Pitman High teacher Isaac Farhadian is hoping his experience with a global classrooms program will help his students be better prepared to compete in international academic and work places.

Pitman High government and economics teacher Isaac Farhadian has been accepted into The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. The program will allow him to teach abroad and bring an international perspective to his curriculum.

Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms equips educators from the United States to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad and global collaboration. This year-long professional learning opportunity for K–12 educators features an intensive online course and a short international exchange. Some aspects of the program are attending a symposium in Washington D.C. and teaching abroad for two to three weeks.

Some of the goals of the program are to prepare U.S. students to work and collaborate in multiple cultural contexts and to be more aware of other countries around the world through interaction with teachers and students globally. Also, to enhance teachers’ expertise in adapting teaching methods, lesson planning, and instructional technology to internationalize the U.S. classroom.

Farhadian applied for the scholarship in March and got the news right before school started. The program slipped his mind as the months went by and was “surprised and excited” when he heard the news. He wants to use this program to better prepare his students as they begin to enter the workforce.

“It’s all about getting that international experience, learning about another culture and taking that experience and sharing that with my students. We live in a very competitive world, there’s not only state competition but also international competition, so I want them to learn about other cultures. I want to internationalize my curriculum through this experience and teach my students through my experience to better prepare them for a competitive world,” Farhadian said.

While helping his students is very important to Farhadian, he said he is excited to use this opportunity as a vehicle for personal growth as well.

“I am always looking for ways for me personally to grow as a professional and as a person. When I did research on the program, I saw the opportunities this would offer and I thought this was a great opportunity for me to grow professionally and personally, and I could share that with my students and colleagues,” he said. “I love what I do and I love my job. Teaching is not a stagnant position and you have to be looking for ways to improve.”

Working with young people and sharing knowledge with them is what got him into teaching and what still gets him excited to come to work every day, Farhadian said.

“I have a passion for working with the youth and I love teaching. The thing for me is trying to make learning as authentic, relevant and applicable as possible,” said Farhadian.