About American Education Week

DESCRIPTION:

American Education Week is the joint initiative of the US Department of State and the US Department of Education. 

It is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and student exchange worldwide. It focuses on programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract students from abroad to study, learn, and grow through exchange experiences. 

Individuals and institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations interested in international education and exchange activities, participate in this event.

A personal note from Laura:

From 1982-1983, I was a Rotary International Exchange student and spent my junior year of high school in Brazil. To this day, it remains one of the most influential periods of my life. Not only did I get to live in another culture, but it also opened my eyes to the rest of the world. 

LEEP Calendar is a testament to my love of cultural diversity and would not have been possible without that exchange student experience. Since, I've worked for a multinational company in the Middle East, spent extensive time in the United Kingdom, spoken three and a quarter languages (my Arabic is amusing), and traveled to more than 56 countries. My love of the ex-pat experience and the need to be surrounded by a multitude of cultures creatively and intellectually is a direct result of taking part in a foreign exchange program. It has allowed me to be more aware of issues in the US and more critical of perceived wisdom. There is more than one way to solve a problem, and each culture has its unique positives and negatives.

If you have the opportunity to study or work in another country, do it. If you can't, host someone who is. The gift to yourself and the nation is priceless!

Header: Me and my class at Cristo Rei High School in Marília, São Paulo, Brazil. In Brazil, the teachers change classrooms, and the students stay put.