By Susan O'Rourke | November 12, 2021
Focusing on global studies has created a very diverse and caring community that is concerned about the world as a whole….The students learn empathy [and] how to help others.
Dr. Darcy Kemp is UNC World View’s Educator Spotlight for November 2021. Dr. Kemp is the principal of Brooks Global Studies Extended-Year Magnet School in Greensboro, NC. Brooks Global Studies is one of two globally-focused magnet elementary schools in Guilford County, along with Johnson Street Global Studies.
Dr. Kemp has long been committed to global studies and affirmed the power it has to enrich students’ academic learning and social growth. Dr. Kemp explained that “focusing on global studies has created a very diverse and caring community that is concerned about the world as a whole….The students learn empathy [and] how to help others.” She shared that the school’s global focus both flows through the day-to-day learning and gets showcased during special “Global Days.” Each year, the school adopts a theme—agriculture, water, or community— and each grade level adopts a continent of study. These lenses, Dr. Kemp noted, allow students to connect their lessons and lived experiences to those of people in the determined region.
Dr. Kemp supported the reinvigoration of “Global Days” at the school and recognizes the importance of incorporating all disciplines into these special days. Dr. Kemp explained that, on Global Days, teachers from each grade and a specialist create activities for the students to engage in. Dr. Kemp celebrated the collaborative nature of these activity sessions as teachers worked together to deepen students’ understanding of and connection to that region. She reported that students appreciate the unique perspectives different teachers bring and the involvement of their PE, music, art, Spanish, and academically gifted teachers as well as that of the curriculum facilitator, guidance counselor, and media specialist. This inclusive approach affirms for students that global perspectives are valuable in all aspects of their academic work and everyday lives.
This November’s Global Day, Dr. Kemp explained, was significantly enriched by teachers’ participation in a recent World View to You program. Dr. Kemp has been involved with UNC World View since the 1990s and was inspired to reach out to UNC World View because she saw an opportunity to refresh and support teachers after the challenges of the pandemic. She wanted to create a stimulating and supportive environment that would “bring the entire staff together” to reflect on the school’s programs and consider how they could bring their global lens to the new curriculum. Dr. Kemp reached out to Kris Wheat, the principal of Johnson Street Global Studies, who was excited to bring the two schools’ teachers together for this program. UNC World View helped arrange a program with Prof. Elizabeth Crawford of the Watson College of Education at UNCW whose research focuses on global education.
Dr. Kemp explained that a major takeaway from the World View to You session with Prof. Crawford was to focus on “the head, the heart, and the hand.” This framework, Dr. Kemp related, aligns with the schools’ commitment to students’ social and emotional learning. It helps students “think” about the subject or global issue they are studying, “empathize” with other people and cultures, and “lend a hand” where needed. Dr. Kemp indicated that the session further helped teachers organize and ground each of their November Global Day activities in a particular global competency.
Dr. Kemp encourages other principals and leaders to engage with UNC World View programs because they provide “the lifelines that bring you back to your purpose” as an educator. She noted that, especially during the challenges of the pandemic, partnering with UNC World View can help educators “see how global education blends so easily” into the classroom and can provide “great and easy ways of doing [so].” She affirms that, ultimately global education is an “initiative” achieved through the collaboration and work of the entire staff. She encourages other administrators to bring more “fuel for the fire” through UNC World View programs.
We at UNC World View are so grateful for Dr. Kemp’s leadership! We appreciate the positive impact she has on students’ education and the support she provides to educators. She is certainly keeping the passion for global studies aflame!