Attleboro Spanish Teacher Headed to Uruguay

Spanish teacher Christina Berry has been awarded a prestigious fellowship for the 2012 Uruguay Educator Exchange Program.

The fellowship, sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, American Councils for International Education and the Commission for Educational Exchange between Uruguay and the United States, will benefit Berry and a teacher in Uruguay.

In February Berry will host the teacher from Uruguay so the teacher can learn about Feehan's educational system and practices and can interact with Berry's students. In July it will be Berry's turn to learn how her guest teaches in her own native country when she spends three weeks in Uruguay to exchange ideas and continue the collaboration the two started at Feehan.

The exchange is exciting for Berry who as a student participated in an exchange program in Costa Rica.

"When I was 16, the exchange was more about exposure to another culture and a way to improve my language skills," she said. "Although that will be a consequence of my experience with this program, the main focus is really collaborating with another teacher from another country. I realize how fortunate I am to work where I do, and I realize not all teachers have access to the same information, networks, and resources I do. By doing this program, I am getting to share what I know with another teacher, and in turn, she becomes a better teacher as well."

Berry said she is thrilled to have the opportunity to go to Uruguay to help transform the lives of the students there and also hopes her students at Feehan   see the benefits of being bilingual.

The exchange will not end with the teachers visits to one another's countries, Berry said. "I want to inspire my students and give them the same opporunities to grow that my teachers gave me," she said."We can begin penpal exchanges or maybe even Skype with the students in Uruguay. It will be mutually benefial to all involved."

Because the trip is stipened, Berry plans to take full advantage and plans to buy art to decorate her classroom.

"It's like having a mini-museum in my classroom," she said. "I want to bring the world to my students here so it can spark their curiousity. Once, I have their attention they are more likely to want to learn Spanish."