EU was the future relations between the United States and Europe, particularly related to the present TTIP trade negotiations. A very intriguing moment occurred when Dennis O’Sullivan, lawyer linguist at the Council of the EU, discussed some difficulties faced with negotiating the size of rearview mirrors in tractors. Alas, farming and tractors: territory very familiar with many of my students! If the trade agreement between the EU and America does go through, imagine the possibilities and opportunity for American farmers with the new and extensive market of the EU. My students in French class, in collaboration with the Agriculture department in our school, are planning on creating a unit in which students study the TTIP agreement and what it would mean for farmers in this area, as well as studying other areas that could be impacted, both positively and negatively. Through this unit, I hope that students will become more aware of current events in Europe, and with the omnipotent need to become connected to the world.

View from ENAR

Additionally, the discussion session at the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) was one that I had been looking forward to. Although we are becoming increasingly more tolerant in America, racism and discrimination are still so present, including in small rural communities. Listening to the ENAR director, Michaël Privot, speak on the work ENAR is doing to combat racism in Europe by being an umbrella organization for other anti-racism organizations was very compelling. Among many other roles, ENAR is canvassing throughout Europe to find and support individuals whom have reported being discriminated against so that in turn, ENAR may lobby the EU parliament and commission to increase support and funding for minority and immigrant groups. A unit comparing discrimination and racism in America and abroad can have so much influence on students in a small school, as it can allow them to see what racism looks like elsewhere, and hopefully help change their mindset and actions on racism in their community.

Photo credit: Katie McNamara

Katie McNamara is a French teacher at Oakwood High School in Fithian, IL. This is her second year teaching. She received her B.A. and M.A. in teaching from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. In her spare time, she is also senior class advisor and advisor for International Club. You may reach class page via this link: Ms. McNamara's Class Page.

EU Centers of Excellence Educational Trip: Getting Europe into the Rural School

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EU Centers of Excellence, Education Trip to Brussels, June 17-20, 2013

by Larry Pahl

I was privileged to attend the 2013 European Union Centers of Excellence summer educational trip to the European Union.  I got the right to participate in this intensive whirlwind of meetings and site visits involving all the key components of the Union by being the teacher of the student who won the U of I EU Center’s high school essay competition.  My student Chris Lanza won a cash prize for his essay on cooperation and conflict in the European Union, and I won a spot on the study tour!

Chris recently sent a group email to all his AP teachers, thanking them for their work in helping him achieve successful scores on the many AP tests he took.  I wondered why I was on that list because he was my student in a Civics class that was not an AP course.  So when I congratulated him later saying I could take no credit, he reminded me that he had attended review sessions I gave my AP World students (he was not in that class) and he said those reviews more than anything else helped him on all his AP tests.  I mention this, because that fact was a key to my getting a special personal audience with John C. Sullivan, the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Mission to the European Union.

Mr. Sullivan was one of the most entertaining speakers we enjoyed on the tour.  He combined his erudition with regular doses of puns and humor.  As he was describing to our group a set of tips he had for being successful on the foreign service exam for the US State Department, I asked him who it is that grades those exams.  I told him that I had helped my students be successful on the AP World exam because I had heavily picked the brains of readers of the AP World test, and so I thought knowing who grades the State Department test would be an added tip for those taking it.  He responded by saying that he wanted to walk out with me after the meeting, because his daughter was going to be taking AP tests soon! 

So indeed, I got to walk out with the ambassador (officially called a Public Affairs Officer because the European Union is not a sovereign nation) and gab about the AP test and other things. I am still in touch with him because of that conversation!

Our study group, made up of teams from 7 of the 10 European Union Centers of Excellence, was a fun and interesting mixture of teachers and students, mostly new college graduates.  A spirit of professional collegiality quickly formed which manifested in discussions, in Q and A with the various speakers we heard, and even in informal social gatherings.  The picturesque and stunning Grand Place, the landmark of the city of Brussels, (along with the Manneken Pis, the famous statue of the little boy urinating) became the nightly dining and socializing grounds for many members of our group, young and old.  It seemed to have endless streets and nooks and shops and districts.

Besides the talk by John Sullivan at the US Mission, another highlight for me was listening to LtCol. Benoit Aumonnier,  a French officer working as a policy advisor to NATO.  He spoke English with difficulty but was very candid in saying that NATO needed to head in a new direction.  He said that the “institutionalized division of labor for crisis management” (requiring each member country to ante up so many soldiers) was “the past.”  For the future, he said, a “pragmatic approach” was needed, one which he felt the US would be a leader because there is no clear leader in Europe.

Below is a brief outline-chart of the various institutions we visited with links to their websites and some associated pictures.

Date, Location	Photos
Sunday June 16 Arrive Euroflat Hotel, Brussels Screensaver I made to have a one-page itinerary for trip	View from the Euroflat Hotel Our U of I EUCE Delegation
Monday June 17             European Commission Headquarters             European Parliament	Commission briefing Commission speaker Parliament briefing
Tuesday June 18         ENAR, European Network Against Racism         EEAS, European External Action Service	Meeting at ENAR Enjoying famous Brussels beer at local pub after EEAS meeting
Wednesday June 19         US Mission to the EU         Bruegel, think tank	Me with John Sullivan, Officer, US Mission to the EU Group Lunch Meeting at Bruegel think tank
Thursday June 20         Council of the EU         NATO headquarters	Meeting at EU Council Waiting near floral shop for bus to NATO NATO's low profile headquarters

Photo credit: Larry Pahl

Larry Pahl has taught at the junior high, high school and college level (West Virginia Northern, Carl Sandburg College, and Rock Valley College). He has taught in the U.S. and abroad (The International School in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic).  He has taught in public, private, and quasi-public settings.  He has taught students at the AP, regular and special education levels.  He is currently a history teacher at Bartlett High School in Bartlett, IL, and also a World History instructor with the Illinois Virtual School. 

Mr. Pahl is dedicated to the art and profession of teaching. 

EU Centers of Excellence, Education Trip to Brussels, June 17-20, 2013

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2013 Summer Curriculum Development Workshop

The Timeless MEDITERRANEAN and the New European Union: Transnational Spaces and Integration

Monday, June 10 - Wednesday, June 12, 2013

• Pertinent Info
• Schedule
• Downloadable Campus Maps
• Local Restaurants and Entertainment

The University of Illinois and The European Union Center (EUC) invites K-12 and community college educators to take part in this workshop to develop a more effective curriculum on the Mediterranean and Europe. These materials may be incorporated into a variety of courses, such as foreign language, world geography, world cultures, world/US history, politics, economics, and business. While all K-16 teachers are welcome, the curriculum materials are geared mainly towards high school and community college education. The workshop will feature presentations from University of Illinois faculty and other specialists.

Pertinent Info

• Application Deadline: May 6,2013
• On-line registration
• Cost: $150
  Please make checks payable to "University of Illinois." Send your checks to:
  European Union Center

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  328 International Studies Building, MC-429

  910 S. Fifth Street

  Champaign, IL 61820
• Travel Grants: Travel grants up to $150 are available.
• Credit: CPDUs (for Illinois teachers), University of Illinois CEUs for non-Illinois teachers, and University of Illinois graduate credits are available, please contact Sebnem Ozkan at asozkan@illinois.edu, 217-244-0570 for further information.
• Housing: Housing will be provided. We reserved your rooms for 2 nights from June 10 (check-in) to June 12 (check-out).
• Meals:Breakfast is available at the hotel and the EU Center will provide most meals.
• Parking: available
• Contact: For more information contact Sebnem Ozkan asozkan@illinois.edu, 217-244-0570.
• Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant.

Schedule

Monday, June 10	Workshop location: Illini Union Room 211 1401 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801
6:00 - 7:30 pm	Registration & Keynote Keynote Address: The Politics of Time and Space: The European Union and the Mediterranean (presentation) Jean-Philippe Mathy (Professor of French, Comparative Literature, and Criticism & Interpretive Theory, U. of Illinois) Background reading
Tuesday, June 11	The “Idea” of Mediterranean: History, Culture, Language, Music, Networks
9:15 am	Coffee/tea
9:30 - 10:45 am	The “Idea” of Mediterranean – via Skype Manuel Rota, Assist. Professor of Italian and History, U. of Illinois Background reading
10:45 - 11:00 am	Break (coffee, tea, and light refreshments provided)
11:00 am - 12:30 pm	Mediterranean Networks of Civil Society Organizations (presentation (.pdf)) Kostas Kourtikakis, Lecturer of Political Science, U. of Illinois Background reading
12:30 - 2:00 pm	Lunch break
2:00 - 3:30 pm	Tourism in the Mediterranean (presentation(.pptx)) Carla Santos, Associate Professor of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, U. of Illinois Background reading 1 Background reading 2 Background reading 3
3:30 - 3:45 pm	Break – coffee, tea, and light refreshments provided
3:45 - 6:00 pm	Languages of the Mediterranean (Eda Derhemi's presentation(.pptx) & text(.docx)) (Zsuzsana Faygal's presentation(.pdf) & handout(.pdf)) (Marina Terkourafi's presentation(.pptx)) Eda Derhemi, Adjunct Assist. Professor of Media and Cinema Studies, Lecturer in Italian Program, U. of Illinois; Zsuzsana Fagyal, Assoc. Professor of French, Linguistics, U. of Illinois; Marina Terkourafi, Assoc. Professor of Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education, U. of Illinois Background reading 1 Background reading 2 Background reading 3 Background reading 4 Background reading 5 Background reading 6
Wednesday, June 12	Mediterranean Interactions: Tourism, social movements, and the “other” in the Mediterranean
9:15 am	Coffee/tea
9:30 - 10:45 am	Blue Eyed Black Boy, Balkan Beat Box and the Sounds of the Arab Spring (presentation(.pptx)) Angela Williams, Assoc. Director of the Center for South Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, U. of Illinois Background reading
10:45 - 11:00 am	Break (coffee, tea, and light refreshments provided)
11:00 am - 12:30 pm	African immigrants in the EU Alma Gottlieb, Professor of Anthropology, African Studies, Global Studies, and Gender and Women's Studies, U. of Illinois
12:30 - 1:30 pm	Lunch break
1:30 - 2:45 pm	Contemporary Islamic Movements in the Mediterranean Valerie Hoffman, Professor of Religion, Director of the Center for South Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, U. of Illinois
2:45 - 3:00 pm	Break (coffee, tea, and light refreshments provided)
3:00 - 4:15 pm	The European Debt Crisis: Lessons from the Greek Experience (presentation(.pptx)) Elisabeth Oltheten, Assistant Professor Finance, U. of Illinois
4:15 - 4:30 pm	Break
4:30 - 5:30 pm	Wrap-up

The workshop is approved for 15 CPDUs and 1.5 CEUs.

Downloadable Campus Maps

Detailed campus maps for download

• Campus Map
• Printable Campus Map (.pdf)

Local Entertainment and Restaurants

• List of Nearby Restaurants (.doc)
• The 217 Arts & Entertainment page
• UI Campus Calendar

Previous Summer Curriculum Development Workshops:

2012 Workshop: "Food & Energy Security and Sustainability"

2011 Workshop: "Immigration and European Integration"

2010 Workshop: "Islam in Europe"

2009 Workshop: "How Does the European Union Work?"

2013 Summer Curriculum Development Workshop

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