Expanding Networks

2023-2024 Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Research Recipients

Image courtesy of IREX.

So much has happened in the last six weeks! I'm not sure where to start but during a meeting today I was reminded that I need to prioritize my own processing of the experiences I have. Since receiving the email that set me on this path, I have been so inspired by all the amazing people I have met. It is incredible how many individuals there are pursuing important research and work to improve so much on the educational forefront.

Two weeks after finding out I was going to Finland, I had a Zoom with the Fulbright Finland Foundation and the four of us American teachers who would be going there. It was a warm welcome with an overwhelming amount of information. We need residents permits, have to find our own housing, etc. We were directed to a three page checklist of items to complete. It was stressed that sometimes permits can take a while so we should begin procuring as soon as possible. I left the meeting with great excitement and a long list of items to complete!

The first thing I did was find the other three women who would be going to Finland. We connected on Facebook and have been getting to know each other as well as sharing guidance, links, and tips for managing the different processes. These women are amazing and I am ecstatic about the chance to learn from them and share the experience of living abroad. Jill happens to be from Minnesota (2 of us! in Finland) and is a Middle school Math teacher her research is "A Focus on Mathematical Understanding and Shrinking the Gap: Best Teaching Practices 6-12." Jill will be traveling with part of her family and living about 3 hours from where I will be. Ashley will be in the same town as Jill, she is from Montana and will also be traveling with her family. Ashley is an English teacher (hope she doesn't read this to check my grammar because (oof)) her research is "Investing and Supporting In-Service Educators by Fostering Professional Learning Networks and Knowledge Exchange Approaches as Continuing Education to Reduce Student Achievement Gaps in Rural Areas." Teresa is from California and will be in the same town as I am. She is a Middle school Science teacher and her research is titled “Global Citizens, Global Action: Students Taking Climate Action Across Borders." I cannot wait to learn and grow with these amazing women!

In July IREX (administers of the Fulbright program for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs) held a Zoom meeting for all 20 of us Fulbright DA participants. We were able to ask questions, provided with some information and able to meet our colleagues. Again I left with another list and tons of information. Between all of us we will be doing our research in 10 countries. We will be together for research meetings and as support during this adventure, we were able to meet in person in Washington DC in August, further solidifying new friendships.

Armed with my lists, I began the process of setting alerts for housing, submitting a letter to my school board for approval (part of the proposal process was a preliminary approval from my principal), scheduling a physical, downloading Finnish language apps, following Finnish tutors on social media, completing paperwork for my resident permit, for IREX and for Fulbright Finland as well as setting up meetings in DC, and reading. I have revisited research books from when I was working on my Doctorate, I have read blogs from previous Fulbright's in Finland, I have begun reading about living abroad and cultural expectations. All of it is fascinating and a lot to consider!

The process of applying for the residents permit meant heading to an identity processing center with copies of everything I had submitted online. I set the appointment for 10:30AM on the morning I arrived in DC. Jill had made her appointment just before mine so we were able to meet and connect there. It took about an hour and a half to go through the process and when it is approved they send your resident card via FedEx (who can never find my house, so I will redirect that when it's sent out). Once through that process I went to the local Citibank, hoping they could establish a Finnish bank account for me since they have a branch in Helsinki... but alas nope. In order to set up a bank account you have to be in Finland and you must be registered in the community you are staying in. The wait for a bank appointment can be weeks I am told, so as of now I am not planning on setting up an account. What that means is that I will need to cover some of my expenses and will have to wait until the end of my research to be reimbursed. It will also mean I may have to find a local person to set up some services for me and pay them directly.

During the 2 days we were in DC we were able to meet the IREX team who is facilitating this process for us as well as some of the Department of State personnel. We had speakers about cultural awareness, living abroad, funding your experience (more on this in another blog post, but know there are sometimes massive opportunity costs associated with this), alumni spoke and offered tips, and we had a working session with our U.S. research advisor. We spent time getting to know the other recipients through activities, excursions an shared meals.

In DC I was lucky to room with Ashley and we shared a lot with each other in those couple days. She is absolutely awesome and has such an interesting story, we both couldn't believe we are here! I also went out to dinner with Jill and her aunt and uncle who live in the area. They were absolutely fascinating and showed us so much history I never would've known about. The Minnesota heritage also meant no-one made fun of my dialect ;) I didn't get to spend as much time getting to know Teresa, but we are going to be the same town and both of us on our own, so I am pretty sure you will hear more about her! I also met the other two participants also from Illinois (3 of us from one state!).

I think this is a good review of the process during those two months. I'm going to try to be more timely in my posts, so that I have an accurate accounting of this experience to look back on and also hoping others find the information interesting!

Illinois educators are well represented in the Fulbright DA program this year!

Josh teaches ESL for K-8 students at a Chicago Public School and

Laura teaches 8th grade Science at an Oak Park school.

The author of this website/blog/etc. is a participant of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program (Fulbright DA), a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. The views and information presented are the participant's own and do not represent the U.S.