Understanding our world
The United States is a big country. We are nearly 4 million square miles of forests, mountains, cities, beaches and desert. We have an astonishingly wide variety of travel opportunities within our country. Someone can easily travel from the historical landmarks in New England to the beaches of Florida in a short three hour flight. In another three hours, you can experience the enormity of our nations heartland and the "golden waves of grain" in St. Louis. Another flight can take you to the natural beauty of the west coast, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Mt. Rainier National Parks. Or you can venture to the rugged and remote Alaskan wilderness, or experience your own Aloha spirit with a few days in Hawaii.
Americans can almost be forgiven for not journeying outside of our country very much. Our own country is huge and diverse, the costs of traveling overseas can be burdensome, and Americans consistently get less and use less vacation time. According to the US State Department, only 39% of Americans owned passports in 2015. Then you consider the fact that domestic travel often begets domestic travel. If only 39% of Americans have a passport, then 61% of Americans are not passing on the idea of international travel on to their kids.
Global Education is the concept that students need to be aware of what's going on in the world around them. They need to know not only the geography of the world, but also the political and cultural influences that impact how people interact with each other. Students are taught about social justice issues, such as unequal food and wealth distribution or environmental issues such as fresh water availability and climate change impacts. Students learn how to be citizens of the world, not just their local community.
So how does this impact our students? READ ON to see why it is important for our students to learn about the world and what's going on in it.
READ Why Global Ed is Important. . .
Americans can almost be forgiven for not journeying outside of our country very much. Our own country is huge and diverse, the costs of traveling overseas can be burdensome, and Americans consistently get less and use less vacation time. According to the US State Department, only 39% of Americans owned passports in 2015. Then you consider the fact that domestic travel often begets domestic travel. If only 39% of Americans have a passport, then 61% of Americans are not passing on the idea of international travel on to their kids.
Global Education is the concept that students need to be aware of what's going on in the world around them. They need to know not only the geography of the world, but also the political and cultural influences that impact how people interact with each other. Students are taught about social justice issues, such as unequal food and wealth distribution or environmental issues such as fresh water availability and climate change impacts. Students learn how to be citizens of the world, not just their local community.
So how does this impact our students? READ ON to see why it is important for our students to learn about the world and what's going on in it.
READ Why Global Ed is Important. . .