Travel

Some thoughts on my experiences with the culture and education system in Peru! I'm also specifically researching the following question: How do Peruvian teachers use innovative teaching strategies to help students develop as global citizens? 

June 16, 2025: 

The first couple days in Lima, Peru were a whirlwind of experiencing culture and learning about the history and education system of Peru. The food has been amazing, and the driving and traffic has been a bit chaotic! Here are some highlights from the fist two days:

• reconnecting with all of the other Fulbright Peru crew

• visiting the beach

• discovering a local cat park

• experiencing a 5.0 magnitude earthquake

• visiting the U.S. Embassy in Lima

• visiting the Fulbright in Peru offices

While at the U.S. Embassy and Fulbright offices, we learned more about the Peruvian education system and about the history of Peru and many of the social justice issues that people are working to address. One of the types of schools that I will be visiting next week is a COARS school, which is a high-achieving public school that focuses on lifting Peruvian students out of poverty through quality education. Stay tuned for more insight on that! 

June 18, 2025: 

Our morning started with a visit to El Buen Pastor Parochial School. It is a Catholic primary and secondary school, with classrooms lined up along the perimeter of an outdoor courtyard used for lunch, recess, and physical education. We were there to observe and interact informally with students. All of the students were so excited and grateful to have us there. We chatted with students, asking about their lessons, school, and life in Peru. I visited two 4th grade and 5th grade primary classes. One of the first things I did was pull out my phone and show where Kansas was in the United States. Many students asked about what I teach, my school, my favorite food, sport, color, and animal. In El Buen Pastor, students start learning English in primary school, so most of the students were able to communicate in at least a basic way in English. The students loved taking selfies with the teachers, and many of the students were asking the Fulbright teachers for their autographs. One student offered my her crackers from her lunch. In Peru, food is a sign of gratitude and respect, so this student wanted to show her gratitude by giving me a small part of her lunch. A few other students came up and gave me small things, such as cat stickers and a blue colored pencil. 

In Peru, the largest meal of the day is usually lunch. At the restaurant we stopped at, we had ceviche (raw fish), calamari, corn, and sweet potatoes for the first course; potato in a shredded chicken sauce with a mini half hard-boiled egg for the second course; and then dessert. In the afternoon, we learned a bit more about the Peruvian culture and demographics. For the evening activity, we went to the Museo Larco in Lima, a history and anthropology museum with treasures from ancient Peru. There were copious examples of pottery, jewelry, and carvings from ancient Peru. The school visits for the next day have been postponed to the following day due to bus strikes by the drivers regarding safety issues. So, all schools in the city have been cancelled for tomorrow during the bus strike. 

June 19, 2025: 

In the morning, we visited IE Dora Mayer school in Lima. We were welcomed with a school assembly with dancing and singing. The students sang their national anthem and school song. Then a group of secondary students did a drum performance, and a primary student performed a dance. Students held welcoming signs and waved Peruvian and United States flags. We then split into pairs and visited classes. I visited a couple of secondary art classes and then a primary third grade class. We were given snacks and treats. In the art class, I was given a small wooden musical instrument, and in the third grade class I was given a red Peru hat and cards that the students had made for my students back in Kansas. Their school administration was so thankful that we were there and were very eager to make connections with our classes in the United States. They are big believers in global education and connecting students beyond the four walls of the classroom. I look forward to collaborating with some of those classes next fall with my class. 

After lunch, we visited the Escuela de Talentos school. This was a secondary school, and they welcomed us with open arms, as well. Our visit started off with a music performance by a group of students and snacks. We then visited a few classes, including an art class and a robotics class. We also did a trivia session about Machu Picchu with a group of students. The next stop on our journey is with our host school and community, and I will be traveling to the city of Tacna on the southern border of Peru. 

June 20, 2025: 

We made it to Tacna, Peru, and, after exploring the downtown Arch a bit, we took a tour of the school that we will spend the next week observing and co-teaching, COAR Camino a la Excelencia. The COAR system in Peru is fascinating and an excellence model for other schools, not just in Peru, but in places around the world, including the United States. COAR schools are high-achieving secondary public schools for low-income students. There are just 25 COAR schools in Peru, one in each of the country's regions. Students must apply to be accepted into the school and be in the top 10% of their class and come from a low socio-economic household. COAR schools have about 300 students total for the final three grade levels of secondary school; the equivalent of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade in the United States. 

The school building that we will be working with this week is almost brand new, having being build just last year. It has an open courtyard surrounded by classrooms, a gym, a swimming pool, library, study rooms for individual study or small group collaboration, and a recreation hall. COAR schools are boarding schools, so students live on campus during the week, and then live in their homes with their parents on the weekends. Each dorm room has space for 3-4 students and a bathroom. One adult per floor/hallway sleeps overnight in the dorm to help with management. The COAR school model is an excellent way for impoverished students to have access to a quality education with abundant resources. It can be a way to lift students out of poverty and provide a path toward future success. 

June 25, 2025: 

Our first weekend in Tacna, we toured the city and surrounding area via a bus tour. One of the places that we stopped at was the Miculla Petroglyphs. We arrived around dusk, and the surrounding mountains and hills were glowing. An old bridge spread across a gorge that led to more walking paths. The landscape at dusk seemed otherworldly. 

On Monday we started our school visit to our host school, COAR Camino a la Excelencia. Our host teacher, Angel, introduced us to the staff at the school, and my other Fulbright teaching partners, Kelly and Shawnette, shared presentations about our schools and states, as well as observed classes. I asked some of the students about their application process to be accepted to a COAR school. Students told me that they had to take a written test, qualify academically, and be interviewed by the COAR faculty, where they asked the students about their goals for the future. Another topic I talked about with some of the students included how they incorporated global citizenship into their lessons and projects. Students said that they have visited retirement homes to learn about Peruvian heritage and history, and then have shared this knowledge with younger students in kindergarten. Another student shared how her class had studies global issues such as environmentalism, and they had helped to clean up parks and other parts of the city. 

June 26, 2025: 

In addition to visiting classes at the COAR school in Tacna, we also visited classes at a local private primary school called Cristo Rey. We spent the last two mornings observing classes and interacting with students at the school. The school is pre-K through secondary. It was previously an all-boys school, but in recent years they have begun integrating both girls and boys in the classes, which have currently reached 3rd grade. On the first morning, we visited a pre-K class. The facilities were very nice and the rooms all had a student-centered feel to them. We also happened to observe a 1st and 2nd grade activity, where students were dressed up in traditional clothing for Farmer's Day. Next, we visited a 6th grade classroom and observed lessons. As in many Peruvian schools, students often learn English in the primary grades, so these 6th graders were able to communicate in English a fair amount. 

On our second morning at Cristo Rey, I was able to spend several hours in a 4th grade classroom. The 4th graders there had many questions for me, as I spent the first 15 minutes answering questions from the students. Then I observed an English lesson and part of a math lesson. It was one of the students' birthday, so we had birthday treats of chocolate cake and a juice box and the class sung happy birthday...in English. My students at Wheatland Elementary had made cards and letters for the students in Peru that I would be visiting, and I brought along bookmarks and stickers from my school. I was able to pass out the cards, bookmarks, and stickers to the 4th grade class, and they were so excited to receive them! Finally, we took a class picture outside in the open pavilion area. 

The students at the school were so excited and grateful to have us visit, and the administration and teachers were eager to connect with us in the future. It was one of their goals to expand their students' global experiences and develop global citizenship. The school was very hospitable, and we were fed snacks each morning while we were there, as well as given a school shirt and key chain. I am excited to connect my students with this class in the fall first semester, which will be this class' spring second semester. The previous two days offered some adventurous meals in the evenings, too. We tried cow's heart and guinea pig, with the former tasting better, but neither exactly my cup of tea! 

June 30, 2025: 

Thursday was our last day in Tacna and at the COAR school. I was able to see a science class where students were measuring the carbohydrates and proteins of milk and bananas, students in a history class doing presentations on various dictators around the world, and participate in our host teacher Angel's English class. We heard presentations on the various potato varieties in Peru and about Peruvian slang. I handed out the remaining student cards and letters, bookmarks, and stickers to the students. They were all very excited to receive cards from my students, even though they were several years older. Some of the COAR students had even created cards for the students that they received a card from. 

We also had a chance to speak with the staff at the school during the morning break. They had asked questions about schools in the U.S., and we took several pictures with the school staff and Fulbright members. We received shirts from the school, a Tacna keychain, an alpaca keychain, and a Peru stocking cap. In the afternoon, there was a talent show featuring two students who had created outfits made out of recycled material. It occurred during the students' afternoon break, but it appeared that most of the school had turned out to watch and support the other students. At the end of the day, many of the students made a point to say goodbye to us and take some last-minute pictures, as we had made a strong connection with the staff and students at the COAR school throughout the week. On the way back to the hotel, Angel drove Kelly, Shawnette, and myself to the beach so we could experience the Pacific Ocean. 

July 1, 2025: 

When the whole Fulbright group got back together in Lima after our school placements and host community week, we all shared stories about our schools and our time in our communities with our host teachers. It was great to reconnect with everyone and hear about the different schools and work being done. Aside from the informal sharing, we visited a college in Lima where we were honored by the education department and observed classes for future pre-K teachers. Later in the day, the group saw a show with some traditional dances, and the next day we practiced making a few traditional Peruvian foods. 

July 5, 2025: 

Along with several other teachers in the Fulbright program, I extended my trip a bit longer to visit Machu Picchu and other ancient Inca ruins. We flew into the city of Cusco and explored there for a couple days, adjusting to the altitude. Cusco was an amazing city, filled with shops and restaurants. I did a city tour on a bus the first day in Cusco, exploring much of the outer-city area. We did a two-day tour of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu with a tour company. It was exciting and inspiring to see all of the ancient Inca ruins. We had to take a train to the base-town for Machu Picchu, staying overnight and leaving by bus the next morning at 5 a.m. The bus driver whipped around the curves as we drove up the mountain to the entrance to Machu Picchu. We did circuit 3, which toured the stone buildings and terraces, and circuit 1, which provided the classic viewpoint of Machu Picchu. It was easy to see why Machu Picchu is considered one of the modern wonders of the world. 

July 25, 2025: Reflective Analysis: Educating for Global Citizenship in Peru

During my Fulbright experience in Peru, my guiding question - How do Peruvian teachers use innovative teaching strategies to help students develop as global citizens? - came to life through engaging classroom visits, cultural exchanges, and inspiring educational practices.

At COAR Tacna, I visited a vibrant, high-achieving public boarding school where students live on campus and are immersed in an environment focused on academic rigor, service, and innovation. Teachers there integrate global issues - like climate change and sustainability - into interdisciplinary projects. I witnessed students confidently presenting ideas in both Spanish and English and discussing how their learning connected to larger global concerns. As I took selfies with students during our visit, more and more wanted to be included - eager to connect, practice their English, and be part of the moment. Their enthusiasm was joyful and genuine.

At both COAR Tacna and Cristo Rey School, I shared cards and letters from my fourth-grade students in Kansas. Watching Peruvian students carefully read the letters, smile at the drawings, and begin sharing their letters with each other was deeply moving. The exchange became a powerful entry point for discussing culture, community, and global friendship - one that transcended language barriers.

In Lima, at another school we visited, the hospitality and warmth of the teachers stood out. One student, during lunch, kindly offered me some of her crackers—a small but heartfelt gesture that reflected the culture of generosity we felt throughout our trip. Before we left, the teachers presented us with gifts: a red Peru hat, a small wooden flute, and handwritten cards from their students to mine. These items weren’t just souvenirs - they symbolized shared respect, curiosity, and a desire to build bridges between classrooms.

Throughout the journey, I also engaged with Peruvian culture in unforgettable ways - trying ceviche and anticuchos, listening to traditional Andean music, and learning about the importance of community and respect in everyday life. These experiences deepened my appreciation for how culture and education are intertwined.

One of the most exciting takeaways from this experience is the eagerness of Peruvian teachers to collaborate globally. Many spoke of wanting to connect with classrooms abroad to enhance English learning, foster cross-cultural understanding, and encourage students to explore global challenges from multiple perspectives. It’s clear that for many Peruvian educators, global citizenship is not an abstract concept - it’s something actively woven into daily instruction.

I return to my classroom in Kansas feeling grateful, energized, and hopeful. I’ve made strong connections with Peruvian educators and have already begun planning virtual exchanges and global projects for my students. This Fulbright journey didn’t just help me answer my guiding question - it showed me how global education can take root through relationships, creativity, and shared purpose.

I now carry with me new ideas, new partnerships, and a deeper belief that through education, we can prepare students not only to thrive in the world - but to care for it and each other across borders.