Luis Agudelo and his wife , Monica Naranjo , both teachers in Colombia , South America , decided to take their love of teaching to the United States .
Thanks to the Visiting International Faculty ( VIF ) program , they both arrived in Union County Friday ( Aug . 5 ) with 15 other VIF teachers , all of whom have been assigned to one of 10 UCPS elementary schools . Those schools are Antioch , Indian Trail , Kensington , New Salem , Poplin , Porter Ridge , Sun Valley , Unionville , Weddington and Western Union elementary schools .
Twelve of the 17 teachers are assigned to the SPLASH immersion program , which , depending on the school , teaches students using only Spanish or Mandarin Chinese .
Luis will teach first grade in Weddington Elementary ’ s Spanish immersion program , while his wife , Monica , will teach kindergarten at the same school . “ In our country , we were English teachers , but in different schools ,” Monica said . “ It ’ s going to be nice to be able to work together at the same school . I ’ m really excited about being here .”
Luis said he looks forward to growing professionally from teaching in America , not only in his knowledge of English , but in learning the American culture as well . “ I also look forward to sharing our culture with the kids ,” he said .
After offloading their luggage from the travel bus that brought them to Monroe , the VIFs gathered in a conference room at Central Services for their final instructions .
UCPS Deputy Superintendent Dr . David Clarke welcomed them to the school district . “ We ’ re very proud of our VIF teachers in Union County . We ’ ve been growing for a number of years ,” he said . “ The VIF teachers do a wonderful job . We consider ourselves one of the most globalized school districts , not only in North Carolina , but also in the United States .”
Dr . Lillian Rorie , UCPS Director of Human Resources Support Services , also greeted the new teachers , noting that she remembered when the VIF program in Union County had only one teacher .
“ We have grown phenomenally since that time ,” Rorie said . “ The reason we have grown so phenomenally is because we ’ ve had such wonderful success with the VIF teachers . They have brought so much to Union County Public Schools , our students , our teachers and to our entire educational community .”
UCPS Director of Human Resources Operations Dr . Tom Bulla , who facilitates and coordinates the SPLASH immersion program , was also on hand when the VIFs arrived . Bulla assisted the new teachers in connecting with their sponsors , who are other VIFs
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VIF teachers immerse themselves in American culture currently teaching in the school system .
“ All of the VIF teachers are experienced teachers ,” Bulla explained . “ They go through a rigorous process of interviewing through VIF prior to us getting their names .”
Five years in the making , SPLASH is currently in nine UCPS schools . Spanish immersion is taught at Antioch , Poplin , Shiloh , Sun Valley , Unionville , Western Union , and Weddington elementary schools , while Mandarin Chinese is taught at Marvin and Kensington elementary schools .
The seven Spanish programs are total immersion , while the two Mandarin Chinese programs are partial immersion . In total immersion , the core subjects , including reading and language arts , are taught in the target language . In partial immersion , most core subjects are taught in the target language .
All immersion classes are taught by VIF teachers . Five of the 17 VIFs , however , will teach in a regular elementary classroom setting .
Tracy Halliman came to Union County Public Schools from Jamaica to teach second grade at Porter Ridge Elementary School . With plans to open her own school in Jamaica one day , she looks forward to taking home techniques in how to teach children to be creative thinkers .
“ I ’ m also excited to see your literacy block ,” Halliman said . “ Back home , we do have a problem with literacy , so I want to see how well it works here and how we can get students from that point to another point .”
Naomi Stone , a second-grade teacher assigned to Unionville Elementary School , and Natalie Gane , a first-grade teacher assigned to Kensington Elementary , are both from England .
Both Stone and Gane said they look forward to learning the teaching styles of American educators . “ I also look forward to learning some of the new things we ’ ll be doing in class , as well ,” Stone said .
The work assignments in the US can last from three to five years . Leaving your home to work in another country is exciting , but can also be difficult .
Gane said although she is looking forward to traveling around America , she will miss her home country . “ The challenges will
Luis Agudelo and his wife , Monica Naranjo , both teachers in Colombia , South America , have been assigned to Weddington Elementary . He will teach first grade in the school ’ s Spanish immersion program , while Monica will teach kindergarten .
Tracy Halliman , at left , and Naomi Stone , both VIF teachers new to UCPS , chat while waiting on their final instructions . Halliman came from Jamaica to teach second grade at Porter Ridge Elementary School . Stone , who traveled from London , will be a second-grade teacher at Unionville Elementary School .
be getting used to a different culture and missing friends and family from back home .”
The VIFs have joined other UCPS teachers this week in professional development that continues throughout the week . — This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools Communications Office .