2008.01.27: January 27, 2008: Headlines: Education: Fellows: New York Daily News: About 600 former Peace Corps members have worked in high-needs city schools in New York City since 1985 through the Peace Corps Fellows program at Columbia University's Teachers College
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2008.01.27: January 27, 2008: Headlines: Education: Fellows: New York Daily News: About 600 former Peace Corps members have worked in high-needs city schools in New York City since 1985 through the Peace Corps Fellows program at Columbia University's Teachers College
About 600 former Peace Corps members have worked in high-needs city schools in New York City since 1985 through the Peace Corps Fellows program at Columbia University's Teachers College
After working for the Peace Corps overseas, the fellows undergo an intense summer training and then work full-time at city schools while earning a master's degree and their state certification in teaching. More than a dozen fellows have gone on to leadership roles in schools, including Holly Anne Reichert, the new principal at the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn. Sara Lowes, who teaches students English at Marble Hill High, said her Peace Corps years in the Ukraine have helped her relate to students who recently moved to the city. "When you work abroad or study abroad, you really struggle to communicate with people," she said. "Then you learn the language, and you realize how open and warm people can be toward guests in their country." In a broader sense, teachers say the Peace Corps taught them an ingenuity that's well-suited to city schools and a creativity that helps them solve problems despite limited resources. "The first thing you learn in Peace Corps is you're not going to get anything done until you build a relationship," Dingman said. The staff's passion for travel is evident throughout the building, which is covered in murals of world capitals and billboards featuring foreign phrases.
About 600 former Peace Corps members have worked in high-needs city schools in New York City since 1985 through the Peace Corps Fellows program at Columbia University's Teachers College
Peace Corps bring global skills to classrooms, immigrant children
BY CARRIE MELAGO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, January 27th 2008, 4:00 AM
Caption: Teacher Wanda Dingman at Marble Hill High School in the Bronx.
When a family from the west African nation of Mali walked into Marble Hill High School for International Studies in the Bronx on a recent day, the principal heartily greeted them in the Malian language of Pular.
The mother was taken aback. She politely explained that she actually spoke Bambara, another language of Mali.
Not to worry. Teacher Wanda Dingman was able to greet her in that language, too.
"She was floored," Dingman said. "They had just come from another country. It was like this weight was lifted from them."
Dingman and Principal Kirsten Larson know what it's like to be a new immigrant - they're among the 11 staffers at the school who have served overseas in the Peace Corps.
Their international experience is indispensable in a school where half of the 429 students are learning English, hail from more than 35 countries and speak 33 languages.
About 600 former Peace Corps members have worked in high-needs city schools since 1985 through the Peace Corps Fellows program at Columbia University's Teachers College. About 300 are in classrooms now.
After working for the Peace Corps overseas, the fellows undergo an intense summer training and then work full-time at city schools while earning a master's degree and their state certification in teaching.
More than a dozen fellows have gone on to leadership roles in schools, including Holly Anne Reichert, the new principal at the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn.
Sara Lowes, who teaches students English at Marble Hill High, said her Peace Corps years in the Ukraine have helped her relate to students who recently moved to the city.
"When you work abroad or study abroad, you really struggle to communicate with people," she said. "Then you learn the language, and you realize how open and warm people can be toward guests in their country."
Dingman, who served in Mali from 1992 to 1995, said she has been "in the exact same situation that these kids are in," and can empathize.
In a broader sense, teachers say the Peace Corps taught them an ingenuity that's well-suited to city schools and a creativity that helps them solve problems despite limited resources.
"The first thing you learn in Peace Corps is you're not going to get anything done until you build a relationship," Dingman said.
The staff's passion for travel is evident throughout the building, which is covered in murals of world capitals and billboards featuring foreign phrases.
Exchange programs brought a teacher from China to the school, as well as numerous students from Tunisia, Senegal and other nations.
Last week, student Alexander Guerra, 15, was proofreading a letter he wrote to a pen pal in Namibia, explaining how he moved from Peru when he was 9.
Alexander said Marble Hill's teachers have helped smooth his transition.
"They know how people feel in another country," he said. "I feel like they understand."
cmelago@nydailynews.com
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Headlines: January, 2008; Education; Fellows; New York
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