By Susan O'Rourke | September 14, 2021
Consuelo recognized the power that teachers have to provide academic and emotional support during this pivotal period, and her students have reaped the benefits of her dedication!
After visiting Moldova for the first time in 2019, Consuelo Maria Johnson knew she wanted to return. She recalled how, during the UNC World View’s 2019 Moldova Study Visit, she was drawn to the country’s rich “show of culture,” steeped in folk tradition and contemporary expression. While visiting NC-Moldova School Partners in Chișinău, Orhei, Cantemir and Soroca, Consuelo was able to see firsthand how significant the arts were in Moldovan education and learn more about the successes and challenges her fellow teachers faced. Consuelo was determined that her return to Moldova wouldn’t be just as a visitor but as a teacher.
Then the pandemic set in. As the world seemingly shut down, many educators, including Consuelo, opened up their classrooms, homes, and worldviews. At a time when borders began to close, Consuelo knew how crucial it would be to incorporate global perspectives into classrooms. Thus, Consuelo took on the challenge and set forth to teach at Heritage International School in Chișinău in the fall of 2020.
Consuelo’s experience in Moldova has been transformative for her teaching and for herself. She stressed how important the exchange was for students (and those in their communities) to learn about Moldovan and American culture. She noted that, oftentimes for Americans, Moldova may be unheard of or grouped together with Russia. In turn, past histories of conflict could cloud people’s perspectives about the country. By facilitating video and letter exchanges between students in NC and Chișinău, however, Consuelo has helped students find common ground (like a mutual distaste for homework) and uncover more about contemporary Moldovan culture. Likewise, Consuelo noted that she is able to help Moldovan students understand American “hard histories” and develop a more nuanced understanding of the recent racial justice movements in the United States.
This exchange happens not only between students, Consuelo explained, but also between teachers. She appreciated how teaching in a new setting allowed her to analyze the pedagogical strategies found in the Common Core, Moldovan, and Cambridge curricula. She stressed how important it was for her to share these observations with her colleagues in Chisinau and in Rose Hill, NC and to keep expanding the network of teachers supporting teachers. Consuelo also has helped to bring more tactile learning to her Moldovan classroom while brainstorming how to bring the investment in the studio and performing arts back to NC.
Teaching during a pandemic, Consuelo has helped guide her students through uncertain times. She noted that, whether in the United States or Moldova, students both “have similar interests and go through the same issues.” Committed not only to the academic success but also to the importance of the social and emotional wellbeing of her students, Consuelo decided to teach a second year in Chișinău, even as the pandemic continued. She saw that there was a gap in students’ mathematical knowledge because of the challenges brought about by distance learning and knew she had to “see her students through.” Consuelo recognized the power that teachers have to provide academic and emotional support during this pivotal period, and her students have reaped the benefits of her dedication!
Consuelo also advocates for the importance of global education and exchange. Consuelo will be meeting with NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall this fall when Secretary Marshall travels to Moldova in support of the NC-Moldova School Partnership Project.
We are so grateful that Consuelo has become an integral part of the UNC World View community of educators and that she will be sharing her perspectives as a panelist at our upcoming seminar Global Education in a New World.